Ok Google, delete: How do I delete a Google account?

Thinking of deleting your Google account? You’ve come to the right place. Whether you want to erase online data from your small business or you no longer use your account, we’re here to help you decide if deleting your account is the right decision, teach you how to save and archive your Google account data and go through recovering your account should the need arise. Follow the easy steps below to delete your Google account.

Is deleting a Google account the right decision?

Before deleting your Google account, it's important to understand what deleting your account means. When you delete your account, you’ll lose the data and content stored in that account (emails, files, photos), you won’t be able to use Google services where you sign in with that account (Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Play) and you’ll lose access to subscriptions and content you bought with that account (apps, movies, games, music). If you use an Android device or Chromebook, you may lose contacts and more.

If you don’t want to delete your Google account, you can still remove services including Gmail, products you’ve purchased or unlink third-party apps with account access from your account. There may also be an instance in which a company wants to delete a Google review, or remove a Google account from a device like a Pixel phone, Nexus device or another Android device.

How to save and archive Google account data

You’ve made the decision to delete your account – now what? It’s time to review and download your account information.

Start by reviewing this info. Select the data you want to include in your download archive by going to the download your data page and uncheck the data you don’t want to download. Next, choose your archive format: you can download your data via a download link sent to your email, or add it to Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive or Box. You can also choose whether you want a one-time archive or scheduled exports, and if you prefer a Zip or Tgz file. Finally, choose the maximum archive size you want to create – fear not, if your data is larger than the maximum size, Google will split it into multiple archives for you!

How do I delete a Google account?

Once you’ve downloaded your data, you’re ready to delete your account. Ready, set, go!

Go to myaccount.google.com and click ‘Data and Personalization’ on the left-hand side. Scroll to ‘Download, delete, or make a plan for your data’, then click ‘Delete a service or your account’ and finally, ‘Delete your account’. It really is that easy!

Can I recover my account if I change my mind?

If you’ve recently deleted your account, you may be able to get your data back. However, if it’s been a while, it may not be able to be recovered. That said, you’ll be able to sign into Gmail, Google Play and other Google services with a recovered account. You will be asked some questions to confirm it’s your account, then you will be prompted to create a password you haven’t previously used with the recovered account.

And that’s it! If it’s the right thing for you to do, you’re now free of your Google account, whether it was an extra, for a small business page that has grown or is simply not used anymore.