Google announced today that it has updated its inactive account policy, removing Google Accounts that have not been used for at least two years. Google says accounts that haven’t been used for a long time are more likely to be compromised due to the use of older, less strong passwords and the lack of two-factor authentication.

In the future, if a Google Account has not been used or logged in for at least two years, Google may delete the account and its content. This includes content from Gmail, Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Meet, Calendar, YouTube and Google Photos.

The policy applies to personal Google Accounts, not accounts created for businesses and schools. Users with inactive accounts will see these accounts deleted as of December 2023, but Google plans to provide advance notice before deleting accounts.

Accounts created and never used again will be the first to be deleted, and Google will send multiple notifications to both the account’s email address and the recovery email address, if any. To keep your Google Account active, Google recommends signing in at least every two years, and anyone who’s recently signed in to a Google Account or service is considered active and won’t be deleted.

Activities include reading or sending email, using Google Drive, watching YouTube videos, downloading the Google Play app, using Google Search, having an active subscription with a Google Account, or using Google Sign In.

In 2020, Google said it would delete content from unused accounts but leave the accounts intact. This is now changing with the plan to delete inactive accounts.