Google has issued a three-week warning to inactive Gmail account holders to update their registration or lose their accounts. The internet search giant plans to get rid of millions of Gmail accounts that have been inactive for two years. This move will cause account holders to permanently lose their emails, documents, photos and videos.

Deleting inactive Gmail accounts is part of a major update to the email service. The purge will affect any personal Gmail accounts that have been inactive for at least two years. The policy, which was introduced this year, is expected to come into force in December 2023. Google says it will update its inactivity policy for Google Accounts across all Google products for up to two years. The policy also limits the length of time Google may retain such unused personal information from inactive accounts.

Google’s decision to delete inactive Google Accounts has positive security implications. It is expected to protect active Google users from security threats such as phishing, account theft, and fraud. Inactive Google accounts are at higher risk of being compromised by hackers. Owners of inactive or inactive Gmail accounts will be sent multiple notifications before any action is taken.

Notifications will also be sent to the added backup email addresses of the affected accounts. Google has indeed started sending emails to affected accounts. Account owners who are at risk of account deletion can prevent this situation by opening or sending an e-mail, opening Google Drive, or downloading applications from the Google Play Store. They can also do a Google search by signing in to their account.

Gmail has become a massive email platform and continues to grow with its ubiquitous appeal. Google says this won’t affect accounts that post videos to YouTube, regardless of when they were last active.