Google is taking a bold step to declutter its servers. Starting this week, according to Dalvin Brown of The Wall Street Journal, the tech giant will begin deleting personal unused Gmail accounts that have been inactive for at least two years.

This move is not just a one-time sweep; Google plans to continue this practice for accounts that reach this two-year threshold of inactivity.

What does this mean for users? Well, it’s a wake-up call. If you have an email address lying dormant, it’s time to log in or say goodbye.

The implications are significant. Once deleted, these accounts, along with all their contents, are irrecoverable. This includes personal emails, important documents, and even those cherished photos and videos tucked away in old Gmail accounts or Google Drives.

Whose Gmail accounts are most at risk? Older users, tech enthusiasts with dormant accounts, families preserving digital legacies, and incarcerated individuals risk losing their online presence due to their accounts being inactive for at least two years.

Google’s sweep of unused Gmail accounts is a reminder of the digital footprint we leave behind and the importance of managing it.

For many, this could mean the end of a digital era, with memories and data lost in the virtual abyss. So, if you’ve been neglecting an old account, now might be the time to revisit it, before it’s too late.

Google says any of the following actions, performed while logged into your inactive Gmail account, will prevent an account from getting deleted:

• Read or send an email from your inactive account,
• Save an attachment or file from an email to Google Drive
• Link to and watch a YouTube video
• Connect and download an app on the Google Play store
• Perform a Google Search.

Visit The Wall Street Journal or watch the YouTube video below to understand what steps you should take to prevent an unused Gmail account from being deleted.