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How to delete a Gmail account and Google account

It's time to finally get rid of that embarrassing email address you made a decade ago.
GMAIL
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/ Source: TODAY

If you’re set on deleting your Gmail account, calling it quits is quite simple.

Before you go through with it, you should keep a couple things in mind. When you delete Gmail, your address will be, well, erased. That means all of your emails and account settings will be scrubbed along with it. If you change your mind, Google notes you may be able to recover your address. Whatever the case, your address can’t be used by anyone else down the road.

Cutting ties with Gmail doesn’t mean you have to bid farewell to your entire Google Account, though. While you’ll no longer have access to the email service, you can still use Google Drive, Google Play and more through your Google Account.

Whether it’s because you want to get rid of an old — and embarrassing — handle or switch over to a different service, you can delete Gmail in a matter of minutes. On top of that, you can even opt to keep your personal information off Google. And while we're on the topic of digital privacy, you can also delete your Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and Twitter just as easily.

How to delete a Gmail account

  • 1. Sign into your Gmail account on Google.com
how to delete gmail account
  • 2. Click the grid icon in the upper right-hand corner and select "Account."
how to delete gmail account
  • 3. On the left, select the "Data & privacy" menu.
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  • 4. Scroll to "Data from apps and services you use."
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  • 5. Under "Download or delete your data," click Delete a Google service. (You may need to sign in.)
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  • 6. Next to "Gmail," click "Delete."
  • 7. Enter an alternate email address (cannot be another Gmail address).
how to delete gmail account

Make sure to use an email address you have access to; you will need it to continue deleting your account.

  • 8. Click "Send Verification Email."
how to delete gmail account
  • 9. Open the email from Google you should have received with your alternate email.
  • 10. Follow the deletion link in the message.
  • 11. If prompted, log into the Gmail account you want to delete.
  • 12. Select "Yes, I want to delete (example)@gmail.com."
  • 13. Click "Delete Gmail." Then, click "Done."

According to Google Account Help, "If you use Gmail through your work, school, or other group, contact your administrator." The administrator of the account is the only one who can delete the Gmail account.

Google doesn't specify how long it waits to actually erase your information after you make your request. If you change your mind, there's a chance you can recover your Gmail address and emails.

If you want to delete your whole Google Account instead of just your email address, there's another set of steps you have to go through.

How to delete a Google Account

  • 1. Follow steps 1-3 above.
  • 2. Scroll to "Your data and privacy options."
  • 3. Select "More options" and then "Delete your Google account."
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Deleting an entire Google Account means that the content in your Google Drive, Google Calendar and Google Photos accounts will be lost and you'll no longer have access to subscriptions purchased on YouTube or Google Play with that account (such as apps, movies, games, music and TV shows). If there's a Google Chrome browser synced with the deleted Google Account, the browser's information, including bookmarks, will be deleted as well.