If you’re leaving Gmail for something better, or you simply want to retire an old account, it’s easy to delete your Gmail account and all its data. We’ll show you how to do just that.
RELATED: How to Delete Your Old Online Accounts (and Why You Should)
Want to Keep Your Other Google Services?
If you want to get rid of your Gmail account, but you’d like to retain access to Google’s other services, like Maps and Drive, then Google offers the option to delete just your Gmail service.
That way, your Gmail service is deleted but your Google account remains. You can then use the account to log in to various services, but you won’t have access to Gmail. Check our dedicated piece on how to remove Gmail from a Google account to learn how to do just that. If you want the entire account deleted, then read on.
Know This When Permanently Removing a Gmail Account
If you’ve made the decision you want to delete your Gmail account permanently, and you aren’t interested in keeping Google’s other services alive on your devices, then it’s easy to close your account with the company.
When you do that, your subscriptions purchased with your Google account are gone. You can’t log in to your devices where you use your Google account. If you have a Chromebook, you’ll have to use a different Gmail account to log in.
Deleting a Gmail account is a permanent thing, so make sure to back up your data first.
How to Delete Your Gmail Account Permanently
To begin deleting your Gmail account and all its data, launch a web browser on your device and access the Gmail site. There, log in to your account if you haven’t already.
After logging in, from Gmail’s top-right corner, select your profile icon followed by “Manage Your Google Account.”
Gmail will take you to the Google Account site. On this site, in the left sidebar, click “Data & Privacy.”
Scroll down the “Data & Privacy” page to the “More Options” section. Here, click “Delete Your Google Account.”
If you’re asked, enter your Gmail account’s password. It’s easy to recover your Gmail password if you’ve forgotten it.
Upon entering the correct password, you’ll land on the “Delete Your Google Account” page. On this page, you can see a list of items that you will lose access to.
To continue to delete your Gmail account, scroll the page to the bottom. Enable both acknowledgment options and then click “Delete Account.”
You’ll see a confirmation message from Google that your account and all its data have been deleted. You’re all set to enjoy a de-Googled life! Or, if you want to stick with Google, you can create a brand new Gmail account.
RELATED: How to Remove Google From Your Life (And Why That’s Nearly Impossible)
