Gmail users who are infrequent in their account usage may face the risk of losing access in the upcoming month. As part of a process scheduled for December 2023, Google plans to deactivate millions of Gmail accounts that have remained inactive for a minimum of two years. Ruth Kricheli, Google's Vice President of Product Management, outlined the company's initiative in a blog post back in May, highlighting the need to update their inactivity policy for Google Accounts across various products.

The new policy, effective from December, entails the deletion of Google accounts and their contents, including data within Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar), and Google Photos, if the account has not been used or signed into for at least two years. The move aims to address security concerns associated with forgotten or unattended accounts, often susceptible to compromised passwords, lacking two-factor authentication, and receiving fewer security checks.

Abandoned accounts, according to internal analysis, are identified as at least 10 times less likely than active accounts to have two-step verification. Such accounts become vulnerable, posing risks ranging from identity theft to becoming a medium for unwanted or malicious content, such as spam. It's important to note that this policy applies exclusively to personal Google accounts that have not accessed their Gmail accounts in the past two years and does not impact accounts for organizations like schools or businesses.

To ensure the retention of an active Google Account, users are advised to sign in at least once every two years. Activities such as reading or sending an email, using Google Drive, watching a YouTube video, downloading an app from the Google Play Store, utilizing Google Search, or signing in to a third-party app or service using Sign in with Google all contribute to maintaining account activity. Existing subscriptions, such as Google One or those tied to news publications or apps, are also considered account activity and exempt from deletion. Google has clarified that accounts with YouTube videos are not currently slated for deletion.