This wikiHow teaches you how to delete a Gmail account, as well as recover a deleted Gmail account within two days of deletion. Keep in mind that you usually can't recover a deleted Gmail account after two days. You also can't do deletion via phone or tablet. Deleting a Gmail account will pull the Gmail service from your primary Google account. However, the Google account itself will not be deleted.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Deleting Gmail Account
Step 1. Go to the Google Account page
Visit https://myaccount.google.com/ in a browser.
Step 2. Click Delete your account or services
This button is in the "Account preferences" column on the right side of the page.
You may need to scroll through the screen to see these options
Step 3. Click Delete products
It's on the right side of the page.
If you are not logged in to your Gmail account, click the “ SIGN IN ” in the middle of the page, then enter your email address and password before continuing.
Step 4. Enter the password
Type in the password used to log into the Gmail account you want to delete.
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If you are not logged in to the correct email address, click the button
Android7expandmore which is to the right of the email address (below the message "Hi Your Name"), then select the correct email address or click “ Use another account ” to add the Gmail account you want to delete.
Step 5. Click NEXT
It's a blue button at the bottom of the page.
Step 6. Click the trash can icon which is next to the text "Gmail"
It's to the right of the " Gmail " text at the bottom of the page.
If you want to download a copy of the Gmail information file, first click the “ DOWNLOAD DATA ” at the top of the page, scroll down and click “ NEXT ”, slide back the screen and click “ CREATE ARCHIVE ”, then wait until you get an email with a data copy link in your inbox. You can click the download link provided in the email, then return to https://myaccount.google.com/deleteservices to continue the deletion process.
Step 7. Enter a non-Gmail email address
In the pop-up window, type the email address of the non-Gmail account. You can use any email address (as long as it's accessible), including iCloud, Yahoo, and Outlook accounts.
Step 8. Click SEND VERIFICATION EMAIL
It's in the lower-right corner of the pop-up window. After that, a confirmation email will be sent to the email address you entered.
Step 9. Open the previously added non-Gmail email account
Go to the email address's website and log in if necessary, then open the inbox if it doesn't open automatically.
Step 10. Open the email from Google
Click on the email from the "Google" sender to open it.
Step 11. Click the deletion link
This link is in the middle of the email. After that, a new web page with Google's removal terms will be displayed.
Step 12. Check the "Yes" box
This box is at the bottom of the page.
It's a good idea to read the terms of deletion before agreeing to them
Step 13. Click DELETE GMAIL
It's at the bottom of the page. After that, the Gmail account will be deleted immediately.
Step 14. Click DONE when prompted
After that, the deletion process is complete and you will be taken back to the Google account page. You can still use your Google account to access services like YouTube by logging in with a non-Gmail email address.
Part 2 of 2: Recover Gmail Account
Step 1. Act quickly
After deleting your Gmail account, you only have (maximum) two business days to recover your account.
This time period differs from the Google account recovery period (between two and three weeks)
Step 2. Go to Google recovery page
Visit https://accounts.google.com/signin/recovery in a browser. After that, a new page with text fields will be displayed.
Step 3. Enter your Gmail email address
Type in the email address of the Gmail account you previously deleted.
Step 4. Click Next
It's a blue button below the text field.
If a message appears saying the email account doesn't exist or has been deleted, you can't recover your Gmail account
Step 5. Enter the password
In the text field in the middle of the page, enter the password for the email address you want to recover.
Step 6. Click Next
It's below the text field.
Step 7. Click Continue when prompted
After that, you will be taken to the account creation page to reactivate the old email address.
Step 8. Review the displayed account information
You can find the old email address on this page, along with the recovery phone number and email address. If all the information seems appropriate, you can proceed to the next step.
If necessary, you can update some aspects of your account before continuing
Step 9. Click Submit
This blue button is below the account information section.
Step 10. Enter the phone number
In the text field in the middle of the page, type a phone number to receive text messages from.
If you don't have a phone that can send messages, you can check the " Call " box on this page before continuing. With this option, Google will call your number instead of a text message
Step 11. Click Continue
It's at the bottom of the page. Google will send a short message with a verification code to the phone number you entered earlier.
Step 12. Get the verification code
Open the phone's messaging app or segment, check for a short message from Google, and see the six-digit code included in the message.
If you want to receive a phone call from Google, accept the call, then take note of the code stated
Step 13. Enter the verification code
On a computer, type the verification code into the text field in the middle of the page.
Step 14. Click Continue
This button is below the verification code field. As long as you enter the correct code, you can recover your email account. After that, you will be taken back to the Google account page.
Step 15. Open a Gmail account
Visit https://www.gmail.com/ via a browser. After that, the inbox of the previously deleted account will be opened. You may need to sign in to your Gmail account before your inbox will appear.
Tips
- If you're not sure you want to delete your Gmail account, try logging out of the account.
- After deleting your Gmail account, you'll need to sign back in to your Google account (using a non-Gmail email address) on other devices like phones, tablets, and computers.
