Retaining your Gmail account requires 3 steps(0)

Google dominates the free email market with an estimated 1.8 billion Gmail users. So it's no surprise that warnings about deleting Gmail accounts would cause concern. So let's set the record straight and confirm what's really going on. Yes, Google is deleting Gmail accounts. No, not everyone is at risk because only inactive accounts are targeted. For peace of mind, there are steps you can take to ensure that your Gmail, as well as photo and document content, are not affected. Here's what you need to know and do.

Google has invested a lot of time and money into making its Gmail as secure as possible for its users, whether it's in terms of anti-spam measures, phishing scam protection or account hijacking defences. Even with these protections in place, if an account is left unused for an extended period of time, it is more likely to be stolen.

One of the reasons for the theft of old and unused accounts is weak login credentials and a lack of two-factor authentication. Passwords are often shared between accounts, which is a headache I've repeatedly warned about, and this can lead to vulnerabilities in one service affecting the security of another. The end result is that inactive accounts are more vulnerable than active ones.

Three Steps To Take Now To Prevent Your Gmail Account Being Deleted

If you only have one Google account, then your Gmail is perfectly safe from deletion, assuming you have used it within the last two years. The problem is purely with those users who have multiple accounts or maybe ones set up purely to store photos or data that have not been accessed in a long while or forgotten about altogether. Although a forgotten account might seem pointless to save, it could contain content that you may wish to access further down the road. That said, here’s what Google considers activity.

1.Read or send an email.
2.Share a photo or watch a YouTube video while signed into the relevant Google account.
3.Use Google Drive or Search.

That's it. Doing these things at least once a year should ensure that your account doesn't get deleted. These actions can be performed on any device, as this is account-specific policy. If it's been a while since you've accessed an account, I highly recommend running a Google Account Security Check to make sure you have the necessary security measures in place to protect it.