How do you permanently delete a Gmail account?

Answered by James Kissner

To permanently delete a Gmail account, follow these steps:

1. Download your data: Before deleting your Gmail service, it’s recommended to download any important data you may have in your account. This includes emails, contacts, and other attachments. To do this, open your Android device’s Settings app, then go to Google > Data & privacy. Scroll down to “Data from apps and services you use” and tap on “Delete a Google service.” Find “Gmail” and tap on “Delete” next to it. This will prompt you to download your data.

2. Sign in to your Google account: Open your web browser and visit the Google Account settings page (https://myaccount.google.com/). Sign in with the Gmail account you want to delete.

3. Access the “Data & personalization” section: Once signed in, click on the “Data & personalization” tab on the left-hand side of the screen.

4. Scroll down to “Download, delete, or make a plan for your data”: In this section, you’ll find various options for managing your Google account data. Look for the “Delete a service or your account” option and click on it.

5. Confirm your identity: Google will ask you to enter your password to confirm your identity.

6. Select “Delete a service”: On the next screen, you’ll see different options for deleting services or your entire Google account. Click on “Delete a service.”

7. Choose “Delete a Google service”: From the list of services, select “Gmail” to delete your Gmail account specifically.

8. Review the consequences: Google will provide information about what happens when you delete your Gmail account. Make sure to read through this information and understand the consequences.

9. Confirm deletion: If you’re ready to proceed, check the box next to “I understand that deleting the Gmail service can’t be undone and I have downloaded any data I need.” Then, click on “Delete Gmail.”

10. Provide an alternative email address: Google will ask for an alternative email address to associate with your Google account. This is necessary in case you need to recover your account or reset your password in the future.

11. Verify the deletion: Google may ask you to verify your decision to delete your Gmail account by entering your password again.

12. Final confirmation: Once you’ve completed the verification, Google will display a final confirmation message indicating that your Gmail account has been deleted.

It’s important to note that deleting your Gmail account will permanently remove all your emails, contacts, and other related data. Additionally, you will no longer be able to use that Gmail address for any services associated with Google.