How to delete Google account (quickly!)

Whether you have an entire Google account, or just a Gmail account, you might be wanting to find out the quickest way to delete it.

There are many Google services out there, but it doesn't mean you have to use all of them.

Perhaps your business no longer requires a Google account; your embarrassing email address from 10-years-ago is giving you shame when you have to say it out loud; or you want to come ‘offline’ for other reasons.

We will show you the steps you need to take to delete your Google account and your Gmail account without any fuss.

What it means to delete your account

Once you make the decision to delete your account, this means that you will lose all the data and content that was ever saved there. This means:

• Emails
• Files
• Photos
• Calendars
• Contacts (saved to Drive only)

Any other services or Google apps that you used with that account will no longer be available to you unless you make a new one.

You’ll lose access to content purchased with your account on Youtube, Google Play and all of your subscriptions that are linked to the account.

6 steps to delete your Google account

Many people have a Google account - it streamlines all your data and contents, but for some it may be

To permanently delete a Google account follow these simple steps:

1. Go to your Google account in your web browser
2. Log in to your account
3. Go to Data & Privacy
4. Scroll to Download or delete your data then select Delete a Google service
5. Choose Delete your Google Account
6. It will ask you for your password, enter it then select Next

Embarrassing username? Delete your Gmail account

You may be looking to delete your Google account due to an old email address bringing back memories of a childhood joke that’s gone too far into your professional career.

If [email protected] isn’t an email you feel proud of sharing with others anymore (no judgement here) then you can delete your Gmail account and retain all your other important Google information such as subscriptions, paid-for content and files. Your Google account will just ask you to use a different email address to sign in once your Gmail account is deleted.

Deleting your Gmail account is irreversible, so just make sure you’re never going to want to use it again.

It’s a good idea to set up your new email address and make sure your contact list knows your new contact details. Once deleted, the Gmail address will not be able to receive or send emails and this address will not be available for someone to use in the future.

Once you delete Gmail, that embarrassing email or an email that holds your previous name (perhaps you got married, congratulations!) will vanish into the abyss for good.

Follow these 4 steps:

1. First, sign in to your Gmail account and click the grid icon in the top right corner
2. Under Account, select Privacy & Data
3. Scroll to Data from apps and services you use then click Delete a Google service
4. Next to Gmail, click Delete account

It will then ask for an alternative email address so enter a different one there - just know that it can’t be another Gmail account! You'll likely still want to receive emails, so just make sure you have an alternative or set one up before permanently deleting your Gmail account.

Google will then send a verification email to your other email address and you can confirm that you want to finally delete your (now) old Gmail address.

If you’re not the owner or administrator of the account, then you will not be able to delete it. If it’s a work email for example, contact your teammate to know who is the go-to person to officially delete the email account.

Don’t want to go the whole hog? Just erase your Chrome history

There are many other Google features such as Google Chrome.

If you’re just looking to delete your Google Chrome history, then you don’t need to delete your entire account.

It’s not just something you want to do to hide what you were searching for (we’ve all been there). It’s actually a great way to keep your browser running efficiently, and quickly.

If you want to delete your history or clear your cache, all you need to do is:

• Open Google Chrome and click the three dots in a line in the top right corner
• Click on History or press command/control Y then select Clear history

Now you will have a fast-running browser, and no websites showing up that you’d rather they wouldn’t. Your partner will never know what you were planning for their birthday!

The only downside is that your saved passwords will need to be re-entered, so just make sure you remember them all or there will be a lot of password resetting.

How to stop Google tracking you

If the reason you’re wanting to delete your Google account is to increase your sense of privacy, and stop Google tracking you then you can ‘take back’ your personal information.

Google can feel like a looming presence across your personal life and your business life, from reviews to targeted adverts. It’s good to know that you can change up the settings and gain more control.

We’ve all seen the adverts that are personalised, mirroring something we’ve been searching for previously. To stop this, you can:

• Log into your Google account
• Go to the grid option, select My Account and Personal Info and Privacy
• You’ll see Ad Settings and turn off the switch that is allowing Ads Personalisation

You have to dive in a bit deeper to stop Google tracking your every move (literally). You will need to turn off location services, too.

Arguably, this only conceals the fact that Google is tracking you but it might save you the grievance of those irritating adverts.

Google business account

Deleting or activating a personal account is relatively straightforward but it’s also good to understand how to use a business account on Google.

There might be a few reasons why you want to delete your personal Google information, but it’s good to review options for a Google business account.

You might want to set up a Google business account instead of storing all your business’s information on your personal Google account.

It’s free to set up and it allows you to manage your business and focus on reaching more customers.

Benefits include:

• Easy to use
• Personalise your business listing - describe it in your own way
• It’s free
• Increase your exposure

Final thoughts

Whether you’re looking to remove your email with Google or if you want to delete your entire Google account, we hope you found this step by step guide helpful.

It’s easy to have all of your information in one place, so it might be an idea to review other options for storing all your personal information elsewhere if Google didn’t suit your needs. If you need to delete your account, then Google makes it quite straightforward to do so.

If you’re a business and you’re wanting to streamline your business activity - Google might be a great option for you, especially for listing your business in your own words. If you didn’t enjoy it for personal use, there’s no reason why you won’t like it for professional purposes. You can experience the review feature and boost your credibility in no time.

Your deleted Google account doesn't mean that you can't use other Google services for your business.

Want to know more about other Google services for your business? Read more on our blog here to find out how to maximise business success on Google.