You can delete your Gmail account, but also recover a deleted Gmail account within 2 days of its deletion. Keep in mind that you usually cannot recover deleted Gmail account after 2 days and you cannot delete Gmail account from phone or tablet. Deleting a Gmail account removes Gmail from your primary Google account, but does not delete your Google account.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Delete a Gmail account
Step 1. Go to the My Google Account page
Open the My Account site in your browser.
Step 2. Click Remove your account or services
This option can be found in the options column Account Preferences on the right of the page.
You may need to scroll down to see this option
Step 3. Select Remove Products
You will find this option on the right side of the page.
- If you are not signed in to your Gmail account, click TO LOG IN in the middle of the page then enter your email address and password before continuing.
Step 4. Enter your password
Type the password you use to sign in to the account you want to delete.
- If you are not connected to the correct email address, click on
to the right of the email address under the welcome message then select the correct address or click on Use another account to add the one you want to remove.
Step 5. Click NEXT
This blue button is at the bottom of the page.
Step 6. Click the trash can icon
It is located to the right of the Gmail header at the bottom of the page.
- If you want to download a backup of your Gmail information, first click DOWNLOAD DATA at the top of the page, scroll down and click FOLLOWING, scroll down and click CREATE AN ARCHIVE. Wait for an email to arrive with the link to the backup in your inbox. Then you can click the download link in the message and then come back to this page to complete the removal process.
Step 7. Enter an email address other than Gmail
In the pop-up window, type the email address for an account other than Gmail. It can be any email address you have access to: iCloud, Yahoo, or Outlook.
Step 8. Click SEND VERIFICATION EMAIL
This button is located at the bottom right of the pop-up window. Click on it to send a confirmation email to your non-Gmail address.
Step 9. Open your non-Gmail address
Go to the email account's website and sign in if necessary. Then open your inbox if it doesn't open automatically.
Step 10. Open the Google email
Click on the email sent by Google.
Step 11. Click on the remove link
It sits in the middle of the body of the email and opens a new page with Google's deletion terms.
Step 12. Check the Yes box
This box is at the bottom of the page.
It is recommended that you read the removal terms before agreeing to them
Step 13. Select DELETE GMAIL
This button is at the bottom of the page and will immediately delete your Gmail account.
Step 14. Click DONE when prompted
This button completes the removal process and redirects you to your Google account page. You will still be able to use your account for things like YouTube by signing in with your non-Gmail address.
Part 2 of 2: Recover Gmail Account
Step 1. Hurry
After deleting a Gmail account, you have a maximum of 2 business days to recover it.
The delay is different from the recovery period for Google accounts which is between 2 and 3 weeks
Step 2. Open the Google Account recovery page
Go to this site and you will see a page with a text field.
Step 3. Enter your email address
Type the address of the Gmail account you deleted.
Step 4. Click Next
It's the blue button below the text field.
If you see a message that says your email doesn't exist or has been deleted, you won't be able to recover your Gmail account
Step 5. Enter your password
In the text field in the middle of the page, enter the password for your email address.
Step 6. Click Next
This button is located below the text field.
Step 7. Select Continue when prompted
You will be redirected to the account creation page where you can reactivate your old email address.
Step 8. Review your account information
You should see your old email address along with your recovery phone number and email address. If everything looks up to date, you can continue.
If necessary, you can update certain items in your account before continuing
Step 9. Click Submit
It's a blue button under the account information section.
Step 10. Enter a phone number
In the text field in the middle of the page, type a phone number where you can receive a text message.
- If your phone does not allow you to receive a text message, select the check box To call on this page before continuing. Google will call the number rather than sending it a message.
Step 11. Click Continue
This button is at the bottom of the page. Google will send you a text message with the verification code.
Step 12. Retrieve your verification code
Open the app or Messages section of your phone, open the message from Google and write down the 6-digit code in it.
If you have chosen the Google call, answer the call then write down the code that will be given to you
Step 13. Enter the verification code
On your computer, type the code into the text field in the middle of the page.
Step 14. Click Continue
This option is found under the field dedicated to the verification code. If the code is correct, it will retrieve your email account and you will be redirected to your Google account page.
Step 15. Open your Gmail account
Go to Gmail in your browser. This will open the inbox of your formerly deleted account (you may need to log into your account first).
Advice
- If you are not sure if you want to delete your Gmail account, try signing out of your Gmail account instead.
- After deleting a Gmail account, you may need to sign in to your Google account again (using the non-Gmail address) on your other devices like phones, tablets, and other computers.
