How to delete a Gmail account

If you no longer require your Gmail service, it's a quick and easy process to remove the email tool from your Google Account. Keep in mind: Deleting your emails won't delete your entire Google Account.

When you choose to delete your Gmail account, all your emails and mail settings will be deleted. You will no longer be able to use your Gmail address to send or receive email.

Your Google Account won’t be deleted, however; only your Gmail service will be removed. You'll still have a record of your Google activity and any purchases you made on Google Play.

Before you delete your Gmail account (Download your Gmail data)

Once you delete your Gmail account, you will no longer have access to any of your emails, so it's strongly advised that you download your data first.

Here's how.

1. Go to your Google Account.
2. On the navigation panel to the left of your screen, click on "Data & personalization."
3. Look for the section in the "Data & personalization" menu that says "Download, delete, or make a plan for your data."
4. Click on "Download your data."
5. In the next screen, you'll see all your different Google data for all the products and services you use. You can select which data you want to include in your download by checking the box next to the name of the service.
6. Deselect the ones you don't want, and make sure that Gmail is selected. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. Click on "Next step" to complete the export process.

How to delete your Gmail account

Once you've exported your Gmail data, you're just a few clicks away from deleting your Gmail account. Back in the "Data & personalization" menu, scroll down to the "Download, delete, or make a plan for your data" section. Click "Delete a service or your account."

Click this. You will need to sign in. Then, on the "Delete a Google service" panel, click "Delete a service.

On the next screen, next to "Gmail," click on the trash can icon.

How to delete a Gmail account on an Android phone

Deleting your Gmail account on Android is similar to the “How to delete a Gmail account on computer” instructions above. All you have to do is follow the following steps:

1. Open your Android’s Settings and scroll down to Google.
2. Click “Manage your Google account”. Under Data & personalization, choose “Delete a service or your account.”
3. Tap “Delete a service” and then tap the Trash bin beside your Gmail account.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions. The rest of the steps are similar to those for the desktop version.

How to delete a Gmail account on iPhone

Deleting your Gmail on an iOS device is not much different from desktop. That’s why we will be covering only the main steps. You can do it either from the Gmail app or your iPhone browser. After you initiate the deletion, the last steps are similar to the desktop guide.

1. In your Gmail app, press the hamburger menu at the top-left and scroll down to Settings. Tap on the account you’re about to delete.
2. Tap “Manage your Google Account.”
3. Choose “Data & personalization”, then “Delete a service or your account,” and finally “Delete a service.”
4. Find Gmail on your list of Google services and tap the trash bin. Follow the instructions to delete your Gmail account. You can also find them in our desktop step-by-step guide.

How to recover your deleted Gmail account

It is possible to recover your deleted Gmail account through Google's account recovery service. Go to the account recovery sign-in page and follow the instructions.

If it's been some time since you deleted your account, Google warns that you may not get all your emails back.

Finally, there are some things to remember before deleting your account. After your Gmail is gone, you won’t be able to log into any service that uses this email. Also, you won’t be able to recover forgotten passwords.