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The great digital purge is upon us
When was the last time you logged into that old Gmail account or your photo storage app? If it’s been a while, don’t be shocked if all your stuff is gone for good.
Most tech companies have policies that let them totally wipe out your account and everything in it if you haven’t signed in for a while. This could mean losing years of family photos, important emails and priceless memories. Yeah, that’s bad.
It happened to Andrew, my podcast cohost. He stored thousands and thousands of family photos on Shutterfly. One day, he went to log in and all those photos were nowhere to be found. No warning, no “are you sure?” Just deleted.
⏳ How long before your stuff disappears?
For starters, these deadly time-outs mostly apply to free accounts. Paid plans usually buy you more time, but not always. Sometimes you’ll get an email telling you to log in or else, but don’t count on it.
I put together this list for you so you know the dates your account could go into the intergalactic bit bucket.
- Google (Gmail, Drive, Photos): Two years of no activity = delete. Poof!
- Google Voice: Three months of silence and your number could be reassigned.
- Shutterfly: If you don’t make a purchase in 18 months, they can delete your photos.
- Dropbox (free accounts): Around 12 months of no activity and your files could disappear.
- Yahoo Mail: Account may be deleted after 12 months of no login.
- Outlook / Hotmail (Microsoft): You’ve got 24 months before your account is shut down.
- AOL Mail: Log in at least once every six months to keep your account alive.
- iCloud / Apple ID: Apple’s vague about it, but if your account is inactive for a “prolonged period” (think: years), they can disable or delete it.
- LinkedIn: No set timeline, but if you vanish for two or more years, your profile might disappear.
- X: Says it releases usernames after 30 days but is sketchy on full deletions.
- Snapchat: If you deactivate and don’t come back in 30 days, your account is gone for good.
- Instagram: They may delete accounts that go 90+ days without login or engagement, but timelines are vague (think months to years).
- Facebook and TikTok: Good news, if you ghost your account, they don’t delete it automatically. Your profile stays alive unless you remove it or break the rules, and then you won’t see the likes of anyone again.
Take one minute, log into that dusty old account and hit send on an email to yourself. Yes, even that backup inbox from 2009 where your only messages are spam and a Chili’s coupon.
👋 Know someone who hasn’t logged into that old Yahoo or Gmail account in a while? Forward this to them. It might save years of photos, emails and digital memories from disappearing into the void. Because if you don’t, poof, your digital memories could vanish faster than a Zoom invite on a Friday afternoon.
Tags: Apple, Facebook, family, Google, tech
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