How to back up and then delete your Google Account

Whether you want to close your Google Account privacy concerns or if you are trying to reduce the number of internet accounts you have, the process takes effort and time, but can be done without much hassle.

The key is to take the time to download a copy of all your data, and to make sure none of your online accounts use the Gmail address you are about to close. It would be a shame if you lost access to your bank account because you forgot to change your email address beforehand.

Below I’ll help you back up your Google Account data and then point you in the right direction to close your Google Account.

Make a backup of all your data before closing your account

Google’s Takeout service makes it easy to download all the data associated with your Google Account with just a single click. Start by going to the Google Takeout site and signing in to the account you want to close.

Go through the list of different services and applications associated with your Google Account, and check the box next to anything you do not want. I suggest everyone be checked. It is better to have the data and not need it than to need the data and not have it. Take the time to go through the options for sections like Google Photos and make sure all your photo albums are included.

Click on Next step at the bottom of the list. The next section asks how you want your data delivered. You can have Google automatically place the files in another cloud storage service (current options are Dropbox, OneDrive and Box, in addition to Google Drive), or Google can email a link to download the data once it’s ready.

Then choose your export preferences. Since you are closing your account, just stick to the default choice or Perform once. Select the type and size of files you want to receive.

Finally click on Create export and wait then. According to Google, it can take hours or even days to gather all your information and get it ready to download. You will receive an email when Google has finished preparing the files.

How to close your Google Account

With a copy of your data stored securely, it’s time to delete your account. Go to the Google Account website, sign in to the account you are closing and select the Data and personalization option on the left side of the screen.

Find the section marked Upload or delete your data and click on Delete a service or your account. Then click on Delete your account. You must log in to your account again.

Google gives you the option to back up all your data and show you a list of all the services you will no longer have access to, including how much data is stored in each. For example, if I delete my account, I’ll lose all 602 contacts I’ve saved in Google Contacts.

After double-checking all your data, scroll to the bottom of the page and check the two boxes to confirm that you want to delete your account, then click on the Delete account button.

If you’d rather delete your entire Google Account but are more concerned about the amount of data the company stores about you, you can only delete the data. We also have guides that guide you through removing your Facebook account, Amazon Account and Instagram account.