Google Inactive Account Manager: How to Set It Up (2026)

What happens to your Google account if you die or stop using it? Google Inactive Account Manager lets you decide. You choose who gets your data, such as Gmail, Photos, Drive and YouTube, and whether your account is deleted after a period of inactivity. When Google launched it in April 2013, I urged everyone to set it up that day. It matters even more in 2026, because Google now deletes personal accounts that have been inactive for two years if no plan is in place.

Quick answer: To set up Google Inactive Account Manager, go to myaccount.google.com/inactive, choose how long Google should wait before treating your account as inactive, add up to 10 trusted contacts and the data each one can download, optionally set a Gmail auto-reply, and choose whether to delete your account afterwards. Google warns you by phone and email before anything happens.

How to set up Google Inactive Account Manager

1. Open Inactive Account Manager in your Google Account and click Start.
2. Choose the waiting period: pick how many months of inactivity count as inactive.
3. Confirm your contact details: add a phone number and recovery email so Google can warn you before the period ends.
4. Add trusted contacts: choose up to 10 people to notify. For each, pick which data they can download, such as Gmail, Photos or Drive.
5. Set an auto-reply (optional): Gmail can send a message to people who email you after your account becomes inactive.
6. Decide on deletion: choose whether Google should delete your account after notifying your contacts.
7. Review and save your plan.

What happens when your account becomes inactive

• Google counts activity such as signing in, using Gmail or searching while signed in.
• Before the waiting period ends, Google sends warnings to your phone and recovery email.
• If you still do not respond, your trusted contacts get the email you wrote and, if you chose, a link to download your data.
• If you chose deletion, your Google Account and its data are deleted, and your Gmail address cannot be reused.

See Google’s Inactive Account Manager help for full details.

Google’s two-year inactive account policy

Since 2023, Google may delete personal Google Accounts that have been inactive across Google for at least two years, along with their Gmail, Drive, Photos and other content. Signing in occasionally keeps an account active. Setting up Inactive Account Manager lets you decide what happens instead of leaving it to the default policy.

Why you should set it up today

Every day we store photos, emails, files and videos that our families may want one day, or private information we would rather have deleted. In 2013 the tool covered services like Blogger, Contacts, Drive, Gmail, Google+, Picasa Web Albums, Google Voice and YouTube. Google+ and Picasa are gone, but your Google Photos, Gmail and Drive likely hold more than ever. Setting up a plan takes about five minutes.

Plan your other accounts too

• Apple: add a Legacy Contact in your Apple Account settings.
• Facebook and Instagram: choose a legacy contact or memorialisation settings. You can also download all your Facebook data.
• Password manager: many offer emergency access for a trusted person.

FAQ

How long before Google considers my account inactive?

You choose the waiting period in Inactive Account Manager. Without a plan, Google’s policy applies to accounts inactive for two years.

Can my family access my Google account after I die?

Only the data you shared through Inactive Account Manager is sent automatically. Otherwise, family can submit a request to Google, which reviews each case.

Can I change my plan later?

Yes. Open Inactive Account Manager at any time to edit or turn off your plan.

Does Inactive Account Manager work for Google Workspace accounts?

It is mainly for personal accounts. Work and school accounts follow their organisation’s rules.