Starting in June 2021, Google will be able to delete content in Gmail accounts that have become inactive. Your Gmail account is considered inactive if you haven't accessed it for more than 24 months (two years). If your account becomes inactive, you may lose the data you have stored in Gmail, such as messages, files, pictures, and videos. However, you won't lose your account.

In the old days, you could keep your Gmail account as long as you used it wisely. But you had to use it. Google automatically deleted Gmail accounts after nine months of inactivity. Not only were the folders, messages, and labels deleted, the email address associated with the account was also deleted. No one, not even the original owner, could set up a new Gmail account with the same address. The deletion process was irreversible.

Google came under a lot of criticism after a large number of users reported that their inactive accounts were deleted without warning, leaving them with no time to back up their data. This public relations concern may have contributed to the policy change.

Now, accounts will not be deleted, and users will be notified before their accounts are marked as inactive, and they will be given a longer period of inactivity before Google removes all content.