Series: Your Digital Legacy - Google Accounts Made Simple

Have you ever thought about what happens to your digital life when you’re no longer around to manage it? Whether it’s your Gmail inbox, Google Drive, YouTube channel, or the treasure trove of photos and files you’ve stored, your Google account holds a lot of your personal history. Thankfully, Google offers a simple way to plan ahead: the Inactive Account Manager.

Here our expert guide, Kate, walks you through how you can set it up and why it’s an essential part of managing your digital legacy.

What Is the Inactive Account Manager?

In simple terms, it’s Google’s built-in tool that allows you to decide what should happen to your account if you stop using it for a certain period of time. You can arrange to share parts of your data with trusted contacts or have your account deleted altogether.

It’s easy to access: just visit [Inactive Account Manager](https://myaccount.google.com/inactive) and click Start.

How Does Google Know You’ve Stopped Using Your Account?

Google checks a few key signals to figure out whether you’re still active:

• Your last sign-ins

• Activity in your Google apps (like Gmail and Google Drive)

• Usage of the Gmail app on your phone

• Android device check-ins

If you haven’t shown any signs of life in your account for the time period you set, Google will assume your account is inactive.

Setting Your Inactivity Timeline

By default, Google considers your account inactive after 3 months of no activity but you can change this to suit your needs. Just click the little pen icon to edit and choose a time frame that feels right for you.

Google gives you plenty of notice: 1 month before your account is set to be deactivated, they’ll send a reminder via SMS and email. Make sure to provide a phone number and an email address you actively check (you can even use an email address outside of Google for extra peace of mind).

Choose Who Gets Notified and What They’ll See

A thoughtful feature of the Inactive Account Manager is the ability to appoint up to 10 trusted contacts. These are the people you want to be notified if your account becomes inactive.

For each person, you can:

• Add their email address

• Decide exactly what data you want to share (for example, you might want your spouse to have access to your Google Photos, but not your YouTube history!)

To keep things secure, Google will also ask for your trusted contacts' phone numbers. Before allowing them to download any of your data, Google verifies their identity with a phone call or text.

Deleting Your Account

You also have the option to instruct Google to delete your account when it becomes inactive. Here’s how that works:

• Google notifies your selected contacts.

• They have **3 months** to download any data you’ve chosen to share.

• After that period, your account—and everything in it—is permanently deleted.

It’s important to remember that your Google account is the key to a lot of services: Gmail, GoogleDrive, YouTube, Blogger, AdSense, and more. Deleting your account wipes the slate clean across all these platforms.

Why This Matters

Setting up digital legacy plans isn’t just for the tech-savvy it’s for anyone who wants to make life a little easier for the people they leave behind. Taking 15 minutes today to set up your Google Inactive Account Manager means your loved ones won’t have to navigate a digital maze later.

Stay tuned for more posts in this series from Kate on managing your digital legacy across other platforms. For now, why not pour yourself a cup of tea and get started with your Google account?

Kate is our expert guide. If you’re looking for personalised support to complete your NOTA:BENE System she can help. Contact us today to schedule your fact-finding consultation and take the first step towards a well-organised, worry-free future.