How to delete unused accounts without losing photos or other logins

The accounts you never open can still hold things you want: the only copy of a baby video, an old purchase receipt, or the email address that receives password resets for an account you use every day.

Start with accounts whose purpose has ended, such as a service you tried once or a club your child has left. Save what you need from each one and close it. Leave your main Google, Apple and email accounts until you have checked what else relies on them.

Find the accounts, including the ones without a saved password

Open your password manager and look through its list. Then search your email for account confirmations, welcome messages, receipts and subscription renewals.

Some accounts won't have a password in that list because you created them with Sign in with Google or Sign in with Apple. Check those connections as well:

Disconnecting a sign-in provider and deleting the app's account are separate actions. Google says removing a connection doesn't delete data already held by the other company. Apple says that if you stop using Sign in with Apple and later use it again, you can return to the same app account.

For an account you want to close, sign in and use that service's deletion process before removing the connection. If you want to keep the app but delete the Google or Apple account used to enter it, first arrange another login with the app and check that it works.

Check what would disappear with the account

Make a note of four things for each account: what you want to keep, how you sign in, whether anything is billed through it, and whether anyone else depends on it. You can keep this beside the account entry in your password manager.

A shared album may belong to your account while relatives only have viewing access. Before deleting it, give the person keeping the album an actual copy they can open. A link back to your account won't preserve the files.

Check recovery addresses on the accounts you intend to keep. Change any that point to the email account you plan to delete and complete the confirmation sent to the new address.

Download the files and open them

Download and open the export before deleting the account. Save it somewhere you can access without the account you're closing.

Google: choose the products in Takeout

Open Google Takeout. Select the products you need, choose Next step, then a one-time export and a download link by email. When the archive is ready, download all its parts and extract them.

Open some of the photos, play a video and check the folders or date ranges that matter to you. If the export fails, try fewer products or smaller archive files. Exporting doesn't delete anything from Google, so you can correct an incomplete download before continuing. Google's export instructions

Apple: request a copy, then check what's excluded

At Apple's Data and Privacy page, choose Request a copy of your data, select the categories and continue. Download the completed request before its expiry date.

Apple says this request doesn't include end-to-end encrypted data it cannot decrypt. Don't treat the download as a copy of everything on your devices. Check the categories it contains and separately save any missing originals you need from your devices or iCloud. A list of purchases also isn't a download of the purchased films, apps or books. Apple's explanation of data copies

For old Facebook content, the Facebook cleanup guide covers an export and deletion while keeping your account.

Use the deletion control for the account you mean to close

For a small app or website, look in its account or privacy settings for Delete account. If the option is absent, use the contact route in its privacy policy and ask for account deletion, naming the account email or username. Ask how you'll receive confirmation and whether you must cancel a subscription separately.

Uninstalling removes the app from your device. Unsubscribing stops particular emails. Canceling billing stops a subscription under its terms. None of those labels, on its own, tells you the company has deleted your account.

Deleting a Google Account

Once the export and login changes are complete, open Google Account → Data & privacy → More options → Delete your Google Account. Read the account name and affected services before confirming.

This deletes that Google Account, including its Gmail, Drive and other associated data. It can also remove access to purchases and subscriptions. If you only want to remove Gmail, use Google's separate service-deletion option instead. Google's account-deletion guide

Deleting an Apple Account

Check Family Sharing first. Apple says that deleting a family organizer's account also includes child accounts in that family group. Transfer a child's account to another family before requesting deletion if you want to keep it. Shared subscriptions and content are affected too.

Sign out of your devices before deletion. Otherwise, you may be unable to turn off Find My or Activation Lock afterwards, leaving a device unusable.

If you have AppleCare One, cancel that plan first; Apple won't delete the account while that plan remains active.

Then open Apple's Data and Privacy page and choose Request to delete your account. Keep the access code Apple gives you. While the request is processing, Apple Support can use it to help cancel the request; after deletion, the account and its data cannot be restored. Apple's deletion instructions, including family and device checks

Keep the confirmation, then check what remains

Record the request date, any reference number and the expected completion date. Save the confirmation somewhere outside the account being deleted. If there is a cancellation period, follow the service's instructions about signing back in; a login can have a different meaning while deletion is pending.

After the stated completion date, check any public profile or gallery address while signed out. If it remains, send that exact address with your deletion reference to the service's support or privacy contact. If a subscription was involved, check its cancellation confirmation separately.

A closed account can still have retained data

Google says its deletion process generally takes about two months and that data can remain in encrypted backups for up to six months. It also describes delays and longer retention for particular business or legal purposes. Google's retention policy

Apple's policy likewise allows it to retain some transaction information. If a company says your account is deleted but mentions retained data, ask which records remain, their purpose and the retention period or how it is decided. Ask about backups separately from the public profile. The photo-removal guide has wording you can adapt.

Keep public removal and the provider's retention answer as separate results in your note. Losing the ability to sign in establishes that you cannot use the account; it doesn't establish that all records have been erased. Closing it also doesn't recall copies already sent to other people or businesses; broker removal and photo-removal requests deal with those copies.