Google to begin deleting inactive Gmail accounts in December

If you haven't hopped into your Gmail, YouTube or Google Photos account in a long time, now may be the time to do so if you want to keep it. Google will soon start deleting certain accounts that have not been signed into for two years.

The company announced the move earlier this year but the deadline is now just weeks away. The new rules only apply to individual accounts and not those tied to businesses, schools or official organizations.

Google said abandoned accounts are at least 10 times less likely to have two-step verification set up. The company added that accounts that have not been used in a while are more likely to be compromised.

“These accounts are often vulnerable, and once an account is compromised, it can be used for anything from identity theft to a vector for unwanted or even malicious content, like spam,” Google said.

SEE MORE: Gmail introduces blue verified checkmarks to thwart phishing attempts

The company said the process of deleting accounts will begin with accounts that were created and never used again. Google will send multiple notifications to both the account being deleted and a recovery email, if one was provided.

Google also is encouraging users to use its inactive account manager, which allows them to decide what to do with their account and data once it becomes inactive for 18 months.