Notice the key phrase 'through an official Google app.' Thankfully, Google also explains that a third-party email client, as long as it loads, sends, or performs actions like deleting or reading emails will count.īut don't stress too hard. 'Make sure you're signed in and connected to the internet.' 'The simplest way to keep your data active is to periodically visit Gmail, Google Photos, and Google Drive (and/or collaborative content creation apps like Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, Jamboard and Sites) on the web or through an official Google app,' explains the support page. Thankfully, there's a Google-confirmed way to avoid the possibility. Google goes into more detail on its support page, but is still frustratingly vague about whether or not it will actually delete your precious files. However, it's letting you know that, come June 1 2021, the clock is ticking. In other words, Google at present has no plans to just start deleting your stuff willy-nilly. 'If you're inactive in one or more of these services for two years (24 months), Google may delete the content in the product(s) in which you're inactive.' 'We're introducing new policies for consumer accounts that are either inactive or over their storage limit across Gmail, Drive (including Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms and Jamboard files) and/or Photos to better align with common practices across the industry,' explains Google in a blog post announcing the change. Or, alternatively, it may be that a Google user simply stored some valuable files away for a while - like one might with physical documents in a fire-proof safe - and simply hasn't peeked at them in a few years. Google frames this change as a way to tidy up abandoned digital detritus, perhaps left over from long-forgotten accounts. Notably, going forward, Google says that if you don't check in on your Google Drive files every now and then, it may delete them. Google announced a new storage policy Wednesday governing user accounts, and while most of the resulting headlines focused of a new price tag for Google Photos, an important change went mostly overlooked.

Why does my google drive say its full