What happens to your Google account when you die?
Google lets you decide in advance what happens to your account if you stop using it. Set nothing up, and Google can eventually delete the whole account after a long stretch of inactivity.
Set this up now: Inactive Account Manager
Set up Inactive Account Manager. You choose how long of a gap counts as inactive, who Google notifies, what data they can download, and whether the account is deleted afterward.
If nothing is set up
Google reserves the right to delete an account after at least two years of inactivity, along with everything in it. A family member can ask for access, but Google reviews each request on its own.
In Canada, federal privacy law (PIPEDA, s. 7(3)(h)(ii)) can keep a provider from releasing a person’s data for up to twenty years after death. That’s exactly why setting a platform’s own legacy tool up in advance matters: it’s the difference between your family reaching what you left them and a decades-long lock.
Put this in a plan
List your accounts, decide what should happen to each, and keep it somewhere your family can actually reach. Free, and it stays in your browser until you choose to save it.
Common questions
What happens to a Google account when someone dies?
Google lets you decide in advance what happens to your account if you stop using it. Set nothing up, and Google can eventually delete the whole account after a long stretch of inactivity. Google reserves the right to delete an account after at least two years of inactivity, along with everything in it. A family member can ask for access, but Google reviews each request on its own.
How do I set up Inactive Account Manager for my Google account?
Set up Inactive Account Manager. You choose how long of a gap counts as inactive, who Google notifies, what data they can download, and whether the account is deleted afterward.
Can my family get into my Google account after I die in Canada?
Google reserves the right to delete an account after at least two years of inactivity, along with everything in it. A family member can ask for access, but Google reviews each request on its own. On top of the provider’s own rules, Canadian privacy law (PIPEDA) can restrict the release of a deceased person’s personal information for up to twenty years. Planning ahead with the platform’s built-in tools is the reliable way to avoid that.
Confirmed against Google’s official help pages on 2026-07-02. Policies change, so check the links below before you act. This is general information, not legal advice.