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Posted on 09/02/2025 11:27:22 AM PDT by Red Badger
When was the last time you logged into that old Gmail account or your photo storage app? If it’s been a while, don’t be shocked if all your stuff is gone for good.
Most tech companies have policies that let them totally wipe out your account and everything in it if you haven’t signed in for a while. This could mean losing years of family photos, important emails and priceless memories. Yeah, that’s bad.
It happened to Andrew, my podcast cohost. He stored thousands and thousands of family photos on Shutterfly. One day, he went to log in and all those photos were nowhere to be found. No warning, no “are you sure?” Just deleted. ⏳ How long before your stuff disappears?
For starters, these deadly time-outs mostly apply to free accounts. Paid plans usually buy you more time, but not always. Sometimes you’ll get an email telling you to log in or else, but don’t count on it.
I put together this list for you so you know the dates your account could go into the intergalactic bit bucket.
• Google (Gmail, Drive, Photos): Two years of no activity = delete. Poof!
• Google Voice: Three months of silence and your number could be reassigned.
• Shutterfly: If you don’t make a purchase in 18 months, they can delete your photos.
• Dropbox (free accounts): Around 12 months of no activity and your files could disappear.
• Yahoo Mail: Account may be deleted after 12 months of no login.
• Outlook / Hotmail (Microsoft): You’ve got 24 months before your account is shut down.
• AOL Mail: Log in at least once every six months to keep your account alive.
• iCloud / Apple ID: Apple’s vague about it, but if your account is inactive for a “prolonged period” (think: years), they can disable or delete it.
• LinkedIn: No set timeline, but if you vanish for two or more years, your profile might disappear.
• X: Says it releases usernames after 30 days but is sketchy on full deletions.
• Snapchat: If you deactivate and don’t come back in 30 days, your account is gone for good.
• Instagram: They may delete accounts that go 90+ days without login or engagement, but timelines are vague (think months to years).
• Facebook and TikTok: Good news, if you ghost your account, they don’t delete it automatically. Your profile stays alive unless you remove it or break the rules, and then you won’t see the likes of anyone again.
Take one minute, log into that dusty old account and hit send on an email to yourself. Yes, even that backup inbox from 2009 where your only messages are spam and a Chili’s coupon.
👋 Know someone who hasn’t logged into that old Yahoo or Gmail account in a while? Forward this to them. It might save years of photos, emails and digital memories from disappearing into the void. Because if you don’t, poof, your digital memories could vanish faster than a Zoom invite on a Friday afternoon.
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Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
Well at least it isn’t the crypto-bucks.
bttt
Cloud is a vapor. Just a bit of sun or wind and all gone.
right now my biggest issue with yahoo mail is they make me change my password almost every time I log in. Gone are the days I could remember my password, now I have to write it down each time. They want to tell me its to help protect me, but they are in practice just trying to get me to lock myself out.
Remember, The Cloud is just someone elses computer..............
Here where I work, we use a cybersecurity company that makes us change our passwords every six months exactly...............
This is kind of a variation on the crypto mantra “Not your keys, not your coins.” If you are trusting the cloud to store your stuff, your stuff is not under your own control, so don’t be surprised if it is lost/seized/censored someday.
I bet the Goog NEVER deletes photos, just the owner’s credentials to login.
I had a client ask about my security. I told him that I used air gap.
Good reminder!
Thanks for the post!
I keep my photos backed up on about 4 different drives, etc. They are all relatively small. I also keep my music backed up on those same four drives. I don’t do any Cloud backups.
One word:
Backups.
bkmk
PLAIN OLD SCRAPBOOKS ARE STILL SUPERIOR.
>> Most tech companies have policies that let them totally wipe out your account and everything in it if you haven’t signed in for a while.
Bummer, but c’mon man! What sentient being would expect otherwise from a free service?
If you are not backing up your iPhone phones to a hard drive (or multiple hard drives) you will eventually lose them.
It’s a once a month habit that I’ve gotten into.
I was a professional photographer and had about 12 TB of photos on arrayed drives. Backing up your important digital work has to be a habit.
Thats a bingo!
Backing up to a stick or drive is a pain but it’s the only way to be sure.
Backup.
Backup.
Backup.
Backup.
Backup.
Backup.
Backup.
Backup.
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