How to protect your Google account while you are alive

Inactive Account Manager lets the account holder choose up to 10 people to receive selected account data after the account has been inactive for a period the holder sets, up to 18 months, and can delete the account after that period.^{1, 2}

Google accounts are non-transferable and cannot be signed over to another person.³

Google Family shares a Google One storage plan and Google Play Family Library purchases while the sharing account stays active; access ends if that account is closed, and each member's own files stay in their own account.⁴

If a shared Google One subscription lapses, family members lose the shared storage and revert to the free tier; files are not deleted, but adding new files is blocked once the account is over quota.⁴

A Google Workspace super administrator can transfer a departed user's files and data to a new owner, migrate email and Calendar, export with Google Vault or hold the data under an Archived User licence; this path exists only on Workspace accounts.⁵

If the sole super administrator dies, regaining admin control runs through Google's domain verification recovery process rather than a handoff between existing admins.⁵

An account not used within a two-year period is deemed inactive and all of its content and data can be deleted, with activity measured per account; Google emails the account and its recovery email first.⁶

An account stays active despite non-use with a current purchase or subscription, a gift card balance, a published app with active transactions, a minor account managed through Family Link, or a purchased digital item; the policy covers personal accounts only.⁶

Google Takeout exports Gmail, Drive, Photos, Calendar, YouTube and other data, and requires the account holder to be signed in, so it runs during life.¹