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    5 min read 7 stepsMay 12, 2026Verified May 2026

    Spring Clean Your Google Account in 30 Minutes

    Old logins, abandoned third-party apps, and forgotten devices add up. Here is how to clean out your Google account safely.

    At a Glance

    Category
    Online Privacy & Dark Web
    Difficulty
    Beginner
    Read Time
    5 min read
    Steps
    7
    Topics covered
    google
    privacy
    security
    spring cleaning
    account hygiene

    In this guide (7 steps):

    1. 1.Open the Google Security Checkup
    2. 2.Remove old devices that no longer need access
    3. 3.Audit third-party apps connected to your Google account
    4. 4.Check who can see your YouTube, Photos, and Maps activity
    5. 5.Turn on (or upgrade) two-step verification
    6. 6.Review your saved passwords in Google Password Manager
    7. 7.Empty Gmail trash, spam, and download a backup
    1

    Open the Google Security Checkup

    ~25s
    On any computer or phone, open a web browser and go to myaccount.google.com/security-checkup. Sign in if you are not already. You will see a colored shield: green means no issues, yellow means recommended actions, red means urgent. Click through each section. Google has done a lot of the thinking for you — the recommendations are usually correct.

    Quick Tip

    Quick Tip: Do this once every six months. Put a recurring calendar reminder on April 1 and October 1.

    2

    Remove old devices that no longer need access

    ~38s
    On the Security Checkup page, click "Your devices." You will see every phone, tablet, laptop, and computer that has signed into your Google account in the last 28 days, plus older ones still trusted. Look through the list. Do you recognize each one? Are any old phones you sold or threw out? Are any laptops you stopped using? For each device you no longer use, click it and choose "Sign out." This kicks that device out of your account right away.

    Warning

    If you see a device you do NOT recognize at all — different city, brand you never owned — sign it out right away, then change your Google password. That is a sign someone else has access.

    3

    Audit third-party apps connected to your Google account

    ~33s
    Click "Third-party apps with account access" or go directly to myaccount.google.com/permissions. This list shows every app, website, and service you have given permission to read your email, calendar, contacts, or Google Drive. Look through it carefully. Anything you do not actively use? Click it and choose "Remove Access." Common cleanup targets: trial productivity apps, old expense trackers, calendar add-ons from a former job, fitness apps you stopped using, marketing tools.

    Quick Tip

    Quick Tip: If a service you removed access from is one you actively use, it will ask you to sign in again next time. You are not breaking anything permanent.

    4

    Check who can see your YouTube, Photos, and Maps activity

    ~30s
    Google quietly shares more of your activity than you might expect. Go to myaccount.google.com/data-and-privacy. Look at: Web & App Activity (turn on Auto-delete every 3 months if you want), YouTube History (auto-delete every 3 months reduces what advertisers and recommendations know about you), Location History (turn it off entirely unless you actively want Google to track every place you go), and Ad Personalization (turn it off if you do not want ads based on your data). None of these breaks how Google works. They just give you privacy.
    5

    Turn on (or upgrade) two-step verification

    ~38s
    If you do not have two-step verification on your Google account yet, turn it on now. Go to myaccount.google.com/signinoptions/two-step-verification. Follow the steps. The default option uses your phone for a text code — that is fine for most people. Better: use the free Google Authenticator app on your phone (works without cell signal). Best: buy a physical security key like a Yubico YubiKey ($25 to $50). Even if a scammer gets your password, they cannot log in without the second factor.

    Quick Tip

    Quick Tip: Print out the backup codes Google gives you and put them in your home safe or with your important papers. If you lose your phone, those codes are what get you back into your account.

    6

    Review your saved passwords in Google Password Manager

    ~35s
    Go to passwords.google.com. This is every password Google has saved for you. Click "Password Checkup." Google will tell you which passwords are weak, which have been reused on multiple sites, and which appeared in a known data breach. Fix the breached ones first — those are the most urgent. Click each one, and use Google's suggested new password (it is automatically strong and unique). The browser remembers the new one.

    Warning

    Some sites that show up in the breach list are sites you do not remember signing up for. That is normal — old breaches from years ago still appear. Change the password anyway; takes 30 seconds.

    7

    Empty Gmail trash, spam, and download a backup

    ~27s
    Finally, free up storage and create a backup. In Gmail, click "Trash" in the left sidebar and "Empty trash now." Same for "Spam." You can also download a full backup of your Google data using Google Takeout (takeout.google.com). Choose what to include (Gmail, Drive, Photos, Calendar are the most useful). Google sends you a zip file in a day or two — store it on a USB drive or external hard drive. Having your own backup is real peace of mind.

    You Did It!

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    If you have used Gmail or a Google account for more than a few years, your account has quietly accumulated dozens — sometimes hundreds — of connections. Apps you tried once and forgot. Old phones and tablets still listed as "trusted." Browser extensions that still have permission to read your email.

    Every one of those connections is a small door into your account. Most are fine. Some are abandoned by the company that made them and never patched. A few may belong to companies that have been breached since you signed up.

    This guide walks through Google's free Security Checkup and a 30-minute spring cleaning that closes the doors you no longer use. You do not need to be technical to do this.

    (Source: Google Security Checkup, myaccount.google.com/security-checkup)

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    google
    privacy
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