You close your Gmail account by deleting the Gmail service in your Google Account’s Data & privacy settings and verifying a non-Gmail email address. This preserves your Google Account and its other services. Sign in only through Google’s own app or website, and never share a code, password, or remote access with someone who contacts you.
The short version
- Keep other services: Delete Gmail alone to preserve the rest of your Google Account.
- Save your email: Create and download a Google Takeout archive before deleting Gmail.
- Verify another address: Gmail deletion requires verification of a non-Gmail email address.
- Check the scope: Deleting your entire Google Account also removes access to its associated services and account data.
| Option | Where to start | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Delete Gmail on a computer | Gmail account management | Closes Gmail while preserving other Google services |
| Delete Gmail on Android | Gmail app account management | Closes Gmail while preserving other Google services |
| Delete Gmail on iPhone or iPad | Gmail app account management | Closes Gmail while preserving other Google services |
| Enter account controls through Android settings | Settings > Google | Opens the same Google Account controls |
| Use the service deletion portal | Google Account in a browser | Opens service deletion without the Gmail app |
| Use alternative deletion labels | Delete a Google Service | Provides another documented Gmail deletion path |
| Delete the entire Google Account | Google Account privacy options | Removes access to associated services and account data |
| Delete an eligible child’s account | Family Link | Deletes the child’s whole Google Account |
| Arrange future deletion | Inactive Account Manager | Schedules account deletion following configured inactivity |
| Request closure for someone who died | Google’s deceased-user request page | Submits an account closure request for review |
| Delete a Workspace user | Admin console user controls | Deletes the managed user’s account |
| Turn off Workspace Gmail access | Admin console Gmail controls | Disables access while retaining mailbox data; update MX records first to keep receiving mail |
| Remove an account through Android Gmail | Gmail device account controls | Signs the account out locally and leaves Gmail online |
| Remove an account through Android settings | Device account settings | Removes local account data and leaves Gmail online |
| Remove an account through iPhone or iPad Gmail | Gmail device account controls | Signs the account out locally and leaves Gmail online |
| Remove or disable Gmail in Apple Mail | iPhone Mail account settings | Changes local Mail access without closing Gmail |
| Sign out in a browser | Gmail profile picture | Ends browser access without deleting messages |
| Sign out remotely | Google Account device controls | Revokes selected device sessions without closing Gmail |
| Export your email | Google Takeout | Saves an archive without deleting the original data |
Save your email before deleting Gmail
Open Google Takeout and choose the data you want to preserve, including your email. Select Next step, then choose Send download link via email for email delivery. Select Create export to request the archive.
When the export email arrives, select Download archive and save it before deleting your account. Creating an export does not delete the original data, and you do not need to install software to use Takeout.
Close Gmail from a computer
For a personal Gmail account, open Gmail and select your profile picture, then select Manage your Google Account. Open Data & privacy and, under Tools, select Remove data from services you no longer use. Authenticate when prompted to reach the service controls.
You can also open Google’s service deletion portal directly in a browser. Sign in to the account whose Gmail service you intend to close. This opens the same deletion process without requiring the Gmail app.
Deleting Gmail removes its messages and settings, so save your Google Takeout archive first. Beside Gmail, select Delete, enter a non-Gmail email address, and select Next. Open the email Google sends to that address and complete verification, then follow the remaining on-screen instructions.
If deletion has not proceeded, make sure you have verified the replacement address through Google’s email. Entering another address alone does not complete the process.
Google also documents alternative labels for Gmail deletion. If you see Data from apps and services you use under Data & privacy, select Delete a Google Service.
Deleting Gmail removes its messages and settings, so save your archive before continuing. Beside Gmail, select Delete and enter your non-Gmail replacement sign-in address. Select Send verification email and verify that address through the email Google sends.
Close Gmail from Android or an iPhone
For personal accounts, the Gmail app uses the same route on Android phones and tablets, iPhone, and iPad. Tap your profile picture, select Manage your Google Account, then open Data & privacy. Under Tools, tap Remove data from services you no longer use and authenticate.
Deleting Gmail removes its messages and settings, so save your Google Takeout archive before continuing. Beside Gmail, tap Delete, enter a non-Gmail email address, and tap Next. Complete verification through the email Google sends, then follow the remaining on-screen instructions.
On Android devices with Google Play services, you can also open Settings > Google, where present. Tap your profile picture or initial, then select Manage your Google Account > Data & privacy and continue with the deletion steps above. Manufacturer menus vary, and Google says some Google settings require Android 8.0 or later.
If your account shows the alternative labels, follow the Delete a Google Service and Send verification email route above. If the Android settings entrance is missing, use Gmail’s account management route or open the service deletion portal in a browser.
Delete your entire Google Account instead
Whole-account deletion includes Gmail and removes access to associated Google services and account data. Choose this only when you want to close the broader account. If you want to keep your other Google services, use the Gmail service deletion steps above.
Deleting your Google Account removes access to its associated services and account data, so export the data you want to preserve with Google Takeout and save the archive first. Open your Google Account, select Data & privacy, then locate Your data & privacy options > More options > Delete your Google Account. Continue through Google’s authenticated deletion flow and follow its on-screen instructions.
Close an eligible child’s account through Family Link
You can use this route for an account you created for a child below 13 or the applicable age in your country. It deletes the child’s whole Google Account, including Gmail. Deleting the account while it remains signed in can lock the child’s Android devices and Chromebooks, so first remove the child’s account from those devices.
The following action deletes the child’s whole Google Account, including Gmail. In your Family Link app, choose the child, then select Controls > Account settings > Delete account and follow the on-screen instructions. You can also sign in as the parent on the Family Link website and use the same path.
Handle a work or school Gmail account
If your Gmail account belongs to a work or school organization, contact your administrator. In a domain-verified Google Workspace organization, an administrator with the appropriate User management privileges can delete the managed user. An administrator with Gmail Settings privileges can instead disable Gmail access while retaining existing mailbox data.
Deleting a managed user removes that user’s account, so review the data preservation options before proceeding. In the Admin console, open Directory > Users, then beside the user select More options > Delete user. Alternatively, open the user’s page and select Delete user. Review the preservation options and any acknowledgments shown, then select Delete User.
To disable Gmail access while retaining mailbox data, open Admin console > Apps > Google Workspace > Gmail > Service status. For the organization, select Off for everyone, then select Save. For an organizational unit, choose the unit and select Off, then select Override or Save as appropriate to its inheritance state. If your MX records still direct mail to Google when Gmail is off, messages aren’t delivered to recipients, so redirect mail flow and update your MX records first if the organization must keep receiving mail.
Remove Gmail from a device without closing it
Removing an account from a device leaves your Gmail account online. Use these controls when you want to stop using the account on that device while keeping it at Google.
Removing the account through Android’s Gmail app also signs it out of other Google apps on that device. In Gmail, tap your profile picture, then tap Manage accounts on this device. Choose the account and tap Remove account.
You can also remove an account through Android’s system settings, although Google says some of these steps require Android 14 or later. Open Settings > Passwords & accounts, then under Accounts, choose the account. Depending on the manufacturer, the account menu may be named Manage accounts.
Removing the account through Android settings removes its local account data while leaving the online Gmail account intact. Tap Remove account, tap Remove account again, then tap Delete. Authenticate with the device lock if requested.
Removing the account through Gmail on iPhone or iPad also signs it out of other Google apps on that device. Tap your profile picture, select Manage accounts on this device, then tap Remove from this device. Your Gmail account continues to exist online.
For Apple Mail on iPhone, open Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts and choose the Gmail account. The next action removes the account from Mail and from all the apps that use it on your iPhone, without closing it at Google. Tap Sign Out or Delete Account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you close Gmail automatically after you stop using the account?
Eligible Google Accounts can use Inactive Account Manager to arrange future account deletion after configured inactivity. Open Inactive Account Manager and authenticate. The deletion plan closes the whole Google Account, including Gmail, so save a Google Takeout archive of data you want to keep before deletion occurs. Configure an inactivity plan that includes account deletion.
How do you sign out of Gmail on a computer without deleting anything?
In Gmail on a computer, select your profile picture, then select Sign out. With multiple signed-in accounts, the next action signs out all of them in that browser. Select Sign out of all accounts if that is what you intend. Signing out does not delete Gmail or its messages.
Can you temporarily stop Gmail appearing in Apple Mail?
Yes, you can turn off Mail for the account without removing it. On iPhone, open Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts and choose the Gmail account. Turn off Mail to temporarily stop Apple Mail using it; this does not close the account at Google.
Can you sign out of Gmail on another device remotely?
Yes, open your Google Account, then select Security & sign-in > Your devices > Manage all devices. Signing out revokes the selected device session without closing Gmail. Choose the device or session and select Sign out. Repeat for every session belonging to that device.
How do you request closure of an account belonging to someone who died?
If you are an immediate family member or representative, open Google’s deceased-user request page. The request concerns closure of the person’s whole Google Account, including Gmail. Select Close the account of a deceased user and complete Google’s request process. Google reviews requests individually, and closure is not guaranteed.