How To Delete an Email Account

Email accounts are commonplace these days, and usually entail virtually no cost to the user. You can get a free email accounts from dozens and dozens of providers, such as Gmail, Yahoo!, MSN Live, AOL, and the like. For some reason, you might want to delete your account, though. This could be due to a deluge of spam, or if you need to consolidate your email under just one account or service. While there are alternatives—such as a strong spam filter or email forwarding—nothing’s better than starting with a clean slate.

On popular webmail services, you can easily delete your account by accessing your user settings page. Just remember that deleting your email account might also result in the removal of other related services.

Gmail or Google Mail

1. Login to Gmail or your Google account.
2. Click the “Settings” link at the top navigation bar.
3. Open the tab named “Accounts and Import.”
4. Look for the “Google Account settings” link at the bottom of the page.
5. Look for “My products” column. Click the “Edit” link next to the “My products” heading.
6. Under “Delete a product,” click “Remove Gmail permanently.”

When your Gmail account has been deleted, you cannot reactivate that name anymore, and you will not be able to receive messages on the account. If you want all your Google accounts to be removed, click the “Delete account” link.

Yahoo! Mail

1. If have subscribed to premium or paid services under Yahoo!, it’s best to unsubscribe from these first, so you don’t get recurring billings.

2. Go to the “Terminate Yahoo! account” page. This can usually be accessed through the URL https://edit.yahoo.com/config/delete_user.
3. Enter your username and password. Make sure it’s the correct username and password you want to delete.
4. Confirm account deletion by entering your password.

Once you have deleted your Yahoo! mail, all other Yahoo! services associated with that username will be deleted. This includes your Yahoo! address book, briefcase, My Yahoo!, Geocities, and other applications and services that can be accessed with your Yahoo! username and password.

MSN Live or Hotmail

1. Click “Help” on any Live or Hotmail page.
2. Click “Close account” at the search page.
3. A link will appear with the contents “Close your account.” Click this link.
4. Depending on whether you are using a free or premium account, you may be asked to talk to a customer service representative to confirm and assist you with cancellation.
5. Confirm the deletion by clicking “Close” after

AOL

Cancelling your AOL email account is quite a tedious process, compared to the others outlined above. This might even be more complicated if you are a paying subscriber, and you want to either delete the subscription or convert it to a free one. You will need to download and print a cancellation form. Fill this up, and fax or post to AOL. You can also call the AOL customer service line at (888) 265-8003. After sending this form, follow up regularly to confirm if your billing or subscription has been cancelled.