How to Delete Yahoo Account

Gmail is a globally popular email service used by billions of people. Gone are the days when we managed our emails via Yahoo or Rediffmail accounts. Today, everyone has a Gmail account because it offers so many features and is so easy to use. Plus, add-ons with Gmail can increase your productivity. So it no longer makes sense to have two email accounts and use different email services, especially since Gmail is used by everyone and it is not exactly convenient for managing multiple passwords.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to delete your Yahoo account from your PC and mobile devices. The process is simple but can be a little confusing, so we’ve explained each step for your convenience. Let’s take a look at the steps you need to follow to delete your Yahoo account.

Pre-requisites before you delete Yahoo account

Yahoo will not let you delete your account until you have paid all outstanding balances or paid all active subscriptions. There are a few other mandatory steps that you need to follow to ensure that the deletion of your Yahoo account is safe and that you have all your data backed up.

Step-by-Step Guide to Delete Yahoo Account

Cancel all of your active subscriptions

Yahoo has partnered with customers such as Norton, NordVPN, LastPass, etc., to offer additional services to its users. You can subscribe to these services and manage them through your Yahoo account.

If you have subscribed to any of these services, you must cancel all active subscriptions so that you will not be charged even after deleting your Yahoo account. You can sign in to your Yahoo account by going to the Yahoo subscriptions page, following the on-screen instructions, and canceling any active subscriptions before deleting your Yahoo account.

Export your Yahoo account data

Before deleting an account from a website, you should make a backup of your data and keep it so that you won’t regret it if you delete your account in the future. Here are the steps you can follow to export and save your Yahoo account data:

1. Visit the Yahoo website and authenticate your account.
2. You will see options to download different data from your account:
   • Messages
   • Contacts
   • Calendar and Notepad
   • Contact data
   • Usage and activity data
   • Mail settings
   • Other mail features
   • Yahoo Mail Pro billing history
3. Simply click the Download button below the data you want to back up. You’ll need to follow the on-screen instructions to complete the download of your data.

Change your recovery email address for other online accounts

You may be using your Yahoo email address as a recovery email address for other online accounts. If you decide to delete your Yahoo account, you should update the recovery email address for your other online accounts. This will allow you to access your accounts if you forget your password for these online accounts.

How to delete your Yahoo account?

After you’ve backed up your Yahoo account data, changed the recovery email address on other accounts, and canceled all active subscriptions on your Yahoo account, you can now delete your Yahoo account. Note that this process cannot be undone, and you will need to create a new Yahoo account if you decide to use one in the future.

Delete your Yahoo account from a PC

1. Visit the Yahoo account termination page and sign in with your credentials.
2. Click the Continue to delete my account button.
3. You will be asked to enter your email address to confirm the deletion. Enter your email address in the blank field and click Yes, delete this account button.
4. You will see the confirmation page that Your Yahoo account has been deactivated and will be permanently deleted after a waiting period.

That’s it, then. Until the waiting period is over, your Yahoo account will be deactivated, and you will no longer be able to use it. Your Yahoo account will be deleted as soon as the waiting period is over.

Delete Yahoo account using the mobile app

You don’t necessarily have to get on a PC to delete your Yahoo account. You can also do it with the Yahoo Android app. Here are the steps you need to follow to get rid of your Yahoo account:

1. Open the Yahoo Mail app on your smartphone.
2. Sign in with your login credentials.
3. Tap on the Profile icon in the app’s upper left corner.
4. Select Settings from the list of options that appear.
5. Scroll down and tap Manage Privacy.
6. Tap the Privacy dashboard.
7. Yahoo Mail will prompt you to log in to your account and solve the reCAPTCHA when prompted.
8. Scroll to the bottom of your Privacy dashboard and select Delete My Account.
9. On the new page that opens, tap on Continue delete my account.
10. Confirm the account deletion by tapping on “Yes, delete this account” button.
11. You will see a similar message stating Your Yahoo account has been deactivated and will be permanently deleted after a waiting period.

If you want to delete your Yahoo account via the mobile app, you’ll need to follow a few additional steps, but they’re pretty simple. If you work with email a lot, here are some of the best email clients you can install on your macOS that offer a better user experience than the native app or the web app.

Related Read: Want to Delete Gmail Account? Here’s the Right Way

FAQs about deleting your Yahoo account

1. How long does it take to delete a Yahoo account permanently?

After you’ve followed the steps above to delete your Yahoo account, your account will be subject to a waiting period before everything associated with your Yahoo account is deleted. It usually takes about 30 days for your Yahoo account to be permanently deleted. Once the waiting period is over, you won’t be able to access your Yahoo account or any other services you used alongside it.

2. Is Yahoo deleting old email accounts?

Yes, Yahoo deletes old email accounts due to inactivity. Yahoo deletes an email account if the user does not log in at least once a year. So, if you can no longer access your Yahoo account, then Yahoo has certainly deleted your account because you have been inactive for over a year.

3. How long do I have to recover a deleted Yahoo account?

Yahoo specifies a certain amount of time, which it calls a waiting period. During this waiting period, you have the opportunity to restore your deleted Yahoo account. For users in the US, Yahoo offers the option to attempt account recovery within 30 days of account deletion.

Here are the steps you can follow to recover your deleted Yahoo account:

1. Open a web browser on your PC and head over to the Yahoo email website.
2. Click on the Sign-in option at the top.
3. Enter your email ID and hit the Next button.
4. You now have several recovery options. Simply enter the missing fields and click the Submit button to continue with the recovery process.
5. Enter the verification code and click Verify to recover your account.