Your account is disabled - Google Account Help (2024)

Find out why

  1. Sign in to your Google Account on a browser, like Chrome.
  2. If your account is disabled, you'll get an explanation.

What happens when your account is disabled

  • You can't sign in to Google services or use Sign in with Google. When you try to sign in, you'll get an error message or be sent to this page.
  • In some cases, you'll get an email or text message from Google to tell you that your account is disabled.

Ask us to restore your account

If you own the account, you can request access to it again.

  1. Sign in to your Google Account on a browser, like Chrome.
  2. Select Start Appeal.
  3. Follow the instructions.

If your appeal isn’t approved, your entire Google Account will remain unavailable. If no further action is taken, your account will be permanently disabled and considered for deletion.

If you live in the European Union (EU) or are an EU citizen, there may be additional resolution options available to you. Learn more.

Max number of appeals reviewed for some policy violations

For some policy violations, Google will review up to 2 appeals. If the first appeal isn’t approved, you can submit a second appeal with more information, which will be re-evaluated by a Google reviewer. Any appeals after that will be closed.

If this applies to your appeal, before you submit it, you’ll see a message about the max number of appeals that Google reviews for this type of policy violation.

Download data from a disabled account

If you can’t get in to your account, you may be able to download and save account data from some Google Services.

To try downloading your data, sign in to your account as you normally do. Then, you may have the option to download your data.

Accounts may be disabled without the ability to download data for certain violations, including but not limited to:

  • Valid legal requests
  • Account hijacking
  • Egregious content violations including child sexual abuse and exploitation and terrorist content

Why accounts are disabled

Google Accounts are usually disabled if the account's owner hasn't followed our policies. Google's policies include:

  • Google Terms of Service.

  • Other policies and terms for our products and services. See examples of these policies.

Here are some common reasons why accounts are disabled. Not all Google services disable an account for these reasons.

Account hacking or hijacking

Don't sign in to or use another person's account unless you have their explicit permission.

Automatic calls or messages

Don't use Google services to make phone calls or send messages automatically (robodialing).

Robocalls are phone calls that use a computerized autodialer to send pre-recorded messages.

Breaking product policies

Some Google services have their own codes of conduct or terms of service, including:

If someone doesn't follow these policies, we might stop that person from either:

  • Using just that service
  • Signing in to any Google services

Child sexual abuse & exploitation

Don't use Google services in a way that exploits or abuses children.

We act on the following kinds of content:

  • Child sexual abuse materials, including cartoons.
  • Child grooming - for example, befriending a child online to facilitate, either online or offline, sexual contact and/or exchanging sexual imagery with that child.
  • Sextortion - for example, the use of real or alleged access to a child’s intimate images to threaten or blackmail a child.
  • Sexualization of a minor - for example, imagery that depicts, encourages or promotes the sexual abuse of children or the portrayal of children in a manner that could result in the sexual exploitation of children.
  • Trafficking of a child - for example, advertising or solicitation of a child for commercial sexual exploitation.

This content includes anything that's created, shared, sent, or uploaded on Google services.

When we come across child exploitation, we'll take appropriate actions. Our actions might include reporting child exploitation to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children or law enforcement, and disabling accounts.

Note for certain of our communication services:

Within the European Union, certain of our communication services detect online child sexual abuse under the Regulation (EU) 2021/1232, which provides for a derogation from the confidentiality of communications under the Directive 2002/58/EC for the purpose of combating online child sexual abuse. Under Regulation 2021/1232, if you think your account was disabled by mistake, in addition to requesting review, you can lodge a complaint with your country’s relevant data protection authority. You also have the right to a judicial remedy before a competent court.

Creating a false identity to deceive people

Don't use Google services to create a false identity to trick people into taking action (social engineering). It's a violation to create a Gmail address that implies someone works for an unrelated company or government organization.

However, uses like making a fan email account in a celebrity’s name are fine.

Export or sanctions law violations

Don’t use Google services or your account in a way that may result in or cause a violation of applicable export or sanctions laws.

If you or your organization is a sanctioned party or acts on behalf of a sanctioned person or organization, your account and any affiliated accounts may be disabled.

Harassment, bullying, & threats

Don’t harass, bully, or threaten others. We don’t allow Google services to be used to engage or incite others in these activities.

Keep in mind that online harassment is illegal in many places and can have serious offline consequences.

We may take appropriate action if we are notified of threats of harm or other dangerous situations, which may include reporting you to the relevant authorities.

High call volumes

Don't use Google services to send a large number of calls to a telephone exchange for financial gain (traffic pumping).

Impersonation & misrepresentation of identity

Don’t impersonate a person or organization, or misrepresent yourself.

Don’t misrepresent or conceal your country of origin and create or distribute content about politics, social issues, or matters of public concern to users in a country other than your own misleadingly.

We do allow parody, satire, and the use of pseudonyms or pen names. Avoid content that is likely to mislead your audience about your true identity.

Malware, phishing & other harmful activities

Don't use Google services for:

  • Malware: Sending harmful or unwanted code or software, like viruses.
  • Phishing: Taking private information by stealing it or tricking people into sharing it.
  • Harming or interfering with Google networks, servers, or other systems (e.g. cyberattacks).

Non-consensual explicit imagery & sextortion

Don’t threaten to expose or disseminate explicit, intimate, or embarrassing content of a sexual nature of another person without consent.

Don’t coerce (using power, influence, or pressure), encourage, or solicit financial gain or other sexual content from an individual through the threat of disseminating their explicit, intimate, or embarrassing content of a sexual nature.

Online harassment is illegal in many places and can have serious offline consequences.

Sexually explicit content

Don’t distribute sexually explicit content, including:

  • Nudity
  • Graphic sex acts
  • p*rnographic content
  • Driving traffic to commercial p*rnography sites

We allow content for educational, documentary, scientific, or artistic purposes.

Spamming

Don't use Google services to send anyone unwanted content, called spam.

Spam can be emails, comments, photos, reviews, or any other content that's created or shared on Google services.

Here are some good general rules:

  • Avoid sending unsolicited promotional or commercial content.
  • Don't send content to people you don't know or to many people at the same time.

Terrorist content

Don’t use Google services to share content intended to:

  • Recruit for terrorist organizations
  • Incite violence
  • Glorify terrorist attacks
  • Promote acts of terrorism

Unqualified educational institution

  • Don’t impersonate an educational institution when creating a Google Workspace for Education account.
  • Don’t misrepresent your qualifications when applying for a Google Workspace for Education account.Learn about qualifications.

Use of multiple accounts for abuse

  • Don't create or use multiple accounts to break Google's policies.
  • Don't use programs (called bots) to create fake accounts.

Google automatically detects and disables accounts made for abuse.

Many people have more than one Google Account, like a personal account and a work account. Uses like that are fine.

Valid legal requests

Upon request, we’ll sometimes take action under applicable laws or in response to a court order. Submit legal requests here.

Your account is disabled - Google Account Help (2024)

FAQs

How do I get my disabled Google Account back? ›

If you own the account, you can request access to it again.
  1. Sign in to your Google Account on a browser, like Chrome.
  2. Select Start Appeal.
  3. Follow the instructions.

What happens if Google disables your account? ›

All the emails, photos, videos, contacts, Google Drive files, and all other data stored under the account. All gets deleted. If you can prove to Google that you didn't violate any of its Terms of Service or usage policies, the account (along with its data) will be reactivated and restored.

Why did Google disable my account? ›

What is a Google disabled account? A user's account becomes Google disabled when the Google mail servers notice suspicious activity on the account, most frequently occurring when the password to the user's email account is obtained by a malicious party.

What if my Google Account is disabled due to policy violation? ›

Its generally said that you'll receive the warning mailer 10 days before the disablement. If you continue the violation, then Google has to take an stringent action and disable the account. If your account is already disabled, then fill out the account disabled form with complete correct details for a quick recovery.

How long can your Google Account be disabled? ›

An under-age account is deleted once the 30-day grace period has expired. A suspicious activity disable is never deleted.

How long will it take for Google to re enable my account? ›

If the Reactivate option isn't available, you must wait up to 24 hours before the limits are reset automatically. During this time, the user can still use other Google services. Click Reactivate to confirm. The user's Gmail account will be enabled within 15 minutes, after which they can sign in and access their email.

How do I call customer service for Google? ›

Help & Support
  1. Google HQ. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway. Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. (650) 253-0000. See all locations.
  2. Careers at Google. Learn more about our teams and job openings. Explore jobs.
  3. Press. If you are a member of the press, email us at press@google.com. Visit our blog.

How can I recover my Google Account with my recovery email? ›

How to recover a Google account if you forgot your email address
  1. Go to Google's Find My Email page.
  2. Enter your recovery email or phone number.
  3. Enter your first and last name.
  4. Send verification code.
  5. Enter the verification code.
  6. Choose an account.
  7. Enter your password.
  8. Go to Google's Account Recovery page.
Aug 15, 2022

What does it mean when your account is disabled? ›

A disabled account means you've been taken offline, often for security reasons. It can mean everything from illegal activity on your part to a hacking attempt from someone else.

How do I activate my Google Account? ›

Activate Google account

Tap Email and key in the email address for your Google account. Tap Password and key in the password for your Google account. Tap Sign in. Follow the instructions on the display to select settings for your Google account.

Why Google blocked my Gmail account? ›

Gmail may block an email address when: Your emails have been frequently marked as spam. You're sending a high volume of emails too quickly. Your message headers could be formatted incorrectly.

Why is my Google Account disabled due to spam? ›

If your Gmail or Google Workspace admin account has been blocked, please contact Google directly. To fight spam, Google temporarily disables your account if it suspects or detects any unusual activity on your account: Sending many emails with a new Gmail or Google Workspace account.

Why did my Google Account get disabled reddit? ›

It looks like this account was created or used with multiple other accounts to violate Google's policies. The account might have been created by a computer program or bot. If you think your account was disabled by mistake, submit an appeal as soon as possible.

How do I reinstate my Google Account? ›

If you deleted your Google Account recently, it may still be recoverable. If you can successfully complete account recovery, you'll be able to sign in as usual and access your account data. To get started, head to g.co/recover and enter your Gmail address. Important: Not all deleted accounts can be recovered.

How can I contact Google? ›

Help & Support
  1. Google HQ. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway. Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. (650) 253-0000. See all locations.
  2. Careers at Google. Learn more about our teams and job openings. Explore jobs.
  3. Press. If you are a member of the press, email us at press@google.com. Visit our blog.

How can I recover my Gmail account without recovery email? ›

How to recover Gmail password without phone number or recovery email?
  1. Step 1: Visit the Google Account Recovery Page. ...
  2. Step 2: Type in your Gmail username or ID. ...
  3. Step 3: Choose “Try Another Way to Sign In” ...
  4. Step 4: Verification Using Another Device. ...
  5. Step 5: Waiting for the Password Reset Link. ...
  6. Step 6: Resetting Your Password.
Jun 29, 2023

How do I reopen my Gmail account? ›

Step 1 You should go to Google Account Help and click on Follow the steps to recover your account. Step 2 Just follow the steps, enter your Email or phone number, and click "Next." Step 3 Enter the last password you remember and next. Step 4 You get your Gmail account success and click "Continue" to view your Gmail.

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