How to Delete Your Yahoo Account Permanently?

Shutting down Yahoo account is fairly simple. Following these steps:

1. Open delete user page of Yahoo and enter your email address/ username
2. Hit Next
3. Enter your password. In case of an Account Key, Yahoo will send a code to your registered mobile number to authenticate the access of account.
4. A text document “Before continuing, please consider the following information” will pop up. Read through it so you know which data is scheduled for deletion. Choose to Continue delete my account.
5. Once again, you will be asked to enter email address
6. Click “Yes, terminate this account”
7. You will see the message on the following screen “Your account has been deactivated and scheduled for deletion”
8. Tap Sounds good to go back to Yahoo home

There, you have lined up your Yahoo account for deletion.

Things to remember

Although, you have deleted the account from your end, the deletion process is far from over. Yahoo tends to store user data for up to 180 days from the date deletion request has been initiated. The length of data retention will largely depend on the country you have signed up from.

Also, when you delete your Yahoo account, not just emails or email account is deleted. Instead everything from Flickr photos account, other Yahoo settings as well as Yahoo subscription services are all slated for deletion.

So it is essential that before proceeding with deletion of Yahoo account, cancel your subscriptions or else unwarranted payments will be charged to your card.

Your username and email address will become available for others to use in the future. Moreover, a deleted Yahoo account can be re-accessed within 40 days window if you decide on keeping it. All you have to do is log in with your existing Yahoo credentials and everything will be like before.

But mind you, 40 days!

Why should you delete your Yahoo account?

For starters, if it is an old email account which hasn’t been in use, and not just Yahoo, it is advisable to get rid of it. In light of the recent data breaches all around the world, taking necessary security measures is necessary and any dormant email accounts are goldmines for cyber-criminals.

Furthermore, Yahoo is known to have a poor track record for when it comes to safeguarding its users’ data. For instance, Yahoo was bought by Verizon, an ISP that fought for the right to sell user data to third parties. During 2013-14, 1 billion Yahoo user account users were reportedly breached.

In the year 2017, a security warning was issued by Yahoo stating that 32 million Yahoo emails were affected by forged browser cookies in both 2015 and 2016.

So you can see, how vulnerable Yahoo is. The trick is to keep stronger passwords and employ two-factor authentication (2FA) which is if you continue to keep using Yahoo services. But if you think Yahoo has lost its credibility and you can afford to risk your privacy, maybe it’s time you deleted it.