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What happens to my web based email (i.e. Gmail, Yahoo) username after I completely close down my account? Is the username I closed down made available to new users or is it retired for good?

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+1 - I've always wanted to know this. Well, not always but you get the idea. – boehj Jun 26 '11 at 13:09
It's going to depend on the policy of the individual email provider. – Al Everett Nov 23 '11 at 15:48

2 Answers

up vote 3 down vote

In case of Gmail it depends on how you delete it.

Google support writes about possibilities of regaining your username depending on how you have deleted your account.

  1. Recovering a deleted username
  2. Canceling your Gmail address

Therefore, it seems that your username won't be available for others to use in any case.

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up vote 0 down vote

For Yahoo, when you terminate your account, the ID might be reassigned.

In most cases your account will be deactivated and then deleted from our user registration database in approximately 90 days. This delay is necessary to discourage users from engaging in fraudulent activity. Additionally, due to the limited number of names available, we may allow other users to sign up for and use your current Yahoo! ID and profile names after your account has been deleted.

The detailed procedure can be found on Yahoo's "How to close your Yahoo! account" help page.

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