How to Avoid Losing Your AOL Mail Account

You don't have to use it, but you do have to log in periodically

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Updated on June 1, 2021

What to Know

If you don't log in to AOL Mail for 90 days, the account is deactivated. Incoming mail may not be delivered.
If you log in to your account after 90 days but before 180 days, your mailbox is reactivated. You'll receive new emails again.
After 180 days, your account is deleted.

To avoid losing the account information, email address, and messages associated with your AOL Mail account, you must log in to your AOL Mail at least every 90 days. Here's what can happen if you don't.

What Happens to AOL Mail After 90 Inactive Days

If you don't log in to your AOL Mail account for 90 days, the account is deactivated. Incoming mail may not be delivered to your mailbox, and incoming emails may be returned to the sender.

If you log in to your account after day 90 but before day 180, your mailbox is reactivated, and you'll receive new emails again. You can use your account as usual, but this doesn't include any messages that were returned to the sender during the deactivation period.

What Happens to AOL Mail After 180 Inactive Days

If you don't log in for an additional 90 days (a total of 180 days), your account is deleted. You might not be able to reclaim the email address. In addition, your emails, photos, and other email attachments are deleted.

If you're not sure whether your account has been deleted, use the AOL account recovery flow to check. If your account is gone, it will tell you the account has been deactivated or that you can't reset your password.

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