# Delete unused online accounts

Practice ID: 10
Topic: `maintenance` (maintenance: Recurring review, cleanup, permission, and recovery work that keeps a digital life manageable.)
Added: 2026-09-01
Journey entry point: `reset` (Reduce the strongest default pulls and regain enough space to choose deliberately.)
Start with: `setup` (setup)
Supports: `legible-digital-life` (a legible, maintainable digital life; group: `digital-control` / My data and digital setup), `privacy-clarity` (privacy clarity; group: `digital-control` / My data and digital setup)

## Pattern

An account that no longer serves a purpose remains an unnecessary dependency and exposure.

## Practice

Close online accounts you no longer use after exporting anything worth keeping and checking what deletion actually removes.

## Start small

Delete one unused account after saving anything you still need from it.

## Watch out

Preserve records needed for purchases, taxes, warranties, legal obligations, or future recovery before deleting an account.

## Concepts

- [digital hygiene](https://live.freewith.tech/concepts/digital-hygiene.md): Recurring maintenance keeps the digital footprint legible, private, and recoverable.
- [minimal retention](https://live.freewith.tech/concepts/minimal-retention.md): Data and digital residue are kept only while they continue to serve a deliberate purpose.

## Related videos

- [digital footprint optimization without the overwhelm](https://fwt.wtf/quiet-progress?utm_source=live.freewith.tech)
- [digital slavery is real and how I broke free](https://fwt.wtf/digital-slave?utm_source=live.freewith.tech)
- [three simple actions that changed my digital life](https://fwt.wtf/choose-your-digital-path-video?utm_source=live.freewith.tech)
- [stop consuming, start creating your digital future](https://fwt.wtf/final-step-video?utm_source=live.freewith.tech)

## Continue

- [See more in maintenance.](https://live.freewith.tech/?topic=maintenance#practices)
- [Journey](https://live.freewith.tech/journey.md)
- [Concepts](https://live.freewith.tech/concepts.md)
- [Complete agent-readable database](https://live.freewith.tech/llms.txt)