How does an account exist, but not be recoverable? Solved/Closed

Question

Hi,

I'm trying to recover an old account so I can get a software activation license, but I'm receiving a mixed message that I was hoping could be explained so I can understand.

When I try to sign in to the account, I get this message: "Couldn't find your Google account."

I tried to set up a new account with the same email address to see if that would work, but I receive the message: "That username is taken.  Try another."

Which is it?  This doesn't make sense to me.  If they can't find it, how can they tell me it's already taken?  If it does exist, why doesn't Google give me the option to recover it?

Macintosh / Chrome 111.0.0.0

HelpiOS · Answer

Hi,

When you get "Couldn't find your Google account", it means that your account no longer exists. The main cause is that you deleted it or you set your account to be automatically deleted in the Inactive Account Manager. It is also possible that Google disabled your account due to a violation of their policies.

Now, if you try to recreate the account with the same username, you'll get "That username is taken" because usernames can't be reused. Once a username is used, it will be marked as "taken" and the record will be kept even if the account was deleted.

Unfortunately, I can only suggest you to check again that you're entering the correct username. If you've any doubts, try using Google's username recovery page.

Good luck

How does an account exist, but not be recoverable?

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