Recovering or reactivating deleted Yahoo! accounts
Cause
There are three reasons for a Yahoo! account to appear as invalid:
- The account owner requested deletion of the account. This would require entry of a valid password.
- The account was removed due to inactivity. Yahoo! Mail accounts are deactivated and removed after six months of not being used, plus an additional two months for each year you held the account.
- Yahoo! deactivated the account because of a violation of the Terms of Service.
Resolution
While it may be possible to recover certain deleted or inactive Yahoo! Mail accounts, recovery is not possible if:
- The account was deactivated due to a violation of the Terms of Service.
- The account was deleted more than 90 days ago.
To reactivate your account:
- On a desktop or laptop computer, visit the Yahoo! account sign in page.
- Enter your Yahoo! ID and password.
- Confirm your Yahoo! ID and complete the CAPTCHA verification.
Note: If you are having trouble with CAPTCHA, select Need audio assistance? to read the code aloud or Can't read this code? to see a different code. - Select Reactivate at the bottom of the page.
Note: While these steps can be performed on many smartphones and tablets, we recommend completing them using a desktop or laptop computer.
If successful, the reactivation can take up to 24 hours. Keep in mind that some account data may be lost before the account is reactivated.
Yahoo! Mail Plus and Yahoo! Mail Premium Mailbox accounts are protected from dormancy and are not subject to deactivation due to inactivity. To learn more or sign up, visit our the Yahoo! Mail Plus main page. Note: Yahoo! Mail Plus is not available in all regions.
Note: If you don't know why your account was deleted, there's a chance that a third party deleted it. If this is the case, we recommend changing your password to improve the security of your account. For useful information and resources regarding online security, please visit the Yahoo! Security Center.
Additional Information
Note: The Yahoo! Terms of Service and privacy policies vary by country. Find information for other countries.