Break Up With Google

Why this guide exists

Most of us signed up for free services without reading how they're paid for. Understanding the trade — and knowing the alternatives — is the first step to digital literacy. Nothing here requires you to be technical. Each step is small, reversible, and puts a little more of your data back in your hands.

De-googling is a direction, not a single action. You can stop at any step and still be better off than when you started.

Secure your devices & update everything

Before switching anything else, close the easiest doors an attacker could walk through.

Update everything — right now

• Open Settings on your phone and laptop. Install all pending updates.
• Turn on automatic security updates so you never have to remember.
• Restart after updating — patches only take effect after a reboot.

Switch your browser

• Brave — looks and feels like Chrome, imports your bookmarks, blocks trackers automatically.
• Firefox — independent, open source, built on its own browser engine.
• Set your default search engine to DuckDuckGo inside browser settings.

Encrypt your storage

Mac

System Settings → Privacy & Security → FileVault → Turn on

Windows

Settings → Privacy → Device Encryption → BitLocker

iPhone

Encrypted by default when a passcode is set

Android

Settings → Security → Encryption (on by default on modern phones)

Network hygiene

• Avoid logging into sensitive accounts on public Wi-Fi.
• If you must use public Wi-Fi, use a paid VPN: Mullvad or Proton VPN. Avoid free VPNs.
• Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth auto-connect when you're not actively using them.

Use a password manager

One password protecting an account is not enough. A password manager gives every account its own strong, unique password — and you only have to remember one.

Set up Bitwarden

• Go to bitwarden.com → create a free account.
• Create one strong Main Password. Long word-phrases work better than short symbol-soup, e.g. BullCity-Runs-In-Summer-2024.
• Write it on paper. Store it somewhere fireproof. This is the only password you memorize.
• Install the browser extension and phone app.

How to use it every day

• When signing up anywhere, let Bitwarden generate the password — never make one up yourself.
• Open sensitive sites from the link saved inside Bitwarden, not by typing the address — this protects against fake lookalike sites (phishing).
• Save recovery codes from each site in Bitwarden as a Secure Note.

Turn on 2FA — but not by text message

Two-factor authentication sends a second code after your password. Text-message codes can be intercepted. Use Bitwarden's built-in authenticator instead — codes rotate every 30 seconds and never leave your device.

Move to private email

Your email is your most sensitive account — whoever controls it can reset every other account you own. Many free email services are funded by analyzing your data; a privacy-respecting provider simply charges for the service instead.

Pick a provider

Proton Mail

proton.me — Swiss-based, end-to-end encrypted. Free tier. Includes calendar and cloud storage.

Tuta Mail

tuta.com — German-based, open source. Even subject lines are encrypted. Generous free tier.

How to migrate — take it slow

• Create your new account. Save the login in Bitwarden immediately.
• Set Gmail to forward all incoming mail to your new address (Gmail Settings → Forwarding).
• Update your most important accounts first: banking, government, workplace.
• Work through the rest a few accounts per week — there's no deadline.
• Keep Gmail forwarding active for at least 30 days after you finish migrating.

Replace along the way: Calendar → Proton/Tuta Calendar · Cloud → Proton Drive · Docs/Files → LibreOffice (local) or CryptPad (encrypted online).

Aliases & account cleanup

An email alias is a throwaway address that forwards to your real inbox. Give every service a different one. When a site gets breached or starts spamming, delete that alias — gone.

Set up SimpleLogin

• Go to simplelogin.io — free, open source, works natively with Proton Mail.
• Create a fresh alias for each account you update.
• The service only ever sees the alias — your real address stays hidden.

For each account: migrate, strengthen, lock

• Log in → update the email address to a new SimpleLogin alias.
• Update the password using Bitwarden's generator.
• Save alias + new password in Bitwarden. Enable 2FA. Save the recovery code.

Delete what you don't need

Every dormant account sitting in a company's database is a liability. If you haven't used it in a year, delete it. Use justdeleteme.xyz to find the deletion page for any service quickly. Check haveibeenpwned.com to see if your addresses have appeared in a known breach.

Move on from Google — keep going

Once every account uses a SimpleLogin alias and Bitwarden holds all your passwords and recovery codes, you're ready to close Gmail whenever you like.

Checklist before you delete

• Every important account is updated to a SimpleLogin alias — not your Gmail address.
• All passwords and recovery codes are saved in Bitwarden.
• Gmail is still forwarding (keep it on for 30 days after your last migration to catch anything you missed).

Delete your Google account

• Use Google Takeout first if you want to keep any old files or emails.
• Go to myaccount.google.com → Data & Privacy → Delete your Google Account, and confirm.

Keep replacing — what's next

Search

DuckDuckGo · Mullvad Leta · Ecosia

Maps

Organic Maps · OsmAnd — offline, no tracking

Messaging

Signal — end-to-end encrypted, enable disappearing messages

Photos

Ente — encrypted, free tier available

Cloud

Proton Drive · Nextcloud (self-hosted)

Phone

GrapheneOS on a Pixel — a fully de-googled Android

YouTube

FreeTube (desktop) · Invidious (browser, no tracking)