Yahoo! Account Recovery: Reactivate That Email Address

You can (probably) get it back as long as you meet the right timelines

by Fionna Agomuoh
Fionna Agomuoh is a former freelance contributor to Lifewire. Her writing has appeared in Newsweek, International Business Times, and others.
Updated November 08, 2019

Perhaps you've bit the bullet and deleted your Yahoo! email to pare down the number of accounts you have online. If you want the account back, you may be able to recover it before it's permanently deleted from Yahoo! servers. Here's how Yahoo account recovery works and how to easily recover a deleted account.

Yahoo! Mail users have up to 90 days from the time of deletion to recover their account. After that point, you won't be able to recover the account, as it would have been permanently deleted from Yahoo! servers.

Yahoo Account Recovery: Confirm If Yahoo! Mail Account Has Been Deleted

  1. Go to the Yahoo! Sign-In helper.

  2. Enter your Yahoo! email address, phone number, or backup email address, if you have one.

  3. If your account has been permanently deleted, you'll receive a notification stating it's deactivated and can't be recovered.

  4. If your account is still available, you will be able to reset your password and access the account, similar to the recovery steps detailed below.

Though Yahoo! Mail users have up to 90 days to recover their accounts, it's possible the account could be deleted at the 30-day or 60-day point. If you're having second thoughts about deleting your account, follow the steps to recover your Yahoo! Mail as soon as possible.

How to Reactivate Yahoo Account

Deleted Yahoo! Mail accounts cannot be recovered after 365 consecutive days of inactivity or if the account has violated Yahoo's Terms of Service.

  1. Go to the Yahoo! Mail Sign-In page.

  2. Input your username and password and select Sign in.

  3. If requested, follow the account verification steps, which may include having a verification key sent to your phone number or a backup email address.

  4. Input the CAPTCHA verification.

  5. Select Re-activate.

    Reactivate Yahoo! account

  6. Once you see a success notice, attempt to sign in to your email account. Select sign in, input your username and password, then select sign in.

  7. Once you've successfully logged in to your account, you should see your old emails, contacts, and most details and information from the account before it was deleted. Keep in mind, some data may be permanently lost during the time the account was deleted.

    If you plan to delete your email accounts for any reason, be sure to back up any emails, contacts, or important information to a different email account or to a separate document.

  8. You're done!

It may take up to 24-hours for a deleted Yahoo! Mail account to be reactivated, but most users should be able to log into their accounts right away. If you're having trouble accessing the account, select I can't access my account on the login page and follow the steps to reset the password.