Over time, you may use your Google account to sign in to websites, mobile apps, and other online services. In some cases, you may also give a service permission to access certain information from your Google account.
After using many different services, it can become difficult to remember which ones you connected to your account.
Google provides a way to review these connections and remove access you no longer need.
What Does It Mean When an App Is Connected to Your Google Account?
When you use Sign in with Google or authorize an application to access certain Google account information, a connection can be created between your Google account and that service.
The access granted depends on what the application requested and what you approved.
For example, a service might be allowed to see basic account information such as your name or email address. Another service could request access to specific Google services or data.
Being connected does not automatically mean an app has access to everything in your Google account.
How to Check Connected Apps on Your Google Account
You can review your connected applications from your Google Account settings.
- Open your Google Account.
- Select Security.
- Scroll to the section related to your connections to third-party apps and services.
- Select the option that lets you view all connections or third-party access.
Google may display websites and applications that you have previously authorized.
The exact wording and layout can change as Google updates its account settings.
Another Way to Find the Connected Services
You can also access your Google Account settings directly by opening your account settings while signed in to Google.
Look under Security for the section concerning your connections with third-party apps and services.
If you have used Google to sign in to many websites over the years, you may find services listed that you no longer remember using.
Review What Each App Can Access
Don't focus only on the name of an application.
Open the details for each connection and check the permissions or information the service was granted.
Depending on the service, you may see access related to things such as:
- Your basic account information
- Your email address
- Your profile information
- Specific Google services or data
The permissions shown will vary from one service to another.
This is useful because an old connection may have more access than you currently want that service to have.
How to Remove an App's Access to Your Google Account
If you find a service you no longer use, you can usually remove its access from the same account settings area.
- Open your Google Account.
- Go to Security.
- Find the section for third-party apps and services.
- Select the app or service you want to review.
- Choose the option to remove its access.
- Confirm the change if Google asks you to do so.
Once access has been removed, that service will no longer have the Google account permissions you previously granted through that connection.
Will Removing Access Delete Your Account?
No. Removing a third-party connection does not delete your Google account.
It removes the authorization that allowed the external service to access your Google account through that connection.
However, the third-party service itself may have its own account and stored information. Removing Google access does not necessarily delete that separate account or information.
What Happens When You Remove Access?
The affected application may stop being able to use features that depend on your Google account connection.
For example, if you previously used Google to sign in to a service, you may need to use another supported sign-in method afterward.
Some applications may also ask you to authorize access again if you reconnect them in the future.
What If You Don't Recognize an App?
Finding an unfamiliar name does not automatically mean someone has hacked your Google account.
Some services use a company name that is different from the name of the app or website you remember using. A service may also have changed its name after you connected it.
Before removing an unfamiliar connection, examine its details and try to determine what service it represents.
If you cannot identify it and have no reason to keep the connection, removing its access can be a reasonable security step.
Check Old Connections You No Longer Need
One of the most useful reasons to review this list is to find services you stopped using years ago.
You might have connected an app while testing it, used a website for a one-time task, or signed up for a service that you never returned to.
Leaving old connections in place may give services permissions that you no longer need them to have.
Removing unnecessary connections helps keep your Google account permissions easier to manage.
Google Sign-In and Third-Party Access Are Not Exactly the Same
There is an important distinction between simply using Google to sign in and granting a service access to Google account data.
A website may use Google's authentication system so that you don't have to create a separate password. Depending on what the service requests, it may also ask for additional permissions.
Therefore, don't assume that every service connected to your Google account has the same level of access.
Check Your Google Account Security Page Too
While reviewing third-party connections, it is worth looking at the other security information available in your Google Account.
Depending on your account, you may be able to review information about:
- Recent security activity
- Your devices
- Recent sign-ins
- Two-step verification
- Passkeys and other sign-in methods
- Recovery options
These settings cover different parts of account security, so reviewing them together can give you a clearer picture of how your account is being used.
When Should You Review Connected Apps?
You don't need to check the list every day.
Consider reviewing it when:
- You stop using an online service.
- You uninstall an app that you previously connected to Google.
- You discover an unfamiliar connection.
- You are cleaning up old online accounts.
- You want to reduce the number of services with access to your account.
It is also useful to check the list after you've used your Google account to sign in to several new services.
What You Should Remember
Your Google account can become connected to many websites and applications over the years. Some of those connections may remain long after you stop using the service.
Checking your Google Account's Security settings and reviewing the section for third-party apps and services lets you see these connections and remove access you no longer want to maintain.
Don't assume that every connected service has access to all of your information. Check the permissions for each connection and decide whether that access still makes sense.
A few minutes spent reviewing old Google connections can help you keep your account permissions under control.
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