Find Forgotten Accounts Using Only Your Phone

Most of us have signed up for far more things than we remember: a game in 2014, a coupon app, a forum you joined to ask one question. Each one still holds an email address, maybe a password you reused, maybe a birthday. You can't close accounts you don't know about.

You don't need a laptop to track them down. Your phone already holds most of the clues, and a username scan picks up the rest. Set aside 20 minutes and work through the list below.

Six places on your phone that remember your accounts

1. Your saved passwords

Open the password manager built into your phone or browser and scroll the full list. Every entry is a site where you once had a login. Sort by name and note anything you don't use any more. Menu names vary by phone, but searching your settings for "passwords" usually finds it.

2. "Sign in with" connections

If you ever tapped "Continue with Google", "Sign in with Apple" or a social login, the account behind that button keeps a list of connected apps. Look in the security or sign-in section of your main account settings. These sign-ups often leave no password behind, which is why they are easy to forget.

3. Old verification texts

Search your messages app for words like "code", "verification" or "confirm". Every service that texted you a sign-up code shows up, often with its name in the message. For accounts tied to your phone number, this is about the fastest search there is.

4. Your email inbox

The mail app on your phone searches just as well as a computer. Try "welcome", "verify your email", "confirm your account" and "your receipt". Repeat for every address you have used, including that old one you only check once a year.

5. App store history

Both big app stores keep a record of apps you installed and later removed. On Android, look in the Play Store under your profile for the list of apps that are no longer on this device. On an iPhone, check your purchased apps in the App Store for ones not on the phone. Any app you ever logged into probably still has your account.

6. Your old usernames

The five places above only catch accounts linked to this phone, its email or its number. Older accounts, made on a family computer or under a nickname from school, need a different approach: search for the usernames themselves.

Scan your old usernames from the phone

Write down every handle you can remember, including gamer tags and the embarrassing ones. If you have forgotten some, our guide on how to find your old username has tricks for digging them up.

Then run each one through a username search. Our free username search app for Android checks more than 3,150 sites, and the scan runs on your phone, so the names you type aren't sent to us. Results come in live as Found, Not found, Blocked or Unknown. Tap a found account to see its public profile details where the site allows it. A familiar avatar or an old bio quickly tells you whether it is yours or a stranger's with the same handle.

The app is free with ads and gives you a set of free searches each day. If you have a long list of old handles, split it over a few days or unlock more searches in the app. On an iPhone, our web digital footprint checker runs the same kind of scan in the browser.

Keep, secure or delete

Once you have the list, sort every account into one of three piles:

• Keep. You still use it. Make sure the password is unique and two-step sign-in is on.
• Secure. You don't use it but can't delete it, or want to keep the name. Change the password, update the recovery email and phone, and strip out personal details. Our guide on securing old accounts covers each step.
• Delete. You don't need it. Look in the account settings for a delete option, not just "deactivate", which often keeps your data. Some sites make you email support.

If you can't log in to an old account at all, try the password reset with each of your old email addresses. If that fails, the site's help pages usually list another way to prove it is yours. For a fuller walk-through, see find your old accounts and clean up your digital footprint.

Keep a list so you only do this once

Export your scan results from the app as CSV or JSON and add a column for what you did with each account. When a site you used years ago reports a data breach, you will know straight away whether you still have an account there. Re-run your main usernames once or twice a year. It takes a few minutes and catches anything new.

FAQ

How do I find accounts linked to my phone number?

Search your text messages for "code" or "verification". Most services that used your number sent a sign-up code. Your saved passwords and "sign in with" connections fill in the rest.

Can a username search find accounts I made with my email?

Only if you used the same username. Searching your inbox for welcome emails is the better route for email-only sign-ups.

Is deleting an account the same as deactivating it?

No. Deactivating usually hides the account but keeps your data, and you can switch it back on. Deleting removes it, sometimes after a waiting period.

Does the app keep a copy of my searches?

Your recent searches stay on your phone, and you can delete them in one tap. The app's privacy policy lists what the app and its ads collect.

The app and this site are not affiliated with the WhatsMyName project or with Google. Google Play is a trademark of Google LLC.