How to find all accounts linked to your email to protect your privacy

Nowadays, an average person in the US has more than 100 online accounts. Some of these we use daily, others – once (10 years ago). The ability to sign into various services using your Google or Facebook account has made the situation worse. Now, you don't need any effort to create hundreds of throwaway accounts!

So why is it important to keep tabs on your online accounts?

Well, for one thing, accounts mean all sorts of data, some of it sensitive – you don't want it in the wrong hands! So, in this article, we'll discuss how to find all accounts linked to your email and revoke those you don't wish to be linked. Moreover, we'll share some additional tips on staying private online.

Short on time? Here is how to find all accounts linked to your email address:

1. Find linked accounts via your email platform
2. Look for accounts linked to your social media
3. Check the saved logins on your browser
4. Search your mailbox for account-creation keywords

Why is finding linked accounts important?

Identifying accounts that are linked to our email is necessary for protecting our personal information. Here are the main reasons why you should spend time to find all accounts linked to your email:

1. To enhance your privacy. As the number of data breaches increases daily, doing all you can to stay private is non-negotiable. This includes identifying the accounts that are linked to your email, and deleting some of them if needed.
2. To avoid unnecessary money spending. Say, years ago you signed up for a photo editing program, and stopped using it almost immediately. Despite that, you are charged monthly for that service. While the amount of money may not seem big eventually it adds up. Taking care of such subscriptions will prevent you from wasting money.

Now, let’s take a look at what steps you could take to enhance your safety.

How to find all email accounts in my name?

There are several different ways you can find the accounts that are linked to your email account. Take a look at the most reliable ones.

1. Find accounts linked to your email

The ways to find the accounts linked to your email may differ depending on which email platform you use. Here, we’ll discuss two of the most popular ones – Gmail and Outlook.

To find all the linked accounts, Gmail users will have to complete the following steps:

1. Click your Google Account button at the top-right
2. Click Manage your Google Account
3. On the left menu, choose Security
4. Scroll down to Google apps with account address and click Manage access
5. Scroll down to the very bottom to edit Password Manager and Linked Accounts

Here you’ll be able to see all the websites that you login to with your Google Account. You’ll also find a list of Google apps that have access to your Google Account. Review it carefully, and remove the no longer needed ones.

For Outlook users the process is as follows:

1. Sign in to your Outlook account on your browser
2. On the top right, click the Settings cogwheel
3. On the bottom right, choose View all Outlook settings
4. Click Sync email on the second column
5. On the third column, find Manage your connected accounts section
6. Review all the linked accounts – Edit, Remove, or Refresh

2. Check the accounts linked to your social media accounts

You can also find the accounts linked to your email by checking your social media accounts. Doing so is key if, say, your Facebook is attached to third-party services that require your permission to see your contact list or contact details.

By identifying accounts linked to your social media profiles, you can manage them more wisely, and revoke access to those that are potentially harmful to your privacy. Let’s see how to do that on the most popular social media sites.

Facebook users can find the linked accounts by completing these steps:

1. Click your Account icon at the top right
2. Choose Settings & Privacy and then Settings
3. Click on Apps
4. On the left menu, choose Apps and Websites
5. To revoke access, tick the box next to your chosen app and click Remove

If you’re on Twitter, complete these steps:

1. On the top left menu, choose More
2. Click on Settings and privacy
3. In the third column, choose Apps and Sessions
4. Review all the apps linked to your Twitter account, and if needed, remove them

For LinkedIn users, the steps are as follows:

1. On the top right, click Me icon
2. Choose Settings & Privacy
3. In the top menu, select Account > Partners and services
4. Review the list of all third-party services
5. To remove access, click Remove

If you use Instagram, you’ll have to complete the following steps:

1. Click your profile icon at the top right
2. Go to Settings
3. Click Authorized Apps on the left
4. To remove access, click Remove

3. Check your browser

To find linked accounts, you can also check your browser for saved accounts. Let’s see how to do that on Google Chrome and Firefox.

Chrome users should complete the following steps:

1. Click Customize and control Google Chrome at the top-right corner
2. Go to Settings
3. Click on Auto-fill
4. Click on Passwords

In this window, you’ll be able to see all the passwords that your Chrome browser remembers. This is the place where you can remove the passwords you no longer wish to stay in your browser.

To identify linked accounts, Firefox users need to:

1. Go to Options
2. Click on Privacy & Security
3. Scroll to Login and Passwords
4. Click on Saved Logins

If you follow the steps above, you’ll be able to remove the passwords you no longer want to be saved on your Firefox browser.

We highly recommend you delete them all as keeping passwords in your browser is not safe. As an alternative, consider using a reliable password manager.

4. Searching through your emails

There is another way to find all the linked accounts, and that’s by looking through the emails in your mailbox.

To make it easier, try typing in the most common words to find the linked accounts:

• Verification
• Subscription
• Activate
• Confirm
• Welcome
• Unsubscribe

You can also type in your username in the search bar. Keep in mind, though, that this step may give you a larger result list, and most of the results will not be relevant.

Can you find the accounts linked to your phone?

The bad news is that finding accounts linked to your phone number is not easy, as there is no database where you could be looking to find them.

More often than not, you know that certain apps or websites use your phone number when you receive a recovery request. Therefore, whenever you get some kind of confirmation text message, make sure it’s from an app or website you actually use.

Check if your email has been hacked

As our data is the new currency, it’s important we take good care of it. One of the best ways to do that is to regularly check whether your most sensitive information (e.g., your email) is safe.

To do that, you can use our data leak check. After entering your email address, you’ll be able to know if your account has been hacked by online fraudsters.

As this tool is completely safe (meaning, we don’t track and store your data) you can use it once in a while for prevention purposes. It will help you know if an email address that you are using is safe. And if not, what to do to recover it.

Things you can do to protect your online privacy

Once you find all the linked accounts, make sure you take all the necessary steps to protect your online privacy. Some things to consider are as follows:

• Changing your passwords.

Make sure you update your passwords so that you are not using the same one on more than two accounts. When creating a password, make sure you include both capital and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

If you want to go one step further, consider investing in a high-quality password manager that has a built-in password generator.

• Using password manager.

Choosing a reliable password manager is key when it comes to keeping your credentials protected. Check our guide on the best password managers on the market today.

A built-in password generator will create the strongest password possible, preventing fraudsters from hacking it.

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NordPass is one of the best and most affordable password managers with lots of features. It has a secure password generator, automatically fills in passwords on websites, and keeps all of your credentials safe.

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• Signing up for a secure and encrypted email account.

One of the first steps you should take when protecting your online privacy, is opting for an encrypted email account. Doing so will enhance the security of your most sensitive information.

• Tracking your activity on your most visited websites and apps.

While this task may seem tedious and time-consuming, it’s something you should do once in a while to prevent losing your data.

For example, you can check your activity on Google account by heading to myactivity.google.com. If you’re on Facebook, you can go to your profile, press the three dots icon, and click on Activity log.

Bottom line

Altogether, finding all the accounts that are linked to your email is key when it comes to protecting your identity.

You can do that in various ways – starting from looking for linked accounts in your email or social media accounts to checking your browser or the entire mailbox. Whichever way you want to choose (or combine), take this process seriously as it protects and strengthens your privacy.

Once you are done with that, make sure you take extra steps to enhance your privacy. That includes, strengthening your passwords and keeping them in the password manager, and using an encrypted email account.