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Are Old WoW Accounts Deleted? A Comprehensive Guide

The question of whether old World of Warcraft (WoW) accounts are deleted is a common concern among returning players. The short answer is: no, Blizzard does not typically delete inactive WoW accounts. However, there are nuances to this answer. While your account itself is generally safe, certain aspects like auctions and mail will expire. Let’s dive into the details to understand exactly what happens to your old WoW account when you take a break from Azeroth.

What Happens to Inactive WoW Accounts?

Blizzard Entertainment, the developers behind World of Warcraft, understands that players come and go. They’ve implemented a system that preserves accounts and characters even after extended periods of inactivity. Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect:

Account Preservation: Unless your Battle.net account is completely empty (meaning no games or licenses associated with it) and has been inactive for years, it will not be deleted. Blizzard does not delete inactive accounts as a standard practice. Your login credentials and associated game licenses remain intact.
Character Safety: Your characters are not deleted due to inactivity. They will remain as you left them, with their gear, level, and progress untouched. The only exception is if Blizzard needs to free up a character name, which we will discuss shortly.
Auction and Mail Expiration: Any items you have listed on the auction house or unread mail in your inbox will expire and be deleted after a certain period of inactivity. This is done to keep the game’s database clean and efficient.
Character Name Flags: In very rare cases, if you’ve been inactive for a long time, Blizzard may flag your character for a name change. This is done to allow an active player to use the name if they request it. You will not lose your character, just their name, and you’ll be prompted to choose a new name when you log back in.
Inactive Status: An account goes inactive as soon as game time expires. Players can also request to make their account inactive through customer support. When an account is inactive, you will not be charged for a subscription.

Recovering Your Old WoW Account

If you’re looking to return to Azeroth after a long hiatus, here’s what you need to do:

Email Recovery: If you’ve forgotten the email address associated with your account, and you have phone notifications set up, you can recover it using Blizzard’s recovery tool. This ensures you can regain access even if you’ve changed your email address.
Password Reset: If you know your email but have forgotten your password, you can perform a password reset using the same account recovery options.
Account Verification: Sometimes, Blizzard may ask you to verify your account using your registered email or phone number. Make sure your information is up-to-date to avoid any hassle.

Once you’ve regained access to your account, your old characters should be waiting for you on the character selection screen. It’s that simple!

What If You Experience Issues?

There can be instances where you may not see your characters, but usually this is due to a simple issue:

Incorrect Game Account or Region: Verify that you are logged into the correct game account, game variant, and region. In the Battle.net app, choose the right World of Warcraft account. If you played on a European server, make sure your application is set to the European region.
Realm List Issues: The World of Warcraft Realm List can sometimes fail to properly display your characters. Reinstalling the game can cause this. Data on your characters and which realms they exist on is stored locally. If this occurs, reinstalling can resolve it, and a Character Transfer on the website can show you the realms with your characters.

Important Considerations

Deleting Accounts: It’s important to know that you cannot delete individual World of Warcraft accounts from your Battle.net account. You can only delete Starter Edition accounts or your entire Battle.net account, which would delete all associated game licenses. Blizzard Customer Support cannot assist with deleting accounts.
Character Restoration: If you’ve deleted a character, you can restore one eligible character every 7 days. The eligibility depends on the character’s level at deletion. Characters below a certain level cannot be restored.
Account Merging: You cannot merge two game accounts into a single account, or move a game account from one Battle.net account to another.
Account Banning: Keep in mind that Blizzard can suspend or ban accounts for violations of their Code of Conduct. Account holders are responsible for the account’s behavior, no matter who was playing at the time.
Bought Accounts: Buying, selling, trading or letting someone else use your account is against the Terms of Service. Doing so will get your account permanently banned.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are 15 Frequently Asked Questions to address any remaining concerns:

1. Can you permanently delete a WoW account?

It is not possible to delete individual World of Warcraft accounts from your Battle.net account. You can delete Starter Edition accounts but you cannot delete a full game license. You can delete your whole Battle.net account.

2. How long can you stay logged into WoW without being kicked?

If you don’t flag yourself AFK or DND the game will automatically flag you AFK after 5 minutes of inactivity. 25 minutes after being flagged AFK you will be given a warning that you are about to be logged out (around 30 minutes total of no activity).

3. How do I recover my old WoW character?

You can restore one eligible character every 7 days. A character is eligible for restoration depending on its level when you deleted it. Lower-level characters may not be able to be recovered.

4. How long does it take for Blizzard to delete my account?

Requests to delete your entire Blizzard account may take up to 30 days to complete. Once the deletion is complete, Blizzard cannot recover the information or restore the account.

5. Can you still merge Blizzard accounts?

You cannot move a game account from one Battle.net account to another, or merge two game accounts into a single account.

6. Why are all my WoW characters gone?

You may be logged in to the wrong game account, game variant, or region. Ensure you have the correct game account, region and game version selected in the Battle.net App.

7. What happened to all my WoW characters?

The World of Warcraft Realm List can sometimes lose track of which realms have characters on them. This can occur after reinstalling WoW and is resolved with a Character Transfer request on the website.

8. How do I see my old WoW characters?

For an easy way to find your characters and their realm, you can log into your account admin section, select your WoW account and then choose a service like Character Transfer.

9. How long does Blizzard keep deleted characters?

Characters that you delete in-game remain in the database for a period of time, depending on the character’s level. Higher-level characters stay longer. Eligible characters are available for recovery for 90 days.

10. What is an inactive WoW account?

An account is inactive once its game time runs out. Players can also request their account be made inactive which also suspends subscription payments.

11. Can you see how old your Blizzard account is?

To know your account creation date, submit a request to obtain your personal information from Blizzard support.

12. Will deleting Battle.net delete my games?

Uninstalling the Battle.net desktop app does not uninstall your game clients. You have to manually uninstall games.

13. Can I transfer my WoW character to another account?

To transfer a character to another Battle.net account, both accounts must be registered under the same account holder name. It is not possible to transfer a character to another person.

14. Does canceling a WoW subscription delete characters?

Blizzard will not delete your characters if you cancel your subscription. Your characters will remain as you left them when you are not paying for a subscription.

15. How many WoW accounts can you have?

You can have up to 8 World of Warcraft accounts in the same Blizzard account.

Conclusion

Returning to World of Warcraft after a long break can be exciting. Thankfully, Blizzard’s system is designed to keep your characters and licenses safe and available. While some temporary items may expire, your core account remains intact. By understanding the nuances of inactive accounts, you can return to Azeroth confident in the knowledge that your adventures are still waiting for you. We hope this comprehensive guide has answered all your questions about old WoW accounts. Now, go forth and re-forge your legend!

Are old WoW accounts deleted?