As many people use the spring season to clean and organise their homes, cybersecurity experts say it is also a good time to tidy up digital devices and online accounts.
Removing unused accounts, forgotten files and old apps can do more than organise online life — it can also reduce the risk of cyber threats and protect personal information.
“Clutter is fuel for scammers. Old accounts, exposed data and forgotten apps give them more ways in,” said Michael Sherwood, vice president of products at cybersecurity company Malwarebytes.
“Cleaning up your digital life is one of the simplest ways to shrink your attack surface in a threat landscape that’s getting smarter, faster, and more automated,” he added.
Free up device storage
Photos, videos and downloaded files can quickly fill up storage space on phones and computers over time.
Limited storage can slow down devices and even block important operating system updates. Most smartphones and computers include built-in tools that help users identify and remove files consuming large amounts of storage.
On iPhones, users can check storage usage through the settings menu under General and iPhone Storage. Android devices provide similar storage management tools through the settings menu.
Windows and Mac computers also offer storage dashboards that help users locate large files and apps taking up space.
Experts recommend saving important files to cloud storage or external drives before deleting them from devices.
Clean up your inbox
Email inboxes often become overcrowded with newsletters, receipts, alerts, reminders and spam messages.
Organising and deleting unnecessary emails can improve productivity and make it easier to manage important messages.
Users can sort emails by size, sender or date to quickly identify large attachments, old messages or unwanted bulk emails for deletion.
Experts also suggest unsubscribing from newsletters and mailing lists that are no longer useful.
Remove unused apps and accounts
Deleting apps that are no longer used can free up space on devices, but cybersecurity specialists warn that simply deleting the app is not enough.
If users created accounts for those apps, the accounts should also be deleted to prevent personal data from remaining vulnerable online.
“Every dormant account is an open door. Scammers actively target abandoned logins because no one’s watching,” Sherwood said.
Update apps and operating systems
Experts advise keeping apps, phones and computers updated with the latest software versions and security patches to improve performance and reduce cybersecurity risks.
Review social media privacy
Cybersecurity professionals also recommend reviewing privacy settings on platforms such as , , and .
Sherwood said users should check what personal information is publicly visible and review which apps and services have access to their accounts.
Experts say deleting older posts and limiting public information can help lower the risk of phishing attacks and identity theft.
“Limiting what personal information is publicly available helps to reduce the risk of falling victim to cyberattacks such as phishing and identity theft,” said Chad Thunberg, chief information security officer at cybersecurity company .
Check third-party access
Many websites and apps allow users to log in using accounts from services such as , or Facebook.
Cybersecurity experts advise reviewing which third-party apps and services still have access to personal accounts and removing any that are no longer needed to improve online privacy and security.