How to degoogle your phone and your life
Move one service at a time, in an order that keeps your accounts working.
To degoogle, export your data with Google Takeout, then replace each Google service with one that does not build a profile on you: Proton Mail or Tuta for Gmail, DuckDuckGo or Brave Search for search, Immich and Nextcloud for Photos and Drive, and GrapheneOS for Android. Move email first and slowly, because it is the reset key for every other account you own. Keep the old Google account open with forwarding on until nothing important arrives there anymore.
Start by exporting everything
Before you replace anything, get a copy of what Google has. Google Takeout exports your Gmail, Drive files, Calendar, Photos, YouTube uploads, and account activity. Exporting does not delete anything from Google, so you can do this first and decide later.
- 1Go to takeout.google.com while signed in. The products you use are preselected, so uncheck any you want to leave out.
- 2Choose a delivery method: an emailed download link, or a copy dropped into Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Box.
- 3Pick zip for the file type. Set the archive size to the largest option so a large photo library is split into as few files as possible.
- 4Download the archives to a computer and keep a second copy on an external drive before you start deleting anything from Google.
The degoogle replacement map
You do not have to do all of this. Each row stands on its own, and the first few give you most of the benefit.
| Google service | Replace with | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gmail | Proton Mail or Tuta | Both have free plans with up to 1 GB. Proton Mail Plus is $3.99 a month on a yearly plan, and Proton accepts bitcoin and cash. Custom domains need a paid plan on both. |
| Search | DuckDuckGo, Brave Search, Kagi, or SearXNG on your own server | DuckDuckGo says it does not save or share your search history. Brave Search runs its own index. Kagi is paid: $5 a month for 300 searches, $10 for unlimited. |
| Chrome | Firefox, Brave, or Tor Browser | Use Tor Browser when you need to hide your IP address. |
| Google Photos | Immich, self-hosted | Open source under AGPLv3, with background backup from the phone app. See my Immich guide. |
| Google Drive | Nextcloud, self-hosted | Files, plus calendars and contacts. See my Nextcloud guide. |
| Calendar and Contacts | Nextcloud, synced to Android with DAVx5 | Nextcloud's docs walk through the DAVx5 setup with an app password. |
| Google Password Manager | Bitwarden, or Vaultwarden on your own server | Vaultwarden is an unofficial server that works with the official Bitwarden apps. See my password manager guide. |
| Google Authenticator | Aegis on Android | Free and open source, with an encrypted vault and import from other 2FA apps. |
| Gemini | A local model on your own server | See my self-hosted AI guide. |
| Google Maps | Organic Maps | OpenStreetMap-based offline maps for Android and iPhone, free and with no ads or tracking. |
| Google DNS (8.8.8.8) | Quad9 (9.9.9.9) | A nonprofit resolver that says it never logs your IP address and blocks known malicious domains. |
| Play Store | F-Droid | A catalog of free and open-source Android apps. Add sandboxed Google Play on GrapheneOS only if you need it. |
| Android | GrapheneOS on a Pixel | No Google apps or services unless you choose to add them. |
How to move your email off Gmail
Email is the hardest move because it is the login and password-reset address for everything else, so follow this order to keep every account reachable.
- 1Pick a provider. If you can, buy your own domain and use it with a paid plan, so the address belongs to you and you can change providers later without updating it everywhere again.
- 2Import your old mail. Proton's Easy Switch tool can import from Gmail and connect the Gmail account so you can read and send from it inside Proton during the move.
- 3Turn on Gmail forwarding: in Gmail on a computer, open Settings > See all settings > Forwarding and POP/IMAP, add your new address, click the verification link Google sends to it, then choose "Forward a copy of incoming mail to" and save.
- 4Change the email on your most important accounts first: Bitcoin exchanges, your bank, your phone carrier, and your password manager. Then work through the rest as mail arrives at the old address.
- 5Leave Gmail open with forwarding on until a few months pass with nothing important showing up there. Only then download a final Takeout and delete the account.
How to degoogle your phone
GrapheneOS's docs point out that on a normal Android phone, Google Play services bypasses the app sandbox and gets a large amount of privileged access, so uninstalling Google apps only goes so far. The cleanest option is GrapheneOS, which ships with no Google apps or services at all. Ironically, it runs only on Google's own Pixel phones for now, and a Motorola flagship is expected in 2027.
After installing it, get open-source apps from F-Droid. If you need a Play Store app, install sandboxed Google Play from the GrapheneOS App Store into a separate user profile, where it runs as a normal app with no special access.
You give up two things: Google blocks Google Wallet tap to pay on phones with a modified operating system, and some banking apps refuse to run on software that lacks Google certification. Check your bank before you switch, and keep a physical card in your wallet.
Self-host the parts that hold your life
Photos, files, and passwords are the Google services with the most personal data in them, and they are also the easiest to run yourself. Nextcloud, Immich, and Vaultwarden can share one Start9 server with Bitcoin Core, and Tailscale gives you access on the road.
For photos, Immich's own docs recommend a community tool called immich-go to import a Google Photos Takeout archive. For contacts and calendars, Nextcloud plus DAVx5 replaces Google sync on Android. Back up whatever you self-host: Immich's README warns you to follow a 3-2-1 backup plan, and once you delete the Google copy, your server holds the primary copy.
My self-hosting for beginners guide covers the hardware and operating system choices.
Why bitcoiners should degoogle
Whoever controls your email can reset the password on every exchange account tied to it. Keep that address on a domain you own, and lock the login with a hardware security key. A home server is the other half: it can run your own Bitcoin node next to your photos, so your wallet stops asking someone else's server about your balance.
Frequently asked questions
What does degoogle mean?
Degoogling means replacing Google's products, such as Gmail, Search, Chrome, Photos, Drive, and Android, with alternatives that do not tie your activity to a Google account. Most people do it one service at a time.
Can you fully degoogle an Android phone?
Yes, with a custom operating system. GrapheneOS ships with no Google apps or services and runs on Pixel phones. You can add sandboxed Google Play later if an app needs it, without giving it special access.
What is the best Gmail alternative?
Proton Mail or Tuta. Both offer end-to-end encrypted email with free plans of up to 1 GB, and both support custom domains on paid plans. Proton also accepts bitcoin.
How do I get my photos out of Google Photos?
Export them with Google Takeout at takeout.google.com. Choose the largest archive size to keep the number of files down. To load the export into Immich, its docs recommend the community tool immich-go.
Will banking apps work on a degoogled phone?
Many will, especially with sandboxed Google Play installed. Some refuse to run on software that lacks Google certification, and Google Wallet tap to pay is blocked. Test your bank's app before you commit.