Life Without
Google
The solutions to break free from Chrome, Gmail, Maps, Android and more. By a former tech executive who deleted everything, and has been living better since.
Forthcoming 22/10/2026 from Éditions Eyrolles
The book is published in French. Want an English edition? Say so.
Digital sovereignty isn't just a matter for states and companies. It's also yours, every day.
We think protecting our privacy means giving up convenience. That it takes encryption keys and entire evenings of setup. That’s wrong. It’s mostly a question of method.
In Life Without Google, I show how to replace everything, service by service, without losing anything along the way. The secret to privacy isn't paranoia, it's digital hygiene.
The DÉCLIC method
Every service follows the same method: Discover what Google knows, Evaluate what it costs you, Choose your alternative, Liberate your data, Cut. Five steps, always in the same order. That's the DÉCLIC method. And at the end of each chapter, I tell you what I did, myself.
Guillaume Limare
Your digital life belongs to you...
I deleted my Google account. 🗑️
Gmail, Google Photos, Chrome, Maps, Drive: everything gone.
Why? To finally take back control of my privacy.
Google Photos, for example, contained 20 years of my life. Family photos, birthdays, travels...
It started as an experiment. It became a book.
After 20 years building digital products, I realized I had handed everything to a single company. My memories, my messages, my browsing, my business: it all lived on its servers.
When I documented my disconnection journey on LinkedIn, I expected a few comments from geeks. The post exploded. 400,000 people read it. Thousands wrote to me. The reality was clear: we're all looking for a way out, but nobody knows where to start.
“This book isn’t an anti-tech manifesto. It’s the plan I wish I’d had when I started: what to do, in what order, without breaking anything.”
What’s inside
300 pages, 14 chapters to take back control of your digital life, service by service.
Start today, for free.
Why and how to take back control of your Google account
Understanding what Google knows about you
Free, by email, instantly.
The chapters
Introduction
Understanding what Google knows about you
Leaving Chrome in ten minutes
Replacing Google Search
Gmail and Contacts: reclaiming your inbox
Replacing Google Calendar
Replacing Google Drive
Leaving Google Docs, Sheets and Slides
Leaving Google Photos
YouTube alternatives
Living without Google Maps
Managing your passwords
Breaking free from Android
New challenges brought by AI
Deleting your Google account
Conclusion
The Author
Guillaume Limare
Twenty years in tech. Zero Google account.
Guillaume has worked in digital marketing for twenty years. He has spent his career on the side of the people who build the web’s tools, and knows exactly what they do with our data.
In 2025, he left the Google ecosystem. Not out of paranoia. Out of clarity. And he decided to share his experience in a book.
Want to read it?
“Vivre sans Google” comes out on October 22, 2026, from Éditions Eyrolles. It is written in French.
You read French?
Then the book is already for you. Pre-orders and the free bonus guide (“Leaving WhatsApp”) live on the French page.
Already pre-ordered? Claim your bonus on the French page.
Want it in English?
For now, the book only exists in French. If enough readers ask for it, an English edition becomes a real conversation with my publisher. Leave your email and I will tell you the day it happens.
Your email is used for one thing: telling you about an English edition. No newsletter, nothing else.
Frequently asked questions
Who is this book for?
For anyone who wants to take back control of their digital life without sacrificing comfort: parents, professionals, curious minds. No need to be an engineer or an activist. If you can install an app, you're good.
Do I need to be tech-savvy?
No. Each chapter moves step by step, in order, with checkpoints so nothing gets lost along the way. The most technical projects, like changing your phone's operating system, are clearly flagged and entirely optional.
When is the book coming out?
October 22, 2026, from Éditions Eyrolles. Pre-orders are already open.
Where can I pre-order it?
At Fnac, online or in store (the book is in French). The simplest path is the French version of this page, which gathers the pre-order links and the free bonus guide. Every pre-order counts: it increases the print run and the book's visibility in bookstores on day one.
What does the book add to this website?
The site and the book don't do the same job. Here you get the big picture: up-to-date fact sheets, comparisons, a diagnostic. The book holds what the site never will: the complete, ordered method, the detailed walkthrough of each migration, and the story of what I did, myself. The site helps you decide, the book gets it done.
How do I get the pre-order bonus?
Pre-order the book wherever you like, then send your proof of purchase (screenshot or photo) with the form on the French version of this page. After a quick review, the guide “Leaving WhatsApp Without Losing Your Loved Ones” lands in your inbox, usually within 24 hours.
Is the book available in English?
Not yet. The book comes out in French, from Éditions Eyrolles. If enough readers show interest, an English edition could follow: leave your email in the form on this page and I will tell you the day it exists. Meanwhile, this whole site is available in English, alternatives catalog and free diagnostic included.
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