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.
Gmail, Chrome, Android… They all belong to the Google ecosystem.
At a time when digital sovereignty is up for debate and Big Tech's dominance is increasingly contested, no longer entrusting your whole life to a single company is more necessary than ever.
But what do you replace Gmail with? Where do you store fifteen years of photos? How do you migrate without losing everything, without spending weeks on it, without becoming a digital hermit? And do you really have to delete everything?
The DÉCLIC method
This book helps you:
- 1
discover what each Google service knows about you and how it works;
- 2
evaluate how long it takes to leave it, what you lose, what you gain;
- 3
choose between tested alternatives;
- 4
liberate your data, step by step;
- 5
cut the cord, when you're ready.
All illustrated with the author's anecdotes and first-hand experience.
“We spend most of our lives in front of computers and phones, yet our privacy isn't respected online. It's time to take back control.”
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
- 00
Introduction
Free - Ch 01
Understanding what Google knows about you
Free - Ch 02
Leaving Chrome in ten minutes
- Ch 03
Replacing Google Search
- Ch 04
Gmail and Contacts: reclaiming your inbox
- Ch 05
Replacing Google Calendar
- Ch 06
Replacing Google Drive
- Ch 07
Leaving Google Docs, Sheets and Slides
- Ch 08
Leaving Google Photos
- Ch 09
YouTube alternatives
- Ch 10
Living without Google Maps
- Ch 11
Managing your passwords
- Ch 12
Breaking free from Android
- Ch 13
New challenges brought by AI
- Ch 14
Deleting your Google account
- **
Conclusion
Guillaume Limare · Twenty years in tech. Zero Google account.
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.
“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.”
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.
Every week, a spark to take back control.
A practical digital hygiene tip every week. No spam, obviously.
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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.
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.
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.