iGoogle will be retired on November 1, 2013 what happens next??

Lot of people asking the same questions over and over again so here are the answers for frequently asked questions.. For your convenience some part post as a answer and question both separately

Q; Is iGoogle really closing?

A; unfortunately, yes.

Q; Can I save my iGoogle homepage settings?

A; Yes, you can export your iGoogle homepage settings (including country, language, theme, layout and gadgets installed) to an XML file.

To export your settings:

1.            Click the   Options gear then iGoogle settings.

2.            At the bottom of the page, click Export next to "Export iGoogle settings to your computer."

Q; What will happen to the data stored in my gadgets?

A; All of your personal data stored in other Google products will continue to be available via those products, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Finance, Google Drive, Google Bookmarks, and Google Tasks. 

This means you'll still be able to access your emails, documents and events. Instead of accessing your data through the gadget, you'll need to visit the product directly.  

Some gadgets, such as the to-do list, allow you to download your data to a file. To download from your to-do list, click the Download all option under the My List drop-down menu next to the title of your list.

Most iGoogle gadgets are created and maintained by third-party developers. If you’d like to export your data, you should contact the gadget creator directly.

Q; Why do they get rid of iGoogle? iGoogle is so useful and I can't make any sense of it being axed! I've read the announcement, but I don't buy it!

A; The facts are, Google is a company that largely makes money on targeted advertising. Somehow iGoogle does not fit into this business scheme very well, so Google wants you to make use of its mobile platforms, Chrome's web store and Google+ instead. The exact reasons and plans for the future are known only to Google's executives though

Q; Does Google at least offer any alternatives?

A; Yes, although none of them are optimal. Google+ and Chrome in their current form both fail to do what iGoogle did for us for the last several years - aggregate news, mail, social feeds and other information in one place, so that it is directly accessible without unnecessary clicking. Possibly, one of the reasons they've set the sunsetting period to 16 months is that they have something in store, but are not ready to reveal it just yet. But that's just a theory. Only time will tell.

Q; Chrome has extensions and apps. Can they be somehow put together to resemble iGoogle?

A; There are two answers to this question: 'not really', and 'not yet'. Not really, because Chrome's extensions and apps require you to click them to be directed to the content you want, so it's not really aggregating iGoogle-style, but rather providing short cuts to the services you want. Not yet, because there IS a community project on Web Store, called Awesome New Tab Page, but it's still in its infancy when compared to iGoogle: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/mgmiemnjjchgkmgbeljfocdjjnpjnmcg - it's the closest you can get to iGoogle using Chrome at the moment. Search for "antp" in Web Store to browse through Widgets. The potential is there, it just needs time to grow and develop. You are more than encouraged to try it, if you're fine with using Chrome explicitly.

Q; So what about the competitors' offers and cross-browser support? Can I replicate iGoogle's feel somewhere else?

A; Yes, to an extent. From what can be read around the forums, NetVibes: www.netvibes.com/ and ProtoPage: www.protopage.com/ are the closest you can get to replicating iGoogle experience. If you prefer to stick to big corporations, MyYahoo and MyMSN are also alternatives, though they both use different search providers (the former is Yahoo and the latter Bing powered).

Q; I'm angry and I want to vent my RAGE! Where should I go?

A; Try https://productforums.google.com/d/topic/websearch/xDABIJvu_UM/discussion - please don't start new topics for this purpose, as they only make the forum virtually unreadable. Conversely, if you have something constructive to say or a question to ask avoid this topic as your post will probably be drowned in the sea of despair.

Q; Is it really over? Is there nothing that can be done to change Google's mind about this?

A; We are certainly trying. Check out these links if you feel the need to act: http://saveigoogle.org (official Save iGoogle website - links to petitions and facebook pages and whatnot), https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-topic/websearch/igoogle-personal-homepage/J5dHu115MnU (an email template you can use to contact your favourite news provider and tell them your side of the story).

Q; Can't Google release iGoogle as open-source project for someone to rebuild it?

A; No one knows what will happen with iGoogle after it closes (besides the fact it will stop working). For now it's still kicking so it's unlikely that Google will release the source code at this point in time. There will probably be announcement made before that happens so stay tuned.

Q; Where is the iGoogle link on Google's website gone?

A; Google removed the link. Probably to discourage users from registering at this point.

Q; My Google website redirects me to classic Search instead of iGoogle! What do I do if I want it back?

A; Use https://www.google.com/ig to access iGoogle directly, or alternatively click this link to make Google address redirect you to iGoogle again: http://www.google.com/url?sa=p&pref=ig&pval=3&q=/ig

Q; I'm so through Google I want to close down my account! What do I do?

A; Calm down and think about it for a day or two, because this process is (almost) irreversible! You'll loose every bit of preference, personalisation and everything else! (Actually, what you loose depends on the products you're using, but most of it will be gone) After you think this through and you still want to delete your profile, click on your name in the upper right corner and at the bottom of the list under 'Services' you'll have the option to close the entire Google account. Farewell! More info and how to opt-out of particular services here: http://support.google.com/accounts/bin/topic.py?hl=en&topic=2382753&parent=2382807&ctx=topic

Q; What am I going to do now?

A; Relax, it's not the end of the world. There are plenty of different means of accessing the World Wide Web and you are encouraged to try them out. Look through some of the examples already given if you need an inspiration. Try Google+, try Chrome, try competitors' offers. Go and be free :)

if you're a regular here and feel there's something missing, then leave a comment. Hope you find it useful. Thanks!

Source  FAQ regarding iGoogle closing down. Please, read before randomly posting!

iGoogle willbe retired on November 1, 2013 (official announcement)