Gmail logo on a smartphone next to a computer
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As i of its earliest services, Gmail remains the cornerstone of Google'due south online presence. Then when yous forget your Gmail countersign, and I don't want to overstate things here, it's basically similar y'all're an Net ghost haunting the halls of your former life.

Okay, information technology'southward not that bad. Simply you'll want to change your countersign and gain access to your business relationship as apace as possible.

Gmail's Standard Recovery Procedure

  1. Caput to the Gmail sign-in page and click the "Forgot Password" link.
  2. Enter the last password y'all call back. If you tin can't call up 1, click "Try a different question."
  3. Enter the secondary electronic mail address yous used when you set up your Gmail account to get a password reset electronic mail.

Gmail has a few different ways to confirm your identity and recover (or reset) your password. Thankfully, they're all laid out in a nice trivial wizard that Gmail volition walk y'all through step-past-footstep.

Starting the countersign recovery process is pretty easy: only click the "forgot password" link on the Gmail sign-in page. You'll then be shown a message request you to put in the terminal password y'allcanremember. If you can remember a right countersign andy'all have a backup organisation fix up, you lot'll then be asked to go on in a diverseness of ways. If you can't remember any of them, click "attempt a different question."

Update, xi/8/21: Google is no longer requesting that you enter any passwords you call back. Instead, Gmail volition jump direct into sending a lawmaking to your recovery electronic mail address or request you for more than information to help recover your account.

Enter the last Google or Gmail password that you remember and then click "Next."

The next option will send a code to a recovery email, which rather presumes that y'allhavea secondary recovery email (which you set up way back when you created your Gmail business relationship in the outset place). Using this choice will ship a vi-digit code to your secondary e-mail account (which doesn't demand to be Gmail) that will permit y'all to set upward a new password and regain access to your account.

Check your mail on this secondary account to come across the code, then enter it to unlock a new password generator. Newer accounts may also have a telephone number backup option—see below.

Copy the recovery code from your secondary email account and paste it into the Gmail box.

If that doesn't work—like, say, you lot don't take access to the account that you originally designated equally a backup either—click "try a different question" again. Now nosotros're getting into older, less secure methods of account protection, like security questions such as "what's your mother's maiden name." You should be able to answer at least one of these.

Alternative, answer your backup security questions.

At this point, create a new countersign and confirm information technology. Now you have access to your account again. Here'due south a primer on how to choose a new password that's both secure and memorable.

Secure Your Account

Subsequently you've set up a new countersign, Google volition prompt you to check the security settings associated with your Gmail account (and your greater Google business relationship in general). We highly recommend calculation a telephone number and a current backup email, if you don't already have these associated with your account. They'll allow easy recovery through a half dozen-digit pivot delivered by email or text message.

Check your Gmail's recovery information such as phone number and recovery email.

Though Gmail formerly supported security questions, it no longer allows you to add whatever new ones, only delete access to old ones. This is a measure put in place because security questions kind of suck at providing actual security. Your old 1 will still work as long as you don't manually remove it on this page.

RELATED: How to Secure Your Gmail and Google Account

One time you're into your Gmail account proper, head to the Google account Settings folio by clicking your profile prototype (it's only the beginning letter of your first name if you haven't set i) in the upper-correct corner, and so "My Account."

Click on your avatar image in the top-right corner of Gmail.

RELATED: How to See Other Devices Logged in to Your Google Business relationship

On this page, click "Signing in to Google." Here you lot can check your recovery email and phone number again, and run into which devices last accessed your account and from what locations. If anything looks out of whack with the latter, someone may be trying to access your account for nefarious purposes.

Check the last time your Gmail password was changed and enable two-factor authentication.

There are other options on the sign-in page you may want to explore. Setting up two-cistron authentication is highly recommended, and if you use this Gmail account on your smartphone, you lot can become an authentication prompt there instead of manually typing in a password on the web.

RELATED: How to Prepare Google'southward New Code-Less 2-Factor Authentication

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