How to recover your Gmail password: fast and safe methods

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The fastest way to recover your Gmail password

You can only recover your Gmail password on a separate page. It will be quick if you have added a phone number and a separate email address to your account beforehand. Google then sends a code, and you set a new password.

Important: if there is no recovery address, Google may send the code to the mailbox you are trying to get back into. You will only see it if you are still signed into Gmail on another device or have set up mail forwarding.

How to recover your Gmail password using your phone number

You can recover your Gmail password using your phone number if it was linked to your account in advance and you still have access to it:

1. On the recovery page, enter your Gmail address.

2. If Google offers a different check, click «Try another way» and choose verification by phone number.

3. Request an SMS or a call, then enter the 6-digit code.

4. Set a new password.

Important: you cannot add a new number during Gmail account recovery.

How to recover your Gmail password with a recovery email

A recovery address is a second mailbox listed in your Google security settings. To recover your Gmail password through it, click «Try another way» on the recovery page and choose verification by recovery address. Google will send a code there.

Tip: if the email has not arrived within 5 minutes, check your spam folder.

How to recover your Gmail password without a phone number

You can recover your password without SMS as well. Google accepts several other confirmation methods:

• Recovery email address.

• Recovery contacts — up to 10 people you appoint in advance. If you lose access to the account, you contact one of them and read out the code from the recovery screen; they use the same number on their side and confirm that it is really you. The code is valid for 15 minutes.

• Selfie video — a short recording of head movements made in advance. If you lose access to your Gmail account, you record a new video and Google compares the faces. Video verification is not supported in every region or on every device.

A separate case is a passkey. This means signing in with your fingerprint, face recognition or your device's screen lock instead of a password. If the passkey was created in advance, you will not need password recovery at all: you will sign into your Gmail account without one.

Important: extra confirmations are set up in advance, and you cannot add them once you are locked out. A recovery contact does not start working immediately: the person has 7 days to accept the invitation, and another 7 days pass before you can use them to get back in.

How to recover your Gmail password when you don't remember your details

If you forgot your Gmail address

You can recover your username on a separate page using your phone number or recovery email address. You will also need the first and last name listed on your account. Then follow the instructions to confirm the account is really yours. After that, move on to the step below.

If you forgot your Gmail password

First try to recover your Gmail password with the methods discussed above: your phone number, your recovery email or the extra confirmations. If you have none of them, the only way to recover your password is to answer Google's questions on the same recovery page. The set of questions differs from account to account, and the help center warns that you may not be asked all of them. Skip the checks that do not suit you by clicking «Try another way», and repeat until you reach the questions.

What improves your chances of recovering your Gmail password:

• answer every question: a guess is better than a skip;

• recall your last password exactly, with no typos and with the right capitalisation;

• go through the checks on a familiar device, in your usual browser and without IP-changing services.

Important: after several failed attempts Google will ask you to wait around a week before trying again.

How to recover your Gmail password after losing both your phone and recovery email

There are still several ways to recover your Gmail password without a phone and a recovery email:

• Through sign-in with your phone number. This works on Android only, and only if the “Skip password when possible” option was switched on in the account in advance. Google finds the accounts linked to your number itself. You can then confirm your identity with the screen lock code of your previous phone, provided you signed into your Gmail account on it within the past 14 days.

• Through recovery contacts set up in advance.

• Through a selfie video recorded in advance.

• Through the questions on the recovery page, if you answer them accurately.

How to recover your Gmail password after a hack

Here is what to do:

1. Recover your Gmail password on the recovery page.

2. Set a new password. Google signs you out on the other devices itself.

3. Delete unfamiliar addresses under «Forwarding and POP/IMAP», check your filters and remove unknown apps with access to your Gmail account.

4. Add a phone number and a recovery email, turn on 2-Step Verification and save your backup codes.

Common problems when recovering a Gmail password

Recovering a Gmail password usually fails in these situations:

• If you see the error “Google couldn't verify this account belongs to you.” Google trusts a familiar device, browser and location more, so try to recover your Gmail password again from your own device and your usual IP address, answering every question.

• If you’ve changed your recovery number or address recently. New details take up to 7 days to take effect. Wait it out and try again.

• If you are waiting for an SMS code that does not arrive. Request a call instead.

How to keep access to Gmail when you use several Gmail accounts

An active user may have several personal or work Gmail accounts. When there are many of them, it is easy to forget your Gmail passwords. After a system reinstall or a sign-out you can end up with neither the password nor a way to confirm that the account is yours, especially if you often use IP-changing services.

To recover your password, Google recommends using a familiar device, browser and sign-in location. A device is recognised by a set of parameters: browser version, operating system, screen resolution, fonts, time zone, etc. This parameter set is called a digital fingerprint. An anti-detect browser such as Octo Browser maintains a permanent fingerprint for each Gmail account with its own cookies and proxy.

Tip: follow the rule “1 Gmail account = 1 Octo Browser profile,” link a recovery number or address to every account, and keep backup codes separately, e.g., in a password manager. Connect a separate proxy to each Octo Browser profile as well, so that every account has its own IP address.

Conclusion

The easiest way to recover your Gmail password is with your phone number or your recovery email. When you cannot access either of them, recovery contacts and a selfie video will help. If none of these methods is available to you, what remains is Google's questions about the account on the recovery page, and they come with no guarantees.

Protecting your Gmail account is easier in advance, while you can still sign into it: link a current phone number and email, add a recovery contact, record a selfie video, turn on 2-Step Verification. Then recovering your Gmail password will take just a couple of steps, and in case of a hack you will get access back before the attacker changes the recovery number and address.

FAQ

What is the fastest way to recover my Gmail password?

Through the recovery page, if your account has a phone number and a recovery address on it, and you can access them. Enter your Gmail address, get the code by SMS or email and set a new password.

I forgot my Gmail password but I have my phone—what should I do?

Open the recovery page and enter your Gmail address. If Google offers a different check, click “Try another way” and choose verification by phone number. Enter the 6-digit code and set a new password.

Can I recover a Gmail password without a phone number?

Yes, you can recover your Gmail password using a recovery email, recovery contacts or a selfie video. A passkey is a separate case: with one you sign into the account without a password, so no recovery is needed. If none of this was set up in advance, Google offers one more recovery route: questions about the account, such as the last password you remember.

Is it possible to recover my Gmail password if I don't remember my Gmail account details?

It is possible, but there is no guarantee of success. Answer the questions on the recovery page from a familiar device and give the last password you remember. The set of questions differs from account to account, and you may not see all of them.

Can I see my old Gmail password?

No. Google neither shows nor sends you your current password, and you can only recover your Gmail password by resetting it. The old password is only visible in Google Password Manager, if you saved it there.

Can I recover a Gmail password through Facebook?

No, you cannot recover a password through a social media platform. Google confirms your identity only with what is associated with the account itself: a phone, a recovery email, a recovery contact, a selfie video, and questions on the recovery page. Facebook is not on that list.