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Add recovery options

Add recovery options, like a phone number and email address, to your Google Account to make it easier to regain access to your account if you are locked out.

Features are subject to availability. The steps may look different depending on your device.

  1. Step 1 of 8

    If you forget your Google Account password or have trouble logging in, recovery options can help you regain access to your account. Recovery options can also help alert you if there’s suspicious activity on your account or if you need to block someone from using your account without permission.

    Just setting a recovery phone number dramatically increases your protection against cyber attacks.

    To start, sign in to your Google Account and tap Security at the top.

  2. Step 2 of 8

    You can add a recovery phone number and email under “Ways we can verify it’s you”.

    To add a phone number to your account, tap Recovery phone.

  3. Step 3 of 8

    Tap Add recovery phone.

  4. Step 4 of 8

    Enter the phone number you’d like to use. Then tap Next.

    Follow the on-screen instructions to get a verification code sent via text message. Enter the 6-digit code and tap Verify.

  5. Step 5 of 8

    Now, Google can use your recovery phone number to:

    • Send you a code to get into your account if you are ever locked out.
    • Block someone from using your account without your permission.
    • Make it easier for you to prove that an account is yours.
    • Alert you if there is suspicious activity on your account.

    If your recovery phone number is the same as another phone number you’ve added to your account, it might be used for other purposes. Learn more about how phone numbers are used.

  6. Step 6 of 8

    To add an email, under “Ways we can verify it’s you,” tap Recovery email.

  7. Step 7 of 8

    Enter an email that is different from the one you use to sign in to your Google Account. Then tap Next.

    Verify your recovery email by entering the 6-digit code sent to that address. Then tap Verify.

  8. Step 8 of 8

    Now Google can use your verified recovery email to:

    • Confirm your username after you create an email address.
    • Help you get into your account if you forget your password or cannot sign in for another reason.
    • Let you know if you are about to run out of storage space.
    • Tell you if there is suspicious activity on your account.
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