Locked Out of Your Google Account? Here's How to Get Back In

Forgotten your Gmail password or lost access to your account? Follow these steps to recover it safely — even if your phone number changed.

In this guide (5 steps):

1.Start Google's account recovery process
2.Try any password you have ever used for this account
3.Use a verification code if you have a backup phone or email
4.Answer Google's security questions
5.If nothing else works, try a trusted device

Start Google's account recovery process

~19s

On any device with a browser, go to accounts.google.com/signin/recovery. Type your Gmail address and click Next. On the next screen, click "Forgot password?" This begins Google's step-by-step recovery process.

Quick Tip

If possible, use the same device and browser you normally use for Gmail. Google recognizes familiar devices and is more likely to grant access without extra verification steps.

Try any password you have ever used for this account

~25s

Google will ask you to enter a password. Try your current password first, then any older ones you can remember — even a password from years ago counts. Google accepts any password you have used for the account in its history, not only the most recent one. This is the fastest recovery path.

Quick Tip

Check a password manager, a notes app, or an old notebook where you might have written passwords down.

Use a verification code if you have a backup phone or email

~38s

If you can't remember any password, Google will offer to send a verification code. It might offer to send a text to your phone number or a code to a backup email address. If your phone number is still the same, choose the text option — a 6-digit code arrives in seconds. If you have a backup email (like a work or Yahoo address), choose that instead.

Warning

If your phone number has changed and you no longer have access to that number, skip this step. Do not get a new SIM card with the old number in order to receive this code — carriers cannot do this, and it will not work.

Answer Google's security questions

~19s

If you cannot use a code, Google will ask you questions: "When did you create this Google account?" (answer with the approximate month and year — you do not need to be exact), and "What email addresses have you used to sign in?" Answer as accurately as you can. Google is looking for reasonable answers, not perfect ones.

If nothing else works, try a trusted device

~25s

If you are signed in to the Google account on another device — a tablet, an older phone, or a family member's computer — go to that device and try to recover from there. Google sends an approval prompt to devices already signed in, which bypasses most verification steps.

Quick Tip

Google's official account recovery help page is at support.google.com/accounts/answer/7682439. If you get stuck, this page walks through every possible recovery scenario step by step.

You Did It!

You've completed: Locked Out of Your Google Account? Here's How to Get Back In

Need more help? Get Expert Help from a TekSure Tech

Getting locked out of your Google account — which also locks you out of Gmail, Google Photos, and YouTube — is one of the most stressful tech moments people face. The good news is that Google has multiple recovery options, and most people can get back in by following a few specific steps.

The hardest part is that Google's recovery process uses information from your past to verify you are who you say you are. It may ask for a recent password, the approximate month and year you created the account, or a backup email address. If you have any of those, your chances of recovery are very good.

A few important warnings: do not use any Google account recovery service you find in a search ad or pop-up. All legitimate Google account recovery is free and happens at accounts.google.com. There is no Google phone number that helps with account recovery — anyone calling to offer help is a scammer.

Rate this guide

How helpful was this guide?

Google

Gmail

account recovery

password

locked out