How do I recover my Gmail account if I don’t remember anything?
Google Account Recovery Process , Gmail Account Recovery Support
How do I recover my Gmail account if I don’t remember anything?
When you can’t sign in to your Google Account, your first step is to re-enter your account information and password. If that doesn’t work, you may be concerned that you may not be able to access your email, calendar, photos, files, contacts, and notes, as well as your Android app purchases from the Google Play Store.
If you use a Google Workspace account for work, your next step is to contact your Google Workspace administrator. Your administrator should be able to help you reset your password and regain access to your account by signing in to the Admin Console, navigating to Directory | Users , selecting the account from the list, and choosing Reset password.
If you use a standard Gmail account, you’ll need to attempt the account recovery process yourself. To do this, gather as many devices as you can on which you’ve used your Google Account and go to a location where you’ve used those devices frequently. You’re more likely to regain access to your account when you try to recover it from a frequently used device in a frequently used location than when you try to sign in to your account on a device you’ve never used before in a new location.
Try the Google Account Troubleshooter
From a device that you’ve used your Google Account frequently in the past, open the Google Account Troubleshooter (Figure A) and select the issue that most closely matches your situation. In some cases, you may be prompted to select an additional option.
For example, when you select “Having trouble with 2-Step Verification,” the system will display an additional menu that lets you select the specific verification issue. Follow the suggested steps, which will vary depending on your account and the specific issue.
Securing a hacked Google Account
If you’re able to sign in to your account, you should take steps to limit unwanted access. Enable 2-Step Verification for your account to make it more difficult for anyone who may have obtained your password to access your account. After you enable 2-Step Verification, be sure to keep a copy of your backup codes.
Next, change your password. Your new Google Account password should be a new, unique password that you haven’t used anywhere else. You may be prompted to enter your previous password and confirm access using 2-Step Verification during this process.
You may also want to review all devices associated with your account. Go to make sure you’re signed in to your account, and then select Security | Manage all devices. The system should display a list of devices associated with your account.
Select any device to review the details and select the Sign Out button for devices you don’t recognize. In most cases, the three steps above are enough to re-secure your account. Google’s support pages detail several additional steps, such as contacting your bank or the appropriate authorities if additional financial or legal action is necessary.
Attempt Google account recovery
If you can’t access your account the usual ways, go to the account recovery page (Figure B). Enter your Google Account email address or a phone number previously associated with your Google Account to start the process.
You’ll be prompted to enter your account password. Enter the password you used most recently, if you know it. If someone changed it somehow, you can select the “Try another way” link on the page. Depending on the information and devices available, the “Try another way” link may prompt you for:
- A 6-digit authentication app code.
- An 8-digit backup code, which is provided when you enable 2-Step Verification.
- A verification code received via a phone number.
- A Bluetooth confirmation from a nearby device.
The recovery options and prompts above provide potential ways Google’s systems can verify that you, and not someone else, should be able to access your account. If you’re asked other questions, answer as accurately as possible.
If you follow the process above to recover a Google Workspace account associated with an organization or existing subscription, you may be asked to contact your administrator. You may also have the opportunity to request a review of your circumstances by the Google Workspace security team.
Use Google Takeout to proactively preserve your Google Account data
In addition to the security steps above, I encourage people to proactively export important data stored in Google services.
Google Takeout lets you identify and export items that may not be easy to replace, such as photos and files stored in Google Photos or Google Drive, respectively. Export these items, then store the file on a storage device in a safe place.
Gmail, Google Calendar items, Google Contacts, and Google Keep notes may be worth exporting via Takeout. Be sure to export your data whenever you have a large collection of new or important items stored in your Google Account. You can create a recurring calendar event to remind yourself to run Takeout every six months or so, for example.
You can recover your Google Account even if you’ve lost your login details or deleted your profile. In this article, we explain the Google Account recovery process and offer some tips for improving your online security.
How to recover your Google or Gmail account
To recover your Google account, you can follow the steps in Google’s troubleshooting tool to find a solution. In this section, we’ll provide guidance on how to handle specific recovery issues.
Forgot your password?
If you forgot your password, follow these steps to change your Google Account password:
Go to the Google Account sign-in page and enter your email address.
Click Next > Forgot your password?
Select the authentication process you want to use from the options available to you (for example, using a text message or a PIN delivered to a trusted device).
After you complete your chosen authentication process and answer any security questions, enter your new password.
Forgot your email address or username?
To recover Google Account credentials such as your email address (which also serves as your username), follow these steps:
Go to the Google Account sign-in page and click Forgot your email address?
Enter your recovery phone number or email address.
Enter the name associated with your Google Account.
Click “Send” to send a verification email or text message.
Enter the verification code in the email or text message.
Recover a hacked account
If you think your account has been hacked and you can’t log in, it may be because the hacker has changed your password. The good news is that you can change it back, which will give you access and kick the hacker out of your account. To do this:
Follow the steps you would take if you lost your password.
Once you’ve reset your password, sign in to your account.
Recover a deleted Google or Gmail account
You can recover a deleted Google account by visiting the Google Account Recovery page and entering your email or phone number.
However, if your account has been missing for more than two months, you may not be able to recover it because your profile data has been permanently deleted.
Still can’t sign in to your Google or Gmail account?
Even after taking all the steps above, you may still be unable to access your Google account. This could be due to many factors, from losing access to your recovery email to waiting too long before trying to recover a deleted account.
Here are some tips to make sure you can always recover your Google Account and keep access to Gmail.
Google Account recovery tips
To help make the Google Account recovery process easier, try these tips.
If you select a secondary device to use for account recovery or two-factor authentication, make sure it’s a device you can always access.
When setting up security questions, make sure the correct answers are short, clear, and unlikely to be misremembered over time.
If you can’t remember your last password, use whatever password you remember last — knowing your old passwords may help with the recovery process.
Create an alternate Google account
You should consider setting up an alternate Google account that you can use if you can’t access your main account.
You can set up your alternate account to use your recovery email, making it easier to recover your old account. Alternatively, an alternate account gives you a backup to use if your main account is locked out.