How to Set up Recovery Options for your Google Account

If you’ve lost your Google password, you need a way to get back into your Google Account—and back to all of your stuff in Gmail, Maps, Google+ and YouTube. To help you, Google needs to be able to tell that you’re the rightful account owner even if you don’t have the right password. There are a few easy steps you can take right now to make it easy for you—and no one else—to get into your Google Account if you forget or don’t know the password.

How to Set up Recovery Options for your Google Account

1. Add a recovery email address.

By registering an alternate email address with your Google Account settings, you’re giving Google another way to reach you. If you forget your password, Google can send a link to that recovery email address so you can reset your password. Google can also use that email address to let you know if we detect something suspicious happening with your account.

2. Add a phone number to your Google Account.

Your mobile phone is the best way to regain access to your account if you forget your password. It’s like the “fast lane” for account recovery: we text a code to the phone number you’ve registered with us, and you’re back in business in no time. Your phone is more secure and reliable than other means of recovering your account. Google’s instructions on how to setup security phone number or email address https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/183723?hl=en&visit_id=638172687368364496-2287321709&rd=1

Methods like “secret” questions (asking your mother’s maiden name or city where you were born) may have answers that are easy to remember, but they are also possible for bad guys to uncover. And we’ve consistently seen that people who register a recovery phone are faster and more successful at getting their accounts back than those recovering their accounts via email.

You can also get a text message if Google detects that something suspicious is going on with your account. Giving a recovery phone number to Google won’t result in you being signed up for marketing lists or getting more calls from telemarketers.

3. Keep your recovery options up to date.

It’s a good idea to check your recovery options every so often. For example, if you change your phone number after setting up your recovery options, take just a minute to update your recovery settings to match. We’ll remind you of your current settings every so often to make it easier for you to keep them up to date.

That’s it! You can either update your recovery options next time you’re prompted, or you can take two minutes to do it right now on our Account recovery options page.  ( https://accounts.google.com/UpdateAccountRecoveryOptions ) For more advice on how to protect yourself and your family online, visit Google Safety Guide here https://safety.google/  or check out some of the other posts in our series on staying safe and secure.

Exact Steps to Set up Recovery Options for Google Account

Setting up recovery options for your Google account is important in case you ever forget your password or your account is compromised. Here are the steps to set up recovery options for your Google account:

1. Go to the Google Account Recovery page by typing “google.com/account/recovery” into your web browser or by clicking on this link: https://accounts.google.com/signin/recovery.
2. Enter the email address or phone number associated with your Google account and click “Next”.
3. If prompted, enter your password. If you don’t remember your password, click on “Forgot password?” to reset it.
4. On the next page, you will be asked to choose a recovery option. You can choose from a list of options, including a recovery email address, recovery phone number, or security question.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup process for your chosen recovery option. For example, if you choose a recovery email address, you will be asked to enter an email address that Google can use to contact you if you forget your password.
6. Once you have set up your recovery options, make sure to keep your information up to date. You can do this by going to the Google Account Recovery page at any time and clicking on “Edit” next to your recovery options.

Conclusion

Setting up recovery option is a smart idea to secure Google Account Every internet user must setup recovery option for other social or professional networking website like Facebook and Linkedin.