How to Recover Your Gmail Account

If you cannot sign in to Gmail, use Google’s account-recovery process and follow the verification options it gives you. Gmail is part of your Google Account, so recovering your Gmail account means recovering access to the Google Account that Gmail belongs to.

The exact questions and verification methods can differ depending on your account, the recovery information you previously added and how Google is able to verify that the account belongs to you.

How to recover your Gmail account

To start recovering your account:

Go to Google’s Account recovery page.
Enter the Gmail address or other account information requested.
Follow the verification steps Google gives you.
If a verification method is unavailable and Google offers another option, use it.
Answer the recovery questions as accurately as you can.
If Google confirms that the account belongs to you, follow the instructions to regain access and set a new password where required.

Google does not show exactly the same recovery questions to everyone. You might be asked about a previous password, receive a verification request through recovery information or be given another way to confirm that the account belongs to you.

If you are still signed in to the account on another phone, computer or tablet, keep that device available. Google recommends trying recovery from a device where you are already signed in when possible.

If you forgot your Gmail password

If you know your Gmail address but cannot remember the password, start with account recovery.

Google will ask for information to help confirm that the account belongs to you. If it asks for the last password you remember, enter the most recent one you can recall. If you only remember an older password, use that instead.

You may also be asked to verify yourself using recovery information or another method associated with the account.

If recovery succeeds, Google will let you reset the password. Choose a password that you have not previously used with that account.

This is different from normally changing a Gmail password while you are already signed in. If you cannot sign in because you have forgotten the password, it is an account-recovery problem.

If you forgot your Gmail address

If you have forgotten the Gmail address itself, use Google’s username-recovery process before trying to recover the password.

Google currently asks for:

a phone number or recovery email associated with the account
the full name on the account

You then follow the verification instructions. If Google can match the information, it shows the usernames associated with it.

Finding the Gmail address does not reset its password. If you then discover that you cannot remember the password either, continue through account recovery.

If you no longer have your recovery phone or email

A recovery phone number or recovery email can help Google establish that an account belongs to you, but losing access to one does not create a separate recovery process.

If Google asks you to use a phone number or email address you no longer have, look for another verification option if one is offered. The methods available depend on the account, so another option will not necessarily appear for everyone.

Using a device, browser and location from which you regularly signed in can also help Google assess the recovery attempt. For example, if you normally used Gmail from your home computer in Chrome, trying recovery from that computer and browser may give Google more familiar information than attempting it from a completely new device and location.

Some accounts may also have a recovery contact. This is a trusted person with a Google Account who was added in advance to help with account recovery. You cannot add a recovery contact after you are already locked out or while you are going through account recovery, and a newly accepted recovery contact has a waiting period before it can be used.

Tips for completing Google’s recovery checks

Google recommends giving it as much useful information as you can during recovery.

Answer as many questions as possible rather than unnecessarily skipping them.
If you are unsure of an answer, give your best answer.
If asked for an old password, use the most recent password you remember.
Use a device that you regularly used with the account.
Use your usual browser where possible.
Try from a familiar location, such as your home or workplace.
If Google asks for an email address you can currently access, use an address connected with the account where possible.
Check your Spam or Junk folder if you are expecting a recovery email from Google.

A wrong guess does not automatically end the recovery attempt. No single answer, device or piece of recovery information guarantees that Google will restore access.

Google also warns that it does not ask for your password or verification codes by email, phone call or message. Enter those details only on Google’s own account pages.

If your Gmail account was hacked

If somebody changed your Gmail password, recovery phone number or other account information and you can no longer sign in, use Google’s account-recovery process.

Google directs compromised users to account recovery when somebody has changed account information, deleted the account or otherwise prevented them from signing in.

If you can still sign in, secure the account instead of signing out and starting recovery unnecessarily. Review recent security activity and the devices using the account, change the password if necessary and check that the recovery phone number and recovery email are still yours.

You should also inspect Gmail for unfamiliar changes if you suspect somebody gained access. Google identifies settings such as automatic forwarding, filters and delegated access as areas worth checking after a compromise.

If two-step verification is blocking access

Sometimes you know the correct password but cannot complete the second verification step.

Depending on what you previously configured, Google may allow you to verify yourself using another signed-in phone, another phone number, a backup code, a security key, a passkey or a trusted computer.

If none of your backup methods is available, use account recovery.

Google says that some recovery cases involving 2-Step Verification can take three to five business days while it verifies that the account belongs to you. Other account-recovery requests may also be delayed by a security hold.

What to do if Gmail account recovery is not working

If Google says it could not verify that the account belongs to you, you can try the recovery process again.

Google says wrong guesses do not remove you from the recovery process and there is no fixed limit on how many recovery attempts you can make. Before trying again, check whether you can provide stronger or more familiar information.

In particular:

make sure you are trying to recover the correct account
use a familiar device, browser and location
enter the most recent previous password you remember
answer as many questions as possible
check whether another previously configured recovery method is available
use an already signed-in device if you still have one

Do not assume that a delay means the recovery request has failed. Google sometimes places a security hold on a request when something about the attempt appears unusual. These delays can last from a few hours to a number of days depending on the circumstances.

If you recently changed your recovery phone number, recovery email or other recovery information, Google also warns that changes can take up to seven days to take effect.

Can you contact Google to recover a Gmail account?

For ordinary account sign-in recovery, Google says you cannot call Google to have access restored. Its account-recovery process is used to establish whether the account belongs to you.

The Google Account Help Community can help explain the recovery process, but community members cannot unlock your account.

Be particularly cautious of websites, social-media accounts or people claiming they can bypass Google’s recovery process. Google says it does not work with services claiming to provide account or password recovery support. Never give anyone your password or verification codes.

Unfortunately, recovery is not guaranteed. If Google cannot obtain enough evidence to verify that the account belongs to you, there may be no legitimate way to bypass that decision.

If you recently deleted your Google Account

A Google Account that was deliberately deleted may sometimes still be recoverable.

Google says recently deleted accounts may be restored through its account-recovery process, including the account’s data if recovery succeeds. However, Google does not publish a universal number of days during which every deleted account can be recovered, and an account that was deleted some time ago may no longer be recoverable.

Deleting the Google Account is different from deleting messages from Gmail. If you can still access the account and only need to restore messages, that is covered separately in How to Recover Deleted Emails.

If it is a work or school Google account

A Google Account supplied by an employer, school or another organisation may be managed by an administrator.

Google says its normal personal account-recovery instructions may not work in these cases. If the organisation controls the account, contact its administrator for help with access or verification problems.

What to do after you recover your Gmail account

Once you are back in, check that the information protecting the account is still correct.

Review your recovery phone number and recovery email.
Review recent security activity.
Check which devices are signed in to the account.
Remove devices or account access you do not recognise.
Review your two-step verification methods and backup options.
Consider setting up a recovery contact if the option is available to you.
If you believe the account was compromised, check Gmail forwarding, filters and other settings for changes you did not make.

If somebody else previously had access, also make sure the account now uses a password they do not know. These checks reduce the chance of regaining the account only to lose access again.