Locked out of your email? Here's how to change and recover your Gmail password.
Gmail is the largest email service in the world, used by well over a billion people. Accessed through your Google account, Gmail competes with other tech company products within the email service market, such as Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail and Yahoo Mail.
The Google-owned email colossus was launched in 2004 before Google’s worldwide influence in the modern day. Through updates and the incorporation of other Google applications, such as Google Docs, Google Slides or Google Sheets, Gmail and its password security have proved versatile and valuable.
How to change your Gmail password
If you know your current password, Google advises to follow these steps:
Log in to your Google account here.
Navigate to the “Security” tab. On a computer, this tab will be the fourth tab down on the left side of the screen. On a mobile device, this tab will be the fourth tab to the right at the top of your phone screen.
Scroll down the security page until you find the section titled, “Signing in to Google”. The first item in that section will be titled “Password”. Select this.
You will be prompted to log in with your current password.
After successfully logging in, Gmail will ask for your new password. Confirm it once more.
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How to change your Gmail password if you have forgotten (or lost) it
Google says to follow these steps:
1. Navigate to this link to begin account recovery.2. Use one of the account recovery options, such as requesting an email be sent to an assigned recovery email, receiving a text message, using the Google Authenticator app or requesting confirmation on your mobile device. Google highly recommends users set up several of these authentication methods when first creating their account to allow for speedy and successful account recovery.3. Google can also send you a link with security questions to confirm your identity if you are unable to access any of these recovery methods.
Best password saving services
If you’re not confident in remembering your passwords in Gmail or other websites, use a password-saving service to store and access passwords.
Sites like 1password.com or lastpass.com are perfect for storing tens or hundreds of passwords while only needing to remember the site’s master password. Google has its own system if you navigate to passwords.google.com which automatically saves created and entered passwords. Of course, you must remember your Google account password to make use of this.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How to change Gmail password: Reset and account recovery guide
