How to Protect Your Google Account in 15 Minutes
Secure your Google account with 2-Step Verification, a passkey and a quick security checkup.
Why this matters
Your Google account often guards your email, photos, documents and saved passwords. If someone gets in, they can reset many other accounts too. Fifteen minutes of setup makes that much harder.
1. Use a strong, unique password
Your Google password should be long and used nowhere else. A password manager can generate and remember one for you, so you do not have to.
2. Turn on 2-Step Verification
Go to myaccount.google.com, then Security, then 2-Step Verification, and turn it on. Use an authenticator app or a passkey rather than SMS codes where possible.
3. Add a passkey
Passkeys let you sign in with your fingerprint, face or device PIN instead of a password. They resist phishing because they only work on the real Google site.
4. Review signed-in devices
In the Security section, check Your devices. Sign out of any phone, tablet or computer you do not recognise or no longer use.
5. Check third-party access
Review third-party apps with account access and remove anything you no longer use. Old apps can be a quiet back door into your account.
6. Set recovery options
Add a recovery email and phone number you control. If you ever get locked out, these are how Google will verify it is really you.
Run a Security Checkup
Finally, run Google's Security Checkup from the same Security page and follow its recommendations. Repeat it every few months, and be suspicious of any email asking you to sign in urgently.