It seems that there’s a new data breach every week, and customers are constantly at risk of having their personal email accounts compromised. To make sure your private correspondence is private,...
It seems that there’s a new data breach every week, and customers are constantly at risk of having their personal email accounts compromised. To make sure your private correspondence is private, it’s advisable to change your Gmail password regularly. Even if you do this, you may sometimes forget what your password is since you change it so much.
It’s great then that Gmail makes changing your password so simple, as long as you can remember what it is. If you can’t, you’re going to have to hope you can remember your recovery details.
How to reset Gmail password if you’ve forgotten your password
If you can’t remember your Gmail password and think you’ve tried every possible combination under the sun, it might be time to begrudgingly accept that you have to reset it if you ever want to access those precious emails ever again.
Navigate to https://accounts.google.com/signin/recovery.
Enter the email address that you’re trying to access and click ‘Forgot Password’
You’ll now be taken through a variety of questions to help Google confirm that it’s really you trying to access the account.
Enter in the last password you remember. Don’t worry if you get it wrong, it won’t lock your account.
Request a verification code to your linked mobile phone number. This code will be sent to you via a text message sent to the number linked to your account. Enter this code into the field, and you should now be able to enter a new password and regain access to your account.
If you no longer have access to that phone number, you’ll have to answer some other security questions. Google doesn’t ask you security questions like the name of your first pet. Instead, it relies on email and phone number recovery methods.
Google will send your linked recovery email verification code. Enter this code into the field
If you can’t remember any of your security details, like your linked recovery email, or you no longer have access to your phone number, you won’t be able to reset your Gmail password or access your account. In that case, you’ll just have to chalk this one up to experience.
We recommend two things for the next time this happens. First, make sure you set up two-factor authentication, and that your email address is linked to a phone number that you will always use.
Second, invest in a good free or paid password manager that will keep your passwords secure and constantly accessible. That way, if you ever lose your password again, you will be able to find it in your password manager of choice.
How to reset Gmail password: Changing your password if you know your current password
If you already know your current password and are able to access your account, then resetting your password is a doddle.
Here’s how to change your password if you already know your current password.
Sign in to myaccount.google.com
Under the heading ‘Sign-in & Security’, select the ‘Signing in to Google’ button.
Click ‘Password’, and enter your current password if prompted.
Enter your new password.
Click ‘Change Password’, and you’re all done.