Recover a Gmail Password

These days, with passwords for everything we do and advice never to use the same password for two different sites, it is more common to forget a password than to remember it. If the password you no longer have access to is a Gmail password, it can be recoverable in most instances.

Following are tips you can use to go about recovering it.

Step 1

Go to the log in page as usual but instead of entering your username, since there is no password to link to it, navigate to the bottom of the page and click on the ‘need help’ button which will take you to the Gmail recovery page.


Step 2

Near the top left corner of the recovery page will be the option ‘I don’t know my password’, select this option by clicking on the button on its left.

Step 3

After clicking on that button, a text field will appear and you will be prompted to enter the email address of the account whose password you are attempting to recover. It may alternatively be your Google Apps email address.


Step 4

Scroll down or navigate to the bottom of the page and click on the ‘continue’ button. The next page that comes will ask you for the last password you remember. Input that if you remember it or select ‘I don’t know’ if you have completely forgotten.

Step 5

The next stage will require that you choose whether Google can send you a verification text or automated voice message so as to verify your account through the cell number associated with the account. Choose any you want. You will then be taken to a page for you to enter the verification code send through your phone. After that, click the ‘continue’ button. The next page you are taken to is the reset your password-page from which you will be prompted type in a new password then immediately thereafter re-type it to ensure the two passwords match.

Step 6

After your two passwords there is the change password button. Click on it and your password is changed.

Step 7

Steps 4 and 5 only work smoothly if you still have access to the phone number associated with your account, if not, instead of the verification code in step 5, click the ‘I can’t access my phone’ button.

Step 8

The next page will request that you provide an email address through which questions about you will be posed to you to find out if you are whom you say you are. This email is a prerequisite if the process is to be a success.

Step 9

You will then be asked questions about the account like where you were when you opened it, the date you opened the account etc. Click ‘continue’ when requested to.

Step 10

In the page that comes up, click on ‘reset password’; then input a new password when prompted. Input the matching one as in the step 5 above. If they match, proceed to ‘change password’ and click.

That should do it.