Your last-ditch option, why it might not work, and what to do/what not to do next.
You have a Google or Gmail account you can’t sign into. You’ve forgotten the password, or the password’s not working.
On top of that, the recovery information — a phone number to receive a code by text, or an alternate email address to receive a code by email — are also not working. Perhaps you never set them up or no longer have access to the phone number or email address.
There’s one last straw to grasp at.
Lost Gmail account recovery
Go here: https://go.askleo.com/grecovery to access the Google Account recovery process. Carefully and completely answer all the questions you can. If you provide enough information, Google will let you back in to your account. If you can’t, the account may be lost forever.
Google’s account recovery process
Google has a recovery process it apparently doesn’t always suggest when you’ve exhausted your other, normal options.
Go here:
https://go.askleo.com/grecovery
At this writing, that should take you to https://accounts.google.com/signin/recovery, but Google’s been known to change that link. I’ll keep the link above up to date when I hear of changes.
Important: Google may not display all the steps below for all accounts, and may display others. The important thing is to carefully and completely provide as much information as you possibly can.
Google will first ask you to enter the email address you’re having difficulty with.
If you forgot the email address, click on Forgot email? (above).
You must enter a phone number or recovery email address associated with the account. If you do not have one, you can’t proceed. Google may ask you additional questions. Assuming you can answer them all correctly, it will show you the email address of your account.
Proceeding with the more common case where you know the email address, click Next.
If you remember any password you’ve used on this account in the past, enter it here. The more recent, the better.
If a hacker has changed your password, for example, use the password you believe is the most current.
If you don’t recall any passwords previously used on the account, click Try another way.
As shown, Google will send an email with a verification code to your alternate email address.
If you no longer have access to that email address or can’t decipher what email address it might be, click Try another way.
Click Try again to start over.
Try your best to answer as many of the questions as you can. Using a device where you’ve signed in before can sometimes help, either by the browser auto-remembering your sign-in state, or perhaps1 by Google using information stored in cookies as additional clues to your identity.
Google also has a list of tips to complete account recovery steps you should review at this point to ensure you’ve exhausted all possible recovery options.
Help keep it going by becoming a Patron.
Why it might not work
This process might not work. If that’s the case, you’re out of luck. You cannot recover your account, and anything in it is lost forever.
This usually happens because you never set up account recovery information or you didn’t keep it up to date. In a surprising number of cases, folks even forget or lose fundamental account information like email address and passwords, including past passwords.
Naturally, Google allows only those authorized to access the account into the account. If you cannot prove, through all these methods, that you are that person, then Google can’t tell you apart from a hacker trying to break in. They must deny access.
What you should do next
This is not the answer you want to hear, but it’s an important one.
If you cannot recover your account, learn from the experience. Take all the steps necessary to secure your replacement or other accounts properly.
More than anything else, that means configuring recovery information and keeping it up to date as you change phone numbers or move through other email accounts.
What you should never do
Never “hire” a hacker.
Particularly on my YouTube channel, but potentially here in the comments below as well, you’ll see comments from individuals claiming to “thank” an individual for recovering their account. They’ll include contact information of some sort, generally an Instagram, WhatsApp or other account ID.
Lies. They’re all lies. I try to block them as I can, but it’s a game of whack-a-mole, so some almost always make it through.
So-called hackers have no additional access, tools, or techniques. Even if they were to try, they couldn’t do anything you are I couldn’t try ourselves.
But they don’t try. They just take your money and disappear.
Do this
Recover your account, if you can, of course. If you’ve read this far, though, you’re probably in the unsuccessful camp. I’m sorry, I really am. But there’s nothing to be done other than learn from the experience and improve your security moving forward.
I can help you with that. Subscribe to Confident Computing, my weekly newsletter with tips on how to stay safe and ever lose your account again. Less frustration and more confidence, solutions, answers, and tips in your inbox every week.
Podcast audio
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Footnotes & References
1: Google is intentionally obscure about exactly what information it uses to recover accounts. If they weren’t, hackers could abuse that knowledge to gain access to accounts they should not.
Dear Leo,
With publishing this article you have done the world a great service and deserve the highest praise!
I don’t have a need for this advice but almost every day I see something that someone else does.
Thank you!
I was able to recover an account with a with a drivers license. But like shown above it takes a while to get to this place. I did the “try another way” several times. (5 or 6). Then when they did respond I missed it because I didn’t read my emails carefully. Finally found the email asking for my drivers license. But in the end I did get my account back. Whew. It was lucky for me that they kept responding. I kept forgetting I had asked. Duh.
Leo my Gmail account and Ll my other accounts including my online banking and even my phone have been hack using Lenox software combined with zendesk these has hackers have stolen my life and I want it back can u help?
This is not something I can help with directly, no. Depending on your situation your best approach may be to involve law enforcement and local technical support.
Great YT and webpage, mind if I quote it in my Canned Response when helping people in the Google Account forum? (Handle jp88.)
So many people seem to have the “it will never happen to me” syndrome, and when it does, due to lack of updated recovery options, of course complete disaster.
BTW Google now seem to be placing greater than previous emphasis on a recovery mobile number. Just a recovery email no longer appears to be enough. But of Google keep his stuff close to their chest, just anecdotal evidence there.
Gmail insists on a recovery phone number but I’m not sure it’s only for recovery as a recovery email account should be sufficient. I belive they do this to protect against fake accounts. One email service provider I subscribed to years ago insisted on sending the account password by snail mail to prevent fake acounts.
You’re always welcome to quote me, if what I say seems useful.
Hi,
We hope we can rely on your expertise to resolve a critical issue with our Gmail account.
When we initially created our Gmail account, Google requested both a recovery email and a recovery phone number. We provided a recovery email and a cell phone number. However, the cell number we provided does not support SMS or text messages. Verification through our recovery email worked smoothly until a few months ago, when Google put our account on hold.
To reinstate the account, Google insisted on sending a verification code to our recovery phone number. Since that number cannot receive SMS or text messages, we attempted to use a different phone number with SMS capabilities but were met with various refusals.
To resolve the issue, we changed our VPN to a US location and obtained a US cell phone number with SMS access, which allowed us to reopen our account. However, when we tried to enhance our security by adding Authenticator, 2-Step Verification, and Backup Codes, we were blocked. Google still requires us to verify through the original cell phone number, which, as mentioned, does not support SMS or text messages.
Thanks to your recovery link, we managed to update our original recovery phone number to one that supports SMS. Despite this, we still cannot add security features like Authenticator, 2-Step Verification, or Backup Codes without verification through the original number.
Could you advise us on how to resolve this issue and successfully set up additional security features?
Thank you for your assistance.
Best regards,
Mal
I am not aware of a way to do so. All I can suggest is using the “I don’t have this device” or equivalent options IF presented.
I have a unique situation.
-I have access to my gmail account and have no issues logging-in.
-I have multiple 2FA options setup and working.
-I had google authenticator set up on my old phone which I factory reset and sold. I forgot to backup the google authenticator.
-Unable to make security settings changes (2FA/Authenticator/SMS/Phone/Backup emails etc) because the only option to verify myself is with the now deleted google authenticator.
I am not able to change or update any security settings in this google account. When I attempt to make security settings changes (remove google authenticator/add new authenticator device/add another phone number etc) I am asked to verify myself via a password (no issues there) and 2FA… the only option for 2FA it gives me is my google authenticator (even though i have 4 other 2FA setup). I click on use alternative 2FA option but all it lists is the google authenticator. I have tried the account recovery, but all it does it log me in (username + password + sms 2FA) and I’m back to the same issue where it only allows me to use the google authenticator for 2FA to make security settings changes. Any help would be appreciated!
Hi! I have problems with my email even though I remember my password and everything but when I tried to log in it says it detected unusual activities on the account I’m trying to access and it asked me to fill out the phone number in order to proceed. However, the thing is I don’t have any alternate email or phone number attached to it which is a big problem because I use my email in the same location and mostly I recognize the activity recently but it been whole week so do you have any ideas? It’s the account I recently use but I do not know how to recover- The only option available at the moment is Phone verification..
As the article states:
“This process might not work. If that’s the case, you’re out of luck. You cannot recover your account, and anything in it is lost forever.
This usually happens because you never set up account recovery information or you didn’t keep it up to date.”
My phone’s display is gone. Is there any way to get my Gmail back on that phone?
If the display is gone, repair it and it should still be there.
Remember your gmail is all at gmail.com as well.
hi so google randomly signed me out on one of my accounts, the problem is is that i have no recovery email or phone number and i put a bunch of random letters for my gmail. what should i do?
And you don’t know your password? Well then it’s probably time to open a new account with a new email address and make sure to set recovery information properly this time.
As I said in a previous comment, “If you forget your password and have no recovery accounts or phone numbers, consider your account lost forever.
A One-Step Way to Lose Your Account Forever.