Keeping your Google account is very important. Doing so will help you to prevent unauthorized access to your personal email. To effectively keep your account safe, Google recommends that users abide by what it calls ‘shared responsibility principle’. This model lets users perform certain actions that protect their privacy and safeguard the integrity of their data files.

Users own actions such as identity verification, setting up of recovery options, protection of login credentials, running of security checkup, clean of apps that have permission to your Google mail account, etc. If you take these few extra steps, your Google mail account will be far less likely to be hacked.

Best Ways to Secure Your Google Mail Account

In this write-up, we shall explore the best ways to keep your Google mail account safe. They include:

1. Choose strong password and set up two-factor authentication:

When creating your Google mail account, choose a very strong password and use a 2-step verification or two-factor authentication. This simply means the combination of the two to get into your account. Two-factor authentication you can with your mobile device or even with an installed app such as Google Authenticator or Authy. You can choose to receive a text message with a unique code or use new Google code-less authentication service.

To set up two-factor authentication, simply go to your Google Account Settings, and select Sign In & Security link. To set up 2-step verification on your Google account, click on the “Get Started” tap. You will be prompted to sign in again. Select the mode through which you would like to receive your code – either through text message or phone call. As soon as you receive the code and enter it into the verification text field. Confirm by clicking the “turn on.” tab. Once you complete this step, a code will be sent to you each time you try to log in to your Google account from another device. From here you can switch to the Google code-less authentication method know as Google Prompt. You can also switch to using an authenticator app.

2. Regularly audit your Google account:

Go to the in-built Security Checkup tool on your Google’s account – under the “Sign In & Security” button. When you are on the page click on “Security Checkup” option. Review and fill out some basic information as required.

3. Set Up a Recovery Email Address and Phone Number:

This will help you to recover your account in case you get locked out of your Google account. Whenever your primary account is logged into from a new location or an unknown device, you will get an email on your recovery account. This is a very simple step to when you are setting up your account.

4. Application Cleanup:

To stay safe, you should regularly clean up apps that have permission to access your account on regular basis. Account permission simply means anything you signed into with your Gmail or you allowed unrestricted access to your Google account. The exact list of devices or apps that have access to your account will always show. If you no longer use the device/app or cannot remember granting something access to your account, click on Remove button to disallow or disable it.

5. Check what other devices are logged into your account:

Having a comprehensive list of all devices that are currently connected to your account is very important. The rule of the thumb is that if you no longer use a particular device, you don’t allow it access to your account for any reason whatsoever.

One of Google’s account best practice recommendations is that you regularly do security checkup on your account. You are expected to take immediate action as soon as you notice something not okay. This you can do by hitting the “Something looks wrong” button. Clicking on it, you will be automatically requested to change your password. Go ahead, change your password and remain safe!