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To make your Google Account more secure, start with Security Checkup, strengthen sign-in, verify your recovery details, remove unneeded app access, and choose how much activity Google saves. These are five settings to review—not five urgent changes for every account. Your account type, devices, and risk level determine which actions matter most.
1. Run Security Checkup and act on relevant recommendations
Google’s Security Checkup gives personalized recommendations, so the items shown can differ by account. Open the checkup, review the prompts, and resolve the ones that apply. Pay particular attention to sign-in activity, devices, and security alerts you do not recognize. Google uses colored icons to flag recommended actions.
Security Checkup is a starting point, not a guarantee that an account is completely secure. Treat a recommendation as a cue to inspect the underlying activity and decide what to do.
2. Choose a stronger sign-in method
If 2-Step Verification is not enabled, consider turning it on. Google describes it as an extra layer of security in case a password is stolen. The options differ in phishing resistance, recovery needs, and compatibility:
#1 Best Overall
| Method | Security and phishing resistance | Convenience and recovery |
|---|---|---|
| Passkey | Phishing-resistant; it uses your device or passkey provider to verify sign-in and can replace the separate second step. | Convenient when you can access the device or provider holding the passkey. Plan how you will regain access if that device is lost. |
| Security key | Google calls security keys its most secure 2-Step Verification method. | Requires access to the key. If you use one, arrange a backup and recovery route in case it is lost. |
| Google Prompt | Google says prompts are more secure than text-message codes. | Requires access to a device that can receive the prompt. |
| Text-message code | Less secure than Google Prompts, according to Google. | Uses a phone number to receive a code. |
Google may present different verification challenges depending on the sign-in. Check the current options in Google’s 2-Step Verification setup guidance. If this is a work, school, or organization-managed account and the usual setup steps do not work, an administrator may control the setting; contact them for help.
3. Confirm your recovery phone and email
Recovery details can help Google block unauthorized use, notify you about suspicious activity, and help you regain access. Google Account Help calls them “powerful security tools.” Check that both are current and that you can still reach them using Google’s recovery-options guidance.
- Choose a recovery email you check regularly and that is different from your Google sign-in email.
- Use a recovery phone number that belongs only to you and that you use regularly.
Do this before relying on a passkey or hardware security key as your main sign-in method: a recovery route is important if you lose access to a device or key.
4. Revoke third-party access you no longer need
Review which third-party apps and services can access your Google Account. Remove access for apps you do not recognize or no longer use, but do not revoke everything indiscriminately: a service you still rely on may use Google sign-in or account data. Google’s account-security guidance includes reviewing third-party access.
Advanced Protection is a separate option intended for people at higher risk of targeted attacks, such as journalists or activists. It requires passkeys or security keys and limits some third-party app access. Google advises adding recovery options before joining, so consider it in light of your threat level and the services you need.
5. Decide what activity Google saves
Use Google’s privacy controls and My Activity to review what account activity is saved, whether to use auto-delete where offered, and whether you want personalized ads. Saved activity can support personalization; you can control or delete it if you prefer to retain less account activity.
Deleting data from My Activity does not necessarily delete your browser history. Manage browser history separately in the browser you use. Google says Search services settings are being updated gradually, so labels and available controls may differ between accounts.
If a sign-in looks unfamiliar
Open the event’s details. If you did not make the sign-in, report that it was not you and change your password promptly, following Google’s instructions for unfamiliar activity. A password change is a response to a suspicious event; it does not replace reviewing the event and securing account recovery and sign-in options.
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