You cannot see your current Google password, but you can reset it in minutes
Google does not show you your password once it is set — not even if you ask support. This is intentional: it means that if someone breaks into Google's servers, they cannot steal your password. What you can do instead is reset it to something new, which takes about five minutes and works whether you remember the old one or not.
The reset process works the same way whether you are locked out completely or just want to change your password because you forgot it. You will need access to either the phone number or recovery email address you added to your account when you set it up.
Key Takeaways
- Google stores passwords in a way that prevents even Google from reading them, so password recovery means creating a new one, not retrieving the old one.
- You can reset your password using a recovery phone number or recovery email address — whichever one you set up when you created the account.
- The reset process asks you to verify your identity by entering a code sent to your phone or email, which takes a few minutes.
- If you do not have access to your recovery phone or email, you will need to answer security questions or provide other proof that you own the account.
- After you reset your password, change your recovery phone and email to numbers and addresses you use regularly, so you can get back in next time.
Reset your password using a recovery phone number
Go to the Google Account recovery page at accounts.google.com/signin/recovery. Enter the email address for the account you need to get into, then click Next.
Google will ask how you want to verify your identity. Select Get a code on your phone if you still have access to the phone number you registered with your account. Google will send a six-digit code to that phone as a text message. Enter the code on the screen, then click Next.
You will then be asked to create a new password. Type a password you have not used before — at least 8 characters, mixing letters, numbers, and symbols if you can. Confirm it by typing it again, then click Change password. You are now back in your account.
Reset your password using a recovery email address
If you do not have the phone number anymore, use your recovery email instead. Go to accounts.google.com/signin/recovery, enter your Google email address, and click Next.
Select Get a code on your recovery email. Google will send a six-digit code to the backup email address you set up. Open that email, copy the code, and paste it into the recovery page. Click Next.
Create a new password the same way as above — at least 8 characters, mixing letters and numbers. Click Change password when you are done.
What to do if you cannot access your recovery phone or email
If you no longer have the phone number or cannot log into the recovery email address, Google will ask you to answer security questions instead. These are questions you answered when you created the account — things like "What was the name of your first pet?" or "What city were you born in?"
Answer as many as you can remember. If you get stuck, Google may also ask when you created the account, what devices you normally use it on, or other details about your account history. Be as specific as you can — approximate dates and device names both help.
If you cannot answer enough questions to satisfy Google, the company may ask you to upload a photo of your ID or provide other proof that you own the account. This process can take a few days. Google will send you an email when they have made a decision.
Update your recovery information so you do not get locked out again
Once you are back in your account, add or update your recovery phone and email right away. Go to myaccount.google.com, click Security in the left menu, then scroll down to How you sign in to Google.
Click Recovery phone and add a phone number you use every day — your current cell phone, not an old one you might lose. Click Recovery email and add an email address you check regularly. If you use Gmail as your main email, add a different email service like Outlook or Yahoo as your backup, so that if one account is compromised, you still have a way back into the other.
Google will send a verification code to each one. Enter the codes to confirm they work. Now if you ever get locked out again, you will have two fast ways back in.
The difference between resetting your password and signing out everywhere
Resetting your password changes the password itself, but it does not sign you out of devices that are already logged in. If someone else has access to your account on another device, they can still use it until you sign them out manually.
After you reset your password, go to myaccount.google.com, click Security, then scroll to Your devices. Click Manage all devices. You will see a list of phones, tablets, and computers that are signed into your account. Click on any device you do not recognize or do not use anymore, then click Sign out. This forces that device to sign out the next time it tries to use Google services.
Why Google will not tell you your old password
When you create a password, Google scrambles it using a mathematical process called hashing. The scrambled version is what Google stores — not the original password. This means that even if someone steals Google's entire password database, they cannot read the passwords because they are not stored in readable form.
The downside is that Google cannot unscramble them to show them back to you. If you forget your password, the only option is to create a new one. This is true for almost every website that takes security seriously — banks, email providers, social media platforms. If a website can show you your password, that is a sign it is storing passwords in an unsafe way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see my password if I saved it in Chrome?
Yes, but only on that computer. Open Chrome, click the three-dot menu in the top right, go to Settings, then Passwords. Find your Google account in the list, click it, and click the eye icon to show the password. This only works if you are already signed into that computer — it is not a way to recover a forgotten password from a different device.
What if I think someone else knows my password?
Reset it when ready using the steps above, then go to myaccount.google.com/security and sign out all other devices. Change your recovery phone and email to numbers and addresses only you can access. Check your account activity — click Security, then Your activity — to see if anyone accessed it while you were locked out.
How long does it take to reset my password?
If you have access to your recovery phone or email, the reset takes about five minutes. If you have to answer security questions, it usually takes a few minutes more. If Google needs to verify your identity using an ID photo, the process can take one to three days.
Do I need to change my password if I just want to sign into a new device?
No. You can sign into a new device using your current password. You only need to reset your password if you forgot it, think someone else knows it, or want to change it for security reasons.
What should my new password be?
Use at least 12 characters if you can — the longer the password, the harder it is to guess. Mix uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols like ! or @. Avoid using words from the dictionary or personal information like birthdays. A random string like Tr0pic@lMango#42 is stronger than MyBirthdayIsGreat.