It is possible to reinforce the protection of the Google account with simple and quick measures. The security center is only available in the browser and offers options such as adding a phone number and a recovery email, enabling 2-step verification, printing backup codes to have them at hand in case of system failure and revoke unused application access to the account.
In addition to making the login more secure, the settings facilitate the recovery of the account in case of hacks or loss of password. Learn how to access the Google security center and protect your account below.
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Learn how to protect your Google account with security tools – Photo: Rodrigo Fernandes / dnetc
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Step 1. Access Google in your browser and open the menu in the upper right corner. Then, select the «Account» option;
Access your Google account from the menu in the search engine – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
Step 2. If you are not logged into your Google account, press the «Sign in» button. If you are already connected, skip to step 4 of the tutorial;
Log in to access security options – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
Step 3. Enter your password and select the «Next» option;
Enter your password to proceed – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
Step 4. Access the «Security» tab from the options available in the left corner of the screen. It is in this section that all the privacy controls of the Google account are concentrated.
Access the security section to reinforce account protection – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
1. Add a phone and recovery email
Step 1. In the “Security” tab, navigate to the “Ways to verify your identity” section. To add a cell phone number, select the “Recovery phone” option. You will need to re-enter your account password to confirm your identity;
Inserting a recovery phone helps strengthen account security – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
Step 2. Press the button “Add a recovery phone number”;
Add a recovery number – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
Step 3. You can choose a previously informed number or enter a new one. In this case, check “Use another number” and then confirm with “Add”;
Choose an existing number or add a new one – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
Step 4. Enter the phone number (with area code) and press “Next”;
Enter the cell number – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
Step 5. Google will send a six-digit code via SMS to confirm your identity. Select “receive code” to proceed;
Press «receive code» – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
Step 6. Enter the code received and press “verify”. Google may ask you to re-enter your account password;
Check the code received – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
Step 7. After adding the number, go back to the “Ways to verify your identity” section and choose the “Recovery email” option to enter a new email address. You will need to enter the account password again;
Having a recovery email added to your account is an important protection measure – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
Step 8. By default, there will be a predefined recovery email, since Google asks for this information when creating the account. Tick ​​the pencil icon to edit the address;
The pencil icon allows you to edit the recovery email – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
Step 9. It is recommended to insert an email that is not from Gmail, to reinforce the security of the account. After entering the new address, confirm with “done”.
Update the recovery email – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
2. Enable 2-step verification
Step 1. In the “Security” tab, navigate to the “How to sign in to Google” section and choose “2-step verification”;
Activate two-step verification – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
Step 2. To proceed, press the “First steps” option. You will need to re-enter the password;
Click on the first steps to proceed with the activation – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
Step 3. In the displayed list, select your smartphone and press the “Try now” button;
Google will detect devices linked to the account – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
Step 4. Google will send a request to the cell phone. With the smartphone in hand, press “yes” and grant authorization. The login will be approved. Back at the computer, a screen will appear asking you to choose how you want to receive the codes. Select your favorite option and select «Send»;
Select how you want to receive the codes – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
Step 5. Enter the verification code received and proceed to “next”;
Enter the verification code – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
Step 6. To finish the process, press “activate”.
Press the «activate» button to end the configuration – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
3. Print the backup codes
Step 1. Still in the option “Two-step verification”, scroll down to “Backup codes” and press the option “configure”;
Backup codes are an alternative step to automatic two-step verification – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
Step 2. Ten backup codes will be generated. Press the «download» or «print» button to have them saved when your cell phone is offline or in case of problems with the authenticator.
Print or download the backup codes – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
4. Revoke access to unused applications
Step 1. In the “Security” tab, go to the “Third party apps with account access” section and select “Manage third party access”;
Manage application access to the account – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
Step 2. Go to “Sign in with Google” to see the list of apps that have access to the account. Click on the application you want to remove and press the «Remove access» button.
Remove unused applications from the list – Photo: Reproduction / Ana LetĂcia Loubak
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