Forgetting Gmail password and username will prevent you from Gmail sign in or login to your Gmail account. So, how do you retrieve or recover Gmail password or username from Gmail login page? One of the drawbacks of having an online presence is the task to remember the password for each account. Sometimes there are situations when people forget their username or password of an account. In such a situation, the service provider has some recovery mechanism to reset it. Google’s well-known mailing service Gmail also has a similar password and username recovery option and it can be done from your smartphone(Android or iPhone) or personal computer which can be found on Gmail account recovery page. However, there is not any possible way for you to recover Gmail password without changing or resetting it.
If you somehow forget your password or username for Gmail account, go to the recovery option and follow the instruction to access the account. In this step by step guide, we are going to cover the process to do the same.
How to Recover Gmail Password and Username
Recover Gmail Password
Step 1:
Open an internet browser by clicking on the shortcut (either on desktop or taskbar). In the address bar type www.gmail.com and hit enter to navigate to Gmail’s landing page.
Step 2:
On the Gmail login page you have the option to login, instead just click on the link that says “need help” to go to the recovery options. To make things easier, we’ve circled the “need help” text in red as below.
Step 3:
Clicking on the “need help” link will take you to a page similar to one shown in the screenshot. It depends on what information that you’ve forgotten. Click the round button according to your needs, read the options below.
- Select “I don’t know my password” if you’ve lost your password.
- Select “I don’t know my username” if you’ve forgotten your username or email address.
- Select “I’m having other problems signing in” if you are facing other problems to sign in to your Gmail account.
Pick whatever option you need based on your situation, just click the “Continue” button in blue.
Step 4:
Step 4 is where Google Mail will ask you to enter your email ID of the Gmail account you wish to recover if you choose “I don’t know my password”. Email ID is something that looks like “login@gmail.com”, etc. After filling in the Gmail ID, proceed by clicking the continue button.
Step 5:
You will be brought to the next process once you click on the continue button where you need to enter the password you remember. Click on “I don’t know” button to proceed.
Step 6:
Here you have different options like phone verification (will show only if you have verified your phone with the account) and verification through the e-mail.
Option 1:
Recover Gmail Account Password By Phone Number
If you select phone verification method you have two choices, either to send the verification code through SMS or automated phone call.
After you click continue you will see a page similar to shown in the screenshot. Enter the code you received and click on continue proceed to step 7.
Option 2:
Recover Gmail Account Password By Recovery eMail
The second option is recovery through email. If you have added a secondary e-mail address, this option will be available to you. Select send message to the secondary account and click continue.
Now login to your secondary email. You will see an email with a link to reset your Gmail password. Click on the link to open it in a new tab then proceed to step 7.
Step 7:
There will be a form similar to one shown in the screenshot. Enter your password you want to set in ‘new password’ field and repeat the same in ‘confirm password’ field and click on reset password button.
You must be now able to login to your Gmail account using your new password.
Recover Gmail Username
Step 1:
For recovering username, the first two steps remain the same as recovering password. In the third step however, instead of choosing I don’t know my password choose the second option ‘I don’t know my username’ and click continue.
Step 2:
This method also gives two options. One is through phone verification and other through email.
Option 1:
Recover Gmail Username By Phone Number
Select the recovery method as phone and enter the phone number registered with the account. Also, you need to enter the First and Last names. Proceed with the Google Mail recovery process by clicking the continue button. Depending upon whether you chose to receive a text message or automated call, Google will send you verification code through that method. Click on submit button to proceed.
Clicking the submit button will result in you being asked to put in the verification code. Enter the same in the field and click continue.
You will be shown the username associated with the phone number.
Option 2:
Recover Gmail Username By Recovery eMail
In the username recovery option choose, email recovery option instead of phone recovery as in the previous step. Enter the recovery email id and the first name and last name associated with this Gmail account. Click on submit to proceed.
The next page requires you to sign in with the recovery email. Click on sign in link and sign in to your account.
After you have signed in the Gmail, you will be shown the accounts associated with the recovery mail. The recovered Gmail username can be used to login to your Gmail account.