How to Use the 2-Step Verification to Secure Your Gmail Account

Learn how to use the 2-Step Verification for Gmail. It’s the safest way to protect your inbox from password thefts and hackers.



LinkedIn was hacked. Dropbox was hacked. Now, what gives you the assurance that you could keep your Gmail account secured? It’s a bit disappointing to know that your privacy could be easily breached by those who would do anything to exploit your emails as well as your personal and business information. That alone can persuade you to activate your Gmail account’s 2-Step Verification. By doing so, your Gmail including the other services that you have linked to your Google account will have a stronger level of security. To make use of such feature, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Log in to your Gmail account and click the gear tool that’s located on the top right portion of your Gmail inbox. You will then see a drop-down menu for Display Density, Settings, Themes and Help. Choose ‘Settings’ then wait for the page to load. After which, select ‘Accounts and Import’ from the list of tabs.

Step 2: Go to Change Account Settings then select the option for Other Google Account Settings. A new window will appear on your browser. Look for the menu on the left side of the new window and you’ll see the options for Account, Security, Profile and Privacy, Google+, etc. Choose ‘Security’ then locate the section for 2-Step Verification. Note the status of the said option. If it is ‘OFF’, click the Edit button. You will then see a message that will prompt you to set up the said option.

Step 3: Click the option for ‘Set up 2-Step Verification’ then follow the on-screen prompts. You will eventually be asked as to whether you like your code to be delivered via text message or via mobile application. Android users may choose the latter because the code will be automatically generated by the Google Authorship application. Once you’re done, verify your computer then click the Activate button to enable the 2-step Verification.

Step 4: Those who opted to get the verification code via text message may need to wait for the code to be sent to their registered phones. Just keep in mind that there is a tendency for this method to fail. It would be best for you to keep a list of back-up codes. You can generate these back-up codes by going to Settings > Accounts and Import > Other Google Account Settings > Security > 2-step Verification > Edit > Show Backup Codes.

On your next log-in, you will basically be prompted to go through a two-step process. The first step will ask for your password while the second step will ask for the verification code. Through this, you can be assured that your Gmail account cannot be easily hacked by hackers.
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