How to turn on 2-Step Verification for a Google Account

2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

Short answer

Open myaccount.google.com or Settings, Google, Manage your Google Account. Tap Security & sign-in and, under How you sign in to Google, tap Turn on 2-Step Verification. Follow the steps and choose a second step, such as a prompt on your phone.

With 2-Step Verification, a stolen password is not enough to get into your account. After the password, Google asks for something only you have: a tap on your phone, a code or a security key.

Menu names below are from Google Pixel phones on a recent Android version. Samsung, Xiaomi and other brands rename some of them.

Step by step

  1. Open your Google Account

    On Android, open Settings, tap Google, your name and Manage your Google Account. On any device, go to myaccount.google.com.

  2. Tap Security & sign-in

    Find the section How you sign in to Google.

  3. Tap Turn on 2-Step Verification

    Sign in again if asked and follow the instructions on the screen.

  4. Choose your second step

    Google prompts are the recommended option: a notification appears on your Android phone, and you tap Yes to approve a sign-in or No to block it. Other options are a passkey (fingerprint, face or the PIN of the device), codes from an authenticator app, a code by text message or call, or a hardware security key.

  5. Save backup codes

    In the 2-Step Verification settings, create backup codes and print them or write them down. Each eight-digit code works once and gets you in if your phone is lost or broken.

  6. Add a second method

    Set up at least one more method besides the main one, for example an authenticator app or a second phone number. A single method is a single point of failure.

Good to know

On your own computer you can tick Don't ask again on this device when signing in. Use it only on devices that nobody else uses.

Text message codes are the weakest of the options, because phone numbers can be taken over. Prompts, passkeys and authenticator apps are safer.

Accounts from work or school may need the administrator to allow 2-Step Verification.

The same for Apple: how to turn on two-factor authentication for your Apple Account on an iPhone. And the password itself: how to change your Google Account password on Android.

In short: Google Account, Security & sign-in, Turn on 2-Step Verification, choose Google prompts or another method, save backup codes, add a second method.

Sources
  • Google Account Help: Turn on 2-Step Verification

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