Your Gmail account is super important to you, especially during this pandemic where you are forced to work from home. Because of this, there is no way you can allow anyone to gain access to this account, therefore, you are seeking ways on how to secure it properly.
It makes sense for anyone to try and secure their Gmail account because the tool is the most popular email service there is. Fortunately, the folks at Google have added ways for users to check how secure their account is, and to make changes if things are not up to a certain standard.
In this article, we are going to talk about how to check if your account is secure, so follow along, then.
How to secure your Gmail account
Securing your Google or Gmail account is easy if you know what to do. Follow this simple guide to harden Gmail security & protect it from hackers.
- Open Google Account Settings
- Security Checkup
- Add two-factor authentication
- Check recent security activity
Let us talk about this in more detail
1] Open Google Account Settings
The first thing you will want to do in a situation like this is to open your Google account settings page to get started. Do this by launching Gmail, then click on your profile picture, and from there, be sure to select Manage your Google Account.
From this section, you will want to look for Security and click on it.
2] Security Checkup
Google wants to make sure everything is done to secure your account, so with that in mind, the company created the Security Checkup feature. Here, users can get an idea of how secure their account is due to the recommendations provided by the search giant.
If there are any outstanding issues, they will be added to the top. Should the user have already taken certain steps to ensure security, these steps will be marked below with a green tick.
3] Add two-factor authentication
The next thing we want to do here is to add two-factor authentication. We can do this by returning to the Security page and then look for the section that says Signing Into Google. From here, users can see when last their password was changed, and whether or not two-factor authentication is active.
To improve security, click on Add An Extra Layer Of Security, then follow the steps to include two-factor authentication as part of your security regiment. You will need a mobile phone for this, so keep that in mind.
Read: How to securely sign into Gmail.
4] Check recent security activity
One of the cool things about Gmail that is not found in most email providers is the option to assess your recent security activity. This section will show login events from the past 28 days, which is quite impressive. It can tell the device used to log in, and even the estimated location. Additionally, it will also show the IP address, so you can tell if someone who shouldn’t have access has entered your account at any given time.
To see all of this, return to the Security settings page, and then scroll down to Recent Security Activity.
Now read: Gmail Search Tips and Tricks.
