11 steps to smarter Google account security

Speaking of which…

Step 9: Uninstall any mobile apps and browser extensions you don’t need

As you think about third-party add-ons for your computer and phone, take a moment to look at everything you have installed on both fronts and think about how many of those programs you actually still use. The fewer cracked windows you allow in your Google account, the better. And if you don’t even use something, there’s no reason to keep it connected.

And with that, we’re ready for our final two parts of account protection options.

Part III: Plan for the Worst

Step 10: Set up or confirm your Google virtual will

Thinking about worst-case scenarios is never particularly pleasant (I’d much rather be eating crumpets myself), but just as it’s important to have a plan for your physical and financial assets, creating a virtual will for your Google account will make things infinitely easier for your loved ones if and when you ever suffer a mild case of death.

For corporate-managed Google Workspace accounts, someone within your organization can take control of your account if you lose access to it. But with one individually There is no such system for passing on access to Google Account.

Google has a simple system for managing this: open it Inactive account managerand you’ll find tools to help you determine exactly what to do if your account ever becomes inactive for a period of time. You can specify the number of months that should pass without any sign of your presence, along with the email addresses and phone numbers that Google should use to contact you for confirmation. And then you can give Google the email addresses of all the people you want to be notified once it becomes clear that you are no longer available.

From there you can specify exactly what types of information your chosen contacts have access to. You can even leave a message for those people, if you want, and optionally create a broad auto-reply that will be sent to anyone who emails you once your inactive period starts (creepy!).

Even if you’ve gone through this process before, it’s worth revisiting your preferences occasionally to ensure the information is still complete and accurate – not only in the specific contacts you’ve set to notify you of, but also areas of your account that these people will have access to if this situation ever arises.

For that final piece of the puzzle, click on the email address of each person you listed, then click the “Edit Apps & Services” option on the screen that then appears. That will show you a list of account-related areas (everything from Contacts and Calendars to Google Chat, Google Photos, and even your location history (if you’re using a device that contributes to such a collection)) and let you both see which areas are currently selected and let you add or remove any areas you want from the list.

Pretty much every time I’ve ever looked into that, I’ve found a handful of newer account-related areas were not selected for sharing – presumably because they didn’t exist the last time I looked at the options. I had to manually check each one to make sure they would be included in post-awareness account sharing.

Part IV: Increase your protection to the maximum

Step 11: Consider Google’s Advanced Protection Program

Last but not least, there is a step that won’t suit everyone, but could have major consequences for certain types of Google users. For anyone at higher risk of a targeted attack, Google offers an increased form of account protection, the Advanced Protection Program.

The program is described as suitable for business leaders, IT administrators, activists, journalists and anyone who is in the public eye and likely to be sought out by someone looking to cause harm. It places a series of heavy restrictions on your Google account to make it extremely difficult for anyone else to gain access, but as a result it also makes things a little more difficult for You.

The core part of the Advanced Protection Program is the requirement that you have a physical security key the first time you sign into your account on a new device. That means that in addition to your password, you need a specific form of two-factor authentication: an approved key built into your phone or a loose dongle — to access your email, documents or any other part of your Google account.

As part of the added security, you also can’t link most third-party apps to your Google account, including apps that need access to your Gmail or Google Drive in order to work. That could pose some challenges (such as sign in on an Android TV devicecuriously) and require some compromises (such as no longer being able to use most third-party email clients with Gmail). And if for any reason you ever lose access to your account, you’ll have to go through an additional complicated, multi-day recovery process to regain access. You can read more about what it’s like to live with the Advanced Protection Program this thoughtful overview.

Ultimately, only you can decide whether the extra inconvenience is worth the extra security. However, if you want the utmost security for your Google Account, and especially if you’re someone who is at a higher-than-average risk of being targeted, this is definitely worth considering.

If you want to make the leap and add this extra layer of intense security to your Google account, head over Google’s Advanced Protection Program website to get started. With a personal account you can get started within minutes. With an account that is part of a paid corporate Workspace subscription, your subscription administrator must enable Advanced Security for the organization before you can do this. Once you start the registration process, you will see quite quickly whether it is already available for your account or not. If not, you can contact your company administrator to inquire about the possibility of allowing this.

And give yourself a pat on the back: Now that you’ve completed these 11 steps, your Google Account security is officially in top form – and you won’t have to pay a lick of attention to this area again anytime soon.

Set yourself a reminder to revisit this page and review the steps on it once a year for good measure. (I’ll continue to update and expand the specific instructions over time as necessary.) Do the same with smart security features in other areas (like your Android security settings, if you’re using an Android device of any kind) and rest easy knowing that your most important digital information is as safe as possible.

This article was originally published in February 2020 and last updated in February 2026.