As such, since a large part of your digital life is dependent on Google’s services, it’s imperative to ensure the security of your Google account and add an extra layer of security to it to protect it against unauthorized access. Follow along as we list down the steps to enable two-factor authentication on your Google account.
Steps to Enable 2FA on a Google Account
While there are several two-factor authenticator apps on the Play Store and App Store that can help you set up and manage (2SV) two-step verification on your Google account, we think Google Authenticator is a reasonably good, easy-to-use choice for the majority of users out there. Not to mention, the app doesn’t just work with Google accounts, but you can also use it to enable 2FA across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, as well. But for the purpose of this guide, let’s stick to enabling 2FA on Google accounts. Download Google Authenticator: Android | iOS Here are the steps to enable two-factor authentication on your Google account: If everything went smoothly, two-factor authentication should now be enabled on your Google account. As a precautionary measure, to ensure that you don’t get locked out of your account in case you delete the authentication entry on your phone mistakenly, make sure to download the backup codes for your account. To do this, under Available second steps, tap on SHOW CODES below Backup codes.
From here, you can either download these codes to your computer or print them out. Also, do note that each backup code can be used only once. So in case you run out of all the ten codes, you can head back to the 2SV settings for your account and generate a new set of backup codes.
Securing Your Google Account With Two-Factor Authentication
Now that two-factor authentication is enabled on your Google account, every time you attempt to sign in, you’ll be required to enter the six-digit verification code after you enter your account password. If you use a particular device and have to sign in every now and then, you can check the box that says Don’t ask again on this computer to avoid the hassle of entering verification codes again and again on that device. Be sure to do it only on the device that you trust. Also, since the Authenticator app binds the token (for your account) to your device and not your phone number, every time you switch to a new phone, you’ll be required to move the Authenticator app to your new phone or transfer your Authenticator accounts to a new phone. Although this approach with its share of pros and cons, at large, we believe it’s still a more secure option than having an app that binds the token to your phone number. However, if you’d like a 2FA app that offers more convenience and supports multi-device synchronization, you might want to check out other 2FA apps.
