5 helpful tools from Google to keep your accounts safe

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Whether you're checking your email, managing your family photos, shopping or watching your favorite shows, your digital life depends on secure access to your online accounts. At Google, we believe that staying safe online shouldn't feel like a chore, which is why we have long invested in building tools that make your online life easily accessible to you and those you trust, while keeping your data safe from everyone else.

Today is World Password Day, so it's a good moment to review five Google tools and tips that will make access to your Google Account and the apps you use with it easier and safer.

1. Sign in faster with passkeys.

Passkeys are an easier and safer way to access online accounts compared to passwords and even traditional multi-factor methods such as one-time passwords. We launched passkeys for Google Accounts on World Password Day in 2023. Many websites and apps have embraced them since then. Passkeys let you sign into your Google Account with your device's screen lock - such as a fingerprint, face or PIN, making sign-in feel as simple as unlocking your device. They're also the most secure way to sign in because no one else can guess or reuse them. And rest assured, biometric data like your fingerprint or face scan stays on your device and is never shared with Google.

How to try it: Create a new passkey at myaccount.google.

2. Turn on 2-Step Verification as an added safeguard.

Even when you normally use a passkey, it's important to secure your account with 2SV. If someone tries to impersonate you and claims to have lost your passkey, your account gets multi-factor protection.

How to try it: Set up 2-Step Verification in your Google Account.

3. Get back into your Google account with help from a friend or family member.

Lost your phone but need to sign into your Google Account? Recovery Contacts can help. It lets you choose someone you trust to help confirm it's really you if you're locked out of your account. Google will send your contact a prompt or an email to help you sign back in. It's a simple, secure way to regain access to your account when other recovery options aren't available. You can have up to 10 recovery contacts for your account. Your recovery contacts will never have access to your account or your personal information.

How to try it: Set up your recovery contacts.

4. Sign in with Google to simplify sign-ins and boost security.

Instead of creating and remembering a new username and password when you're signing in to a new app or shopping site, you can tap "Sign in with Google" to sign in quickly and easily with your Google Account. Sign in with Google helps you reduce the number of passwords stored across different apps and services, which can limit exposure if another platform experiences a security incident. You stay in control of your connections and can review and remove app access at any time.

How to try it: Learn how to use Sign in with Google.

5. Let Google Password Manager create (and save) strong passwords - and passkeys.

If a site doesn't support Sign-in with Google, or you don't want to use it for any reason, you can still rely on Google's security expertise to keep your sign-ins simple and safe. Google Password Manager can help create, save and manage your passwords and passkeys for all your other accounts. It securely stores and syncs your passwords and passkeys across devices, and autofills them the next time you need to use them.

How to try it: Manage your saved passwords from your Google Account.

Use one of these tools - or set up all five. A few quick updates you make today can help keep your sign-ins secure and your accounts accessible in the long run.

• Safety & Security