Want to know how you can beef up the security and maintain the safety of the data on your Gmail account? Just use Google's 2-Step Verification. It adds an extra layer of security to your Google Account and it's very easy to set up.

With Google 2-Step Verification, you will need to enter more than just your username and password in order to log in. You will also need to enter a code from Google that can only be sent to you through either text or voice call.

This might seem troublesome, but it drastically reduces the chances of someone else accessing your account and stealing your information. So while it requires a bit of effort on your part, when the time comes, you'll find that setting it up is worth it.

Here's how you can set up 2-Step Verification for your Gmail Account:

Instructions

  1. 1

    First, log in to your Gmail account and go to the 2-Step Verification Setup page. Then click on the Start setup button.

  2. 2

    Enter the phone number you would like to use for 2-Step Verification. If you're wary of giving Google your phone number, note that it "will only use this number for account security."

  3. 3

    Once you have received your code -- either through text or voice call -- enter it and proceed to the next step.

  4. 4

    Decide whether or not to mark the computer you're using as "secure" so that you don't have to enter the code every time you log in, and click on Next. You will only need to enter the code once every 30 days on computers that have been marked as secure.

  5. 5

    Setting up 2-Step Verification for the first time

    Click on the Confirm button to finish setting up 2-Step Verification. When you finish setting up 2-Step Verification, you will be logged out of Gmail automatically. That means your 2-Step Verification setup was completed successfully.

    Now, if you want to use 2-Step Verification through third-party mail clients such as Mail for iPhone, iPad, and Mac OS, you need to go through one last step. That is entering an application specific password that only you will be able to generate. Here's how you can do it.

  6. 6

    Getting application specific passwords

    First, log in to Gmail. You will be greeted by a screen that says 2-Step Verification is now active and you will be given a number of options. Look for the one that says Manage application specific passwords and click on it.

  7. 7

    Next, you will see a password generator. Pick a name for the password you are generating based on which device you will use it for (e.g. "My iPhone" and "My iPad").

  8. 8

    Click on the Generate Password button and enter it immediately through your device's Settings page.

  9. 9

    Just repeat the above steps for as many devices as you need to finish the set up.

Conclusion

And that's it! Now you can feel safer while accessing your Gmail account through all your preferred devices.

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