A guide to securing your Google account
22 February 2020
Secure your Google account with these simple settings tweaks! Run a security checkup, manage devices, monitor third-party access, and more.

Keeping personal information private and staying safe online need not be difficult. Hereâs how you can configure your Google account settings to make your browsing more secure.
Whether youâre sending an email, shopping online or driving in unfamiliar territory, the odds are youâre tapping on Googleâs incredibly diverse range of web services to get things done. Gmail, Google Search, Google Maps and more have become so integral to most peopleâs lives that oneâs Google account is like a passport to the digital world.
Now imagine losing that passport or having it hijacked by some malicious actor to perform shady activities online. That would certainly make for an unpleasant experience. Rather than go through the hassle of recovering a compromised account, why not prevent a breach in the first place? Hereâs how to make sure that you are completely in control of your Google account.
Run a security checkup
This is something that Google recommends doing at least once a year (though it doesnât hurt to do it more regularly). While signed in to your Google account on your browser, key in this URL: https://myaccount.google.com/security-checkup
On this page, youâll be presented with an overview of your accountâs security, with various settings and features to adjust, like:
Sign-in & recovery
Your devices
Recent security events
Third-party access
Password checkup
1. Sign-in & recovery
This tab prompts you to set up a range of methods to verify your account. Google can use these to confirm your identity and rule out suspicious activity. For example, you can provide Google with a phone number for two-factor authentication or input an alternate email address for Google to send you confidential information in the event you need to recover a compromised account (also useful when youâve forgotten your password and need to reset it).
2. Your devices
According to Statista, there are 6.58 network-connected devices per person around the globe. This can make it difficult to keep track of which devices are linked to your Google account. Under the âYour devicesâ tab, youâll find a consolidated list of all the devices that youâre currently signed in to. You can immediately sign out from any unrecognised devices on that list. Google will also encourage you to change your password if there are unrecognised devices registered with your account and will sign you out of all devices except the one youâre using to initiate the change in password.
3. Recent security events
Sometimes, no news is good news, so you should feel relieved if you donât see any incident reports under this tab. Google runs its own security scans in the background and will notify you if it detects unusual security events, such as a sign-in from a new device or changes to a sensitive account setting. For example, if you updated your recovery email address based on the above instructions, expect to receive an email informing you of the change.
4. Third-party access
For convenience, many of us link third-party apps to our Google accounts. Under this âThird-party accessâ tab, youâll be able to view the entire list of apps and sites with access to your information via Google. From here, you can check what permissions have been granted to each app and when those were granted. For instance, if you have the ActiveSG app installed, it can see and add to your Google Fit physical activity, speed and distance data. Also, if you no longer use a particular third-party app, consider removing its access to your Google account to reduce security risks.
5. Password checkup
Weak passwords are one of the foremost reasons internet accounts get compromised. Google recommends that your password should contain at least eight characters, with a combination of numbers, letters and symbols, and it shouldnât contain personal information and commonly used words. Using Googleâs âPassword checkupâ function, you can check your saved passwords for security issues, including whether you have reused them across multiple accounts.
With these tips, hopefully, youâll find that staying safe online isnât difficultâall it takes is a little bit of effort to configure your account settings properly.