Disable Two-Factor Authentication in Gmail

Before You Turn Off 2-Step Verification

Gmail uses the security settings of your entire Google Account. Turning off verification for Gmail also turns it off for other Google services connected to the same account. Make this change only on an account you own or are authorized to manage.

With 2-Step Verification enabled, signing in normally requires your password and another proof, such as a Google prompt, passkey, security key, authenticator code, or backup code. Turning it off removes that extra barrier. Anyone who obtains or guesses your password may then have an easier time accessing your email, files, saved information, and other connected services.

Before proceeding, make sure your password is strong and unique. Also check that your recovery email and recovery phone belong to you and are current. If this is a work, school, or organization-managed account, an administrator may require 2-Step Verification and prevent you from disabling it.

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How to Disable Two-Factor Authentication for Gmail

Use a device and browser you trust. You may need your password and a currently configured second step to confirm your identity before Google lets you change the setting.

1. Open Google’s official account-management page. You can find it by opening Gmail, selecting your profile picture, and choosing Manage your Google Account.
2. Select Security & sign-in. Depending on the screen size, this may appear in a side menu or across the top.
3. Find the section labeled How you sign in to Google.
4. Select 2-Step Verification. Sign in again or complete the identity check if prompted.
5. Select Turn off.
6. Read the confirmation message, then select Turn off again to confirm.

Once confirmed, the extra verification step stops applying to the Google Account. If the Turn off control is missing, check whether the account is managed by an organization or enrolled in a security program with different requirements. Do not try to bypass those controls; contact the account administrator or follow Google’s official help instructions.

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Turn Off 2-Step Verification on a Phone

On Android, open the device’s Settings app. Select Google, choose your name if more than one account appears, and tap Manage your Google Account. Open Security & sign-in, select 2-Step Verification under How you sign in to Google, complete any requested identity check, and tap Turn off. Confirm by tapping Turn off again.

On an iPhone or iPad, open the Gmail app and tap your profile picture or initial. Tap Manage your Google Account, then open Security & sign-in. Under How you sign in to Google, tap 2-Step Verification, tap Turn off, and confirm.

If you do not use the Gmail app, open a mobile browser and navigate to Google’s official account-management page through Google’s site. Sign in, open Security & sign-in, and follow the same 2-Step Verification route. Menu wording or placement can vary slightly with screen size, but do not use instructions from an unfamiliar site or enter your credentials on a page you reached through an unsolicited message.

If You Cannot Sign In to Change the Setting

You must first regain access to the account. On Google’s official sign-in screen, select Try another way to see the verification methods available for that account. Depending on what you previously configured, Google may offer a prompt on a signed-in device, an authenticator code, a backup code, another registered second step, or a trusted device.

If none works, use the Account recovery option provided on Google’s official sign-in or Help pages. Answer the questions as accurately as possible. It can help to use a device, browser, and location from which you normally sign in. Google may ask for an email address or phone number you can access and may send a code there.

Available checks differ by account and situation. Completing the process does not guarantee recovery, and there is no fixed recovery time that applies to everyone. Never give another person your password, verification code, or backup code. Google only uses a backup code during the sign-in process.

Remove App Passwords and Review Connected Apps

App passwords are special passwords used by some older apps or devices when 2-Step Verification is enabled. After you turn verification off, an app using one may report a sign-in error. If that happens, sign in to the app again with your regular Google Account password.

Google recommends removing app passwords you no longer use. In your Google Account, open Security & sign-in, find How you sign in to Google, and select App passwords. Complete the identity check if requested, then remove entries for old or unrecognized apps and devices. If the option is unavailable after verification is disabled, the app passwords may no longer be active.

Also review the account’s connections and devices. In the security settings, inspect third-party apps and services that have account access. Remove access you no longer recognize or need. Under Your devices, choose Manage all devices, review recent sessions, and sign out any lost, shared, or unfamiliar device. Removing a connection may stop that service from accessing account data.

Previously saved backup codes should be destroyed after 2-Step Verification is turned off because they are no longer intended for use.

Safer Alternatives to Disabling Verification

If the current second step is inconvenient, changing it is safer than removing verification completely. While signed in, open 2-Step Verification in the Google Account security settings and review the methods available to your account. You may be able to add or replace a Google prompt, authenticator app, passkey, security key, or another supported method.

• Update your recovery phone and recovery email under Security & sign-in. Use information you control and can access.
• On a private device you regularly use, choose Don’t ask again on this computer or device during verification. Do not select this on a public or shared device.
• If a trusted device keeps requesting verification, use a normal browser window and allow it to retain the cookies needed to remember the choice.
• Review trusted devices under Your devices and sign out devices you no longer possess or recognize.
• While 2-Step Verification remains enabled, generate backup codes from its settings if the option is available. Store them securely, use each code only once, and never share them.

Keeping at least two working second-step methods can reduce the chance that losing one phone or key will lock you out while preserving the protection that password-only access removes.