Generate a Gmail App Password: Step-by-Step

To generate a Gmail app password, sign in to your Google Account, open Security, select App passwords, and create a password for the mail client or device you want to connect.

Gmail displays a 16-character code that you enter in the third-party app instead of your regular Google Account password.

What is a Gmail app password used for?

An app password is a one-time, 16-character sign-in code that lets an older app or device access your Google Account when it cannot use Google’s standard sign-in screen.

You may need an app password when setting up Gmail in an older desktop mail client, scanner, printer, or other device that asks directly for an email address and password. The app password provides access without revealing your regular Google Account password to that app.

You usually do not need an app password when the app opens Google’s own sign-in page and lets you approve access. Modern mail apps commonly support that process. If the app offers a button such as Sign in with Google, try that option first.

An app password is not a replacement for a forgotten Gmail password. If you cannot sign in to your Google Account itself, use Google’s account recovery process instead.

What must I do before generating a Gmail app password?

Google requires 2-Step Verification before an eligible account can generate an app password. Two-Step Verification adds a second identity check after the regular account password.

1. Open {site} and sign in to the Google Account used for Gmail.
2. Select Security.
3. Find the section labeled How you sign in to Google.
4. Select 2-Step Verification and follow the displayed setup instructions if it is not already on.
5. Return to the Security area after setup is complete.

App passwords are not available for every account. A work, school, or other managed Google Account may have restrictions set by its administrator. The option may also be unavailable when Advanced Protection is enabled or when 2-Step Verification is configured only with security keys.

Before continuing, confirm that you are signed in to the same Google Account whose Gmail messages you want the third-party app to access.

How do I generate an app password for Gmail?

To generate a Gmail app password, use the Google Account security settings rather than the settings inside Gmail. Google may ask you to verify your identity again during these steps.

1. Open your Google Account settings.
2. Select Security.
3. Under How you sign in to Google, select App passwords. If you do not see it, use the settings search box and search for App passwords.
4. Enter your Google Account password or complete another identity check if prompted.
5. Enter a name that identifies the app or device, such as Desktop mail, Office computer, or Kitchen scanner. Choose a specific name so you can recognize the connection later.
6. Select Create.
7. Copy the 16-character app password shown on the screen before closing the message.

This is also the process people usually mean when they search for “generate app password Gmail,” “generate Gmail app password,” or “how to generate new password for Gmail.” The generated code is for the third-party connection; it does not change your main Gmail password.

Where do I enter the 16-character Gmail app password?

Paste the generated app password into the password field in the third-party mail app or device. Enter your full Gmail address as the username unless the app labels that field differently.

The displayed spaces only make the code easier to read. If the app rejects spaces, enter the 16 characters as one continuous code. Do not enter the name you gave the connection.

The app normally stores the app password after a successful setup, so you should not need to enter it whenever you check mail. Google shows each generated password only once. If you close the code before saving it in the app, revoke that entry and generate another app password.

Why is the Gmail App passwords option missing?

Check 2-Step Verification first. The App passwords option normally does not appear until 2-Step Verification is active on the same Google Account.

Other common reasons include:

• The account belongs to a workplace, school, or organization whose administrator has disabled app passwords.
• The account has Advanced Protection enabled.
• Two-Step Verification is set up only with security keys.
• You are viewing settings for a different Google Account.
• The app password setting is available through the account settings search but is not visible in the current Security page layout.

If the account is managed, ask the organization’s administrator whether app passwords are permitted. If they are not, use a mail app that supports Google’s standard sign-in process.

How do I view or revoke Gmail app passwords?

Google lets you review the names and creation dates of app-password connections, but it does not reveal the original 16-character codes again.

1. Open Google Account settings and select Security.
2. Under How you sign in to Google, open App passwords.
3. Complete the identity check if Google requests one.
4. Find the named app or device you no longer use.
5. Select the remove or revoke control beside that entry.

After revocation, that app or device can no longer use the removed code. Generate a new app password if you later reconnect it. Google also revokes app passwords when you change your main Google Account password, so connected apps may ask you to sign in again afterward.

Why is Gmail still rejecting the app password?

If Gmail still rejects the connection, check the credentials and the app’s sign-in method before generating multiple new codes.

• Confirm that the username is the full Gmail address for the account that generated the code.
• Use the 16-character app password, not the regular Google Account password.
• Retype or paste the code carefully, without extra spaces before or after it.
• Generate a new code if the original app password was revoked or if the main account password changed.
• Remove the saved password from the third-party app before entering the new app password; some apps keep retrying an older stored credential.
• Use Sign in with Google if the app supports it, because that standard sign-in method does not require an app password.
• Check whether the mail client or device supports Gmail’s current security requirements. An app password cannot make incompatible or blocked software work.

If the credentials are correct but access remains blocked, review alerts in the Google Account Security area. Google may require an additional identity check or may show that an attempted sign-in was prevented.