How to change your Gmail password on iPhone

What a Gmail password is

Gmail does not have its own password. Your Gmail address is part of a Google Account, and the password protects everything in it, including Gmail, Google Drive, Google Photos, YouTube, the Play Store and any phone backup. That is why changing it matters: a stolen Gmail password can let someone reset your other accounts. It also means that when you change it on your iPhone, every Google app on every device must sign in again with the new one.

Pick a strong password

• Use 12 or more characters. A phrase of several words and a number is easy to remember and hard to guess.
• Never reuse a password from another site.
• Avoid names, birthdays and keyboard patterns.
• Let your iPhone suggest one and save it in iCloud Keychain, or use a password manager.
• Write down a recovery plan, such as a backup email and phone number, before you change anything.

Before you change it: check recovery info

Open myaccount.google.com › Security and look at Recovery phone and Recovery email. If either is old, update it. Google uses these to send codes if you forget your password or if someone tries to sign in. A wrong recovery phone is the main reason people get locked out after a change. Also check 2-Step Verification, and set up passkeys if your account offers them, since a passkey replaces the password with Face ID on your iPhone.

What happens on your other devices

After the change, Google signs you out of most devices, including phones, tablets and computers. Some may keep working for a short time. Each one needs the new password the next time you open Gmail. Your iPhone's Mail app may show a message that the password is incorrect or that the account cannot be verified. Remove and add the account again. Smart TVs, Chromecast and old apps that use your Google login also ask for the new password. If you use Gmail on a work or school account, your admin may control the password and not you.

Forgot your Gmail password? Recover it

• Go to accounts.google.com/signin/recovery in Safari.
• Enter the email address and tap Forgot password.
• Enter the last password you remember, or tap Try another way.
• Use the code sent to your recovery phone or email.
• Create a new password and sign in.

Try the recovery on a phone or computer you used before to sign in, from the place where you usually are. Google trusts familiar devices and locations, which makes recovery more likely to succeed. If you cannot recover the account, Google does not have a phone number for support. Use the recovery form only, and do not trust any website or number that claims to be Google support. Those are scams. See Gmail keeps signing you out for repeated sign-outs.

Fix Gmail on iPhone after you change the password

Open Settings › Apps › Mail › Mail Accounts. If Gmail shows an alert, tap it and sign in again, or delete the account and add it again. In the Gmail app, tap your profile picture and sign in if prompted. Then pull down in the inbox to refresh. If email does not arrive afterward, Gmail not working on iPhone and Gmail not receiving emails cover the checks in more depth.

Secure your Google Account after the change

• Open Security › Your devices and sign out of phones and computers you do not recognize.
• Turn on 2-Step Verification with the Google Authenticator app or a security key instead of text messages when you can.
• Review Third-party apps with account access and remove old ones.
• Check Recent security activity for sign-ins you do not recognize.
• Run Security Checkup at myaccount.google.com. It gives you a to-do list.

Fake Google emails: stay safe

Scammers send fake alerts that say your Gmail password expired or your account will be closed. Real Google messages never ask you to type your password in a reply or tell you to call a phone number. If you get one, do not click. Open the Gmail app, go to Security and check the real alerts. If you already entered your password on a fake page, change it right away and sign out of other devices.

Change it with a passkey or Google Password Manager

If you use iCloud Keychain or Google Password Manager, update the saved entry after the change. Open Settings › Passwords, search for google.com and tap Edit. Without that, autofill keeps offering the old password, and Safari may fill in the wrong one and lock you out after repeated tries. If you set up a passkey for your Google Account, you can sign in with Face ID or Touch ID, and a password change does not break it.

Use a strong password you can remember

A passphrase made of four or five random words is easier to type on a phone than a string of symbols, and just as hard to crack. Do not use quotes from songs, since attackers try those first. Do not add a number at the end only. Insert a number or symbol in the middle, and make sure the phrase is unique to Google. If you cannot remember it, save it to a manager rather than writing it in a note on your phone.

Change a Gmail password on a work or school account

If your Gmail address ends in a company or school domain, you may not be able to change the password from your own account settings. The administrator controls it, and the change happens in the Google Workspace admin console or a company portal. Ask your IT team, or use the Forgot password link if your organization allows it. Do not use a personal password for work, and do not share a work account on a personal phone without permission.

Common errors and what they mean

• Wrong password: check caps lock, the keyboard layout and autofill. Type it by hand and tap the eye icon to see it.
• This password was recently used: pick a new one you have not used before.
• Password too weak: add more characters and mix words, numbers and symbols.
• Verification code does not arrive: check signal and the recovery phone number, or use a backup code or authenticator app.
• Account temporarily locked: too many failed tries. Wait a few hours or use recovery.

When a code does not arrive, our guide to Facebook not sending a code covers the carrier and filter checks that work for most apps.

Change your password if your phone was lost or stolen

Do it from another device right away. Go to myaccount.google.com › Security › Your devices, sign out the lost phone and change the password. Then use Find Hub on a Google account, or Find My on an Apple device, to locate or erase the phone. Tell your carrier so they can suspend the line. Change the passwords for other accounts that used the same email, starting with banking and Apple Account.

Check the change worked

Open Gmail in Safari at mail.google.com and sign in with the new password. Then open the Gmail app and the Mail app and confirm that mail loads in each. Send a test email to yourself. Check your recovery email for a message from Google that confirms the password change. If you did not get one and did not change the password, treat it as a warning and secure the account.