To recover the Gmail account if hacked, Google asks for a few verification steps after entering the email address and phone number, depending on the recovery information, security history entered during sign-in. It is convenient to recover the Gmail account securely in such cases. It can be very stressful to recover the hacked email, as the hacker could use the account for unethical reasons and use personal information linked to the services. Google services have stored important documents, messages, and data for years. The recovery process requires patience, and the steps need to be followed properly. A quick recovery action is required to restore your data and protect it from future hacking by following the recommended steps.  

1. Check the Internet Connection

Initially, check the internet connection before looking for complex problems. Ensure that the Wi-Fi is working properly and also check the mobile data connection. A weak internet connection, either from Wi-Fi or Mobile Data, can cause such problems.

2. Sign in  

Open the official website of the Google account recovery page and enter the Gmail address. First simple step is to enter the password carefully to avoid any typing errors or spelling mistakes or the user may forget to check the caps lock key before entering the password. Most importantly, confirm that the account is actually hacked or if there is another issue. The account is hacked if any unfamiliar activities have been observed, like the password is no longer working, or you have received an email for a login attempt from another location or another device, or there is unusual activity in your account, like your contacts received messages you have not sent, then your account may have been hacked.

3. “Forgot password”

If your password is not working, then there is a chance that you may have forgotten the password.  Click “forgot password,” and Google will direct you to the recovery options to generate a new password. If the account is hacked, you may not receive any verification codes since the hacker may have changed the recovery options.

4. Recovery options

The recovery option asks for another email or phone number. If the user does not have access to these recovery options, then you need to click on “try alternate ways”, or you can also select the “I don’t have access” option if the recovery still fails. A few security questions are asked while signing up for Google. You can select those questions yourself and answer them while recovering the account to confirm the ownership of the account.

 After the owner regains access to the account, review the unfamiliar activities or devices that have logged in from this account. Remove the suspicious devices or the apps that you do not recognise.

5. Verification

Change the password after successful login. It is suggested to choose a strong and unique password that you can remember and try to avoid easily predictable passwords to avoid hacking into your account again.  

Add advanced protection to your account by enabling 2FA (two-factor authorization), which grants access to your account only after verifying the password as well as a one-time verification code, thereby the double double-layered protection is given to your account.

6. Malware scanning

 An infected device could also cause hacking of the account. It is advised to run the antivirus scan and anti-malware scan on your device and update the system.

7. Avoid future hacking

The first important step is to enable two-step verification and change the password of all the apps or platforms that use this account. It is recommended to frequently update the password to avoid hacking.