In a nutshell: When you can't access your Gmail account, visit the Google Account Help page. Scroll to the "Popular articles" section and open "How to recover your Google Account or Gmail." Try the recommended recovery tips
It can be stressful when you can't access your Gmail account. The good news is that there's plenty of information available that could help.
Go to the "Google Account Help" page.
Scroll partway down the page until you find the "Popular articles" section.
There's a downward pointing arrow to the right of "Popular articles." Click on this arrow to expand the menu.
In the "Popular articles" section, locate the article title that says, "How to recover your Google Account or Gmail."
Click on "How to recover your Google Account or Gmail."
The "How to recover your Google Account or Gmail" page offers valuable information about how you can try to recover your Gmail account on your own. For instance, there are options you can test if you forgot your password or if you think someone else gained access to your account.
Try the recommended recovery tips as a way to regain access to your Gmail account. If they don't work, proceed to the next step.
If the tips on the "How to recover your Google Account or Gmail" page didn't work for you and you still want to try and recover your Gmail account and not set up a new one, you can contact Google for further assistance. Locate the "Contact us" link partway down the page.
Click on the "Contact us" link, which will open up to the "Contact Us" page. Proceed through the steps.
There are many options you can test to recover your Gmail account. Make sure to attempt all the applicable options for higher chances of getting your account back in your control.
GetHuman has been working for over 10 years on sourcing information about big organizations like Gmail in order to help customers resolve customer service issues faster. We started with contact information and fastest ways to reach a human at big companies. Particularly ones with slow or complicated IVR or phone menu systems. Or companies that have self-serve help forums instead of a customer service department. From there, we realized that consumers still needed more detailed help solving the most common problems, so we expanded to this set of guides, which grows every day. And if you spot any issues with our How do I recover my Gmail account? guide, please let us know by sending us feedback. We want to be as helpful as possible. If you appreciated this guide, please share it with your favorite people. Our free information and tools is powered by you, the customer. The more people that use it, the better it gets.