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Does anyone know how one can recover your Gmail account which has two factor authentication enabled when:

  • you lose the printed codes and
  • your authorized phone + laptop are unavailable?

I lost my laptop bag (cellphone + laptop + wallet) and have two factor authentication enabled - and for better or worse (worse right now!) I had decided to assign my Google account as the center of my digital identity.

Is there a phone number I can call them up on or any other setting / configuration?

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  • What device are you using now? How are you authenticated to Super User?
    – cpast
    Feb 10, 2013 at 2:25
  • Wait for 4 days (without login, ofcourse) and use forget password to receive reset instructions on backup email or phone (SMS).
    – user13296
    Feb 10, 2013 at 2:54
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    Not really a "solution" but I found the missing piece of luggage and recovered it. But now I'm very intrigued on what the official recovery mechanism is because one can't count on getting lucky everytime. Google should really have a 800 number (perhaps even charge $10 or something for the manual intervention). 4 days without access is disaster for business...
    – DeepSpace101
    Feb 10, 2013 at 20:28
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    Ahh, what exactly do you think should happen when you call an 0800 number? Consider how exactly Google could differentiate between you and a hacker.
    – MaryC.fromNZ
    Feb 11, 2013 at 13:05
  • @MaryC.fromNZ Well, one would phone authenticate all the information provided on your google account (eg. Microsoft Live Xbox account support). One could also photocopy the driver's license or any govt form of identification. This problem (physical-world user authentication) has been solved before, no need to reinvent the wheel unless its a better wheel.
    – DeepSpace101
    Feb 11, 2013 at 21:16

1 Answer 1

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If you have no backup options available, then you can fill out an account recover form.

Here is what google says to do if you have no backup available.

Sign in to your account with your username and password. On the verification code challenge page, click Other ways to get a verification code? Click "I no longer have access to any of these." You'll then need to fill out an account recovery form to verify ownership of the account. Take time to answer each question to the best of your ability. The form was designed to ensure that no one can gain access to your account except you. Since Google doesn't collect a lot of information about you when you sign up for an account, we will ask you questions like when you created your account, what Google services you use, and who you email frequently (if you use Gmail) to make certain you are authorized to access your account.

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  • This helps somewhat. In my case though, there is no recovery option presented. All that gmail presents to me is "You've tried to sign in too many times. For your protection, you can't sign in right now. Try again later or sign in from a different device". Any recommendations?
    – Everyone
    Jul 20, 2022 at 7:58

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