Has your Gmail been hacked? Here's how to check with this Google tool.
Have you noticed any unusual activity in your email inbox? A login message from an unknown source, or spam emails arriving in your contacts? Suspecting someone else might have accessed your Gmail account is unsettling. Your email is the key to your digital life: social media, banking, work, and personal memories. Therefore, even the slightest suspicion shouldn't be ignored.
Fortunately, you don't have to remain in a state of uncertainty. Google offers official and very simple tools to check the security of your account in just a few minutes. In this article, we guide you step-by-step through checking yourself whether your account has been compromised, using Google's official method, so you can eliminate any doubts and, most importantly, take the necessary actions in a timely manner.
How to check if your Gmail account has been hacked
The most direct and reliable way to find out if your email account has been compromised is to use Google's Password Checkup tool. With it, you can check if any of your passwords have been compromised, including, of course, your Gmail password.
Follow these steps to check your account for vulnerabilities using this tool:
- Please visit the Google password checker website.
- Click on "Check Passwords."
- Enter your password to continue using your Google account (your account linked to Gmail).
- You will then see the results of the Google password analysis.
- Click on the lists of compromised passwords, frequently used passwords, or weak passwords to see if your Google account is affected.
Even if Gmail isn't explicitly mentioned, you should still make sure that your Gmail password hasn't been compromised through another service. For example, you might have used the same Gmail password for an online store or game account that suffered a security breach, exposing your credentials.
To check a specific password on the password verification page, click on the three vertical dots (⋮) next to the account and select the "View Password" option.