How to Add, Replace, or Remove a Google Recovery Contact

A Google recovery contact is a trusted person who can help with account recovery when the feature is available. It is different from a recovery email address and should be configured while you can still access the account.

Check eligibility and choose carefully

Google’s current guide says eligible accounts can have up to ten recovery contacts. Workspace accounts and accounts in Advanced Protection cannot add recovery contacts, although they can act as contacts for other eligible accounts. Child accounts cannot add contacts or act as contacts for others.

Choose somebody you know, trust, and can reach quickly. A recovery contact does not receive your account’s security alerts and notifications merely because they hold this role; keep a suitable recovery email too.

Add the contact

1. Open Google Account Security & sign-in.
2. Under How you sign in to Google, open Recovery contacts.
3. Select Add recovery contact.
4. Enter and carefully verify the trusted person’s email address.
5. Send the request and check its status.

The recipient receives identifying information including your name, email, and profile photo. Confirm the arrangement with them through a channel you already trust.

Allow for acceptance and activation

The invitation is valid for seven days. After acceptance, there is a further seven-day period before the contact can be used for account recovery. Sending an invitation is therefore not an immediately usable backup.

You cannot add a new recovery contact while locked out or already in account recovery. Keep another working sign-in method during setup.

Replace or remove a contact

To replace somebody, first add the intended replacement and confirm acceptance and readiness before relying on them. Then review whether the old contact should remain.

To remove a contact, return to Recovery contacts, choose the removal control, and confirm. Inspect pending invitations as well as accepted contacts so an obsolete request does not remain unexplained.

Never appoint a stranger selling recovery assistance. The role is an account-security relationship, not a support subscription. Revisit the list after changes in family, employment, or contact details, while preserving enough independent methods to avoid a lockout.

Official references

• Add, manage & use recovery contacts
• Set up recovery options

Reviewed against Google’s official guidance on October 27, 2026. Available options and screen labels can vary by account, device, region, and organization policy.