Yes, you can usually create a Google account without a phone number: Google's own help page lists adding a number as an optional step. Sometimes the sign-up still stops and asks for one, typically on a shared network or after several new accounts. Then you need a number that can take one code, and a recovery email so the account does not depend on that number later.
Can you still skip the phone step at Google?
Google's help article on creating an account marks the phone number as optional: you may add and verify one, but you are not required to. In most sign-ups the field can be left empty and you go straight on to the terms.
Whether the field is skippable is decided case by case. Google does not publish its rules, so the same steps can work on one device and stop on another. If the button to skip is missing, the phone step has become mandatory for this attempt.
Google at a glance
- Virtual numbers
- Often refused: try another country
- Code sent by
- SMS · phone call
- Code length
- 6 digits
- Asks for the number again later
- Yes
- One number per account
- No
Step by step: creating the account on desktop and Android
- Open the sign-in page and choose Create account On a computer this is the Google sign-in page. On Android, open Settings → Accounts (the name varies by phone) → Add account → Google.
- Enter your name, birthday and gender Google asks for these on every route. Use your real birthday, since Google treats accounts differently by age.
- Pick a Gmail address, or use an email you already have If you use an existing address instead of a new Gmail one, Google sends a code to that inbox, and the account keeps that address as its sign-in name.
- Set a password A long one you do not use elsewhere. You will need it more often than a phone if no number is on the account.
- Skip the phone number if Google lets you Leave the field empty and continue. Add a recovery email on the next screen instead.
When Google insists on a number: your options compared
| Works when | Keep in mind | |
|---|---|---|
| Try again later on your own network | The prompt came from a busy shared network | No guarantee; Google does not explain the trigger |
| Your own mobile number | You will keep the account for years | It becomes a way into the account, so keep it current |
| A family member's number | Only for the first code | Remove it later, and it may already be used up for new accounts |
| A temporary number for one code | You want to keep your own number out of it | Good for the sign-up code only, not as a recovery number |
Google limits how many accounts a single number may verify. When that limit is reached, it says the number cannot be used for verification.
That error message has its own guide: This phone number cannot be used for verification.
Using a one-time number for the code: what to expect
- Google is strict with virtual numbers and turns down whole ranges. Look at the success rate per country before you pay, and change the country after two failures.
- The code is six digits and arrives by SMS. The number cannot take calls, so ignore Google's call option.
- You get one code within ten minutes. If none comes after about two minutes, ask for another number at no extra charge.
- Remove the number afterwards under Account → Security → Phone, so Google never tries to reach it again.
US numbers have their own page with live availability: Google with a US number.
Securing the account without a phone
- Recovery email
- Google recommends recovery information. An address you control is the main way back in if you forget the password.
- Backup codes
- Printable one-time codes for two-step sign-in. See how backup codes work.
- Authenticator app
- Makes sign-in codes on your device, with no SMS and no number involved.
- No temporary recovery number
- A number that is gone tomorrow cannot help you recover anything. Leave the recovery phone empty rather than fill it with one.
Common questions
Can I make a Gmail account without a phone number?
Often, yes. Google lists the phone number as optional when you create an account. If the sign-up refuses to continue without one, you need a number that can receive a single code.
Why does Google ask me for a phone number when my friend was not asked?
Google decides per sign-up and does not publish the rules. Device, network and how many accounts were created recently all seem to play a part.
Can I create a Google account with my existing email address?
Yes. Choose to use your current email instead of a new Gmail address; Google then sends a verification code to that inbox.
Will Google ask for the number again later?
It can, for example on a new device or after unusual activity. That is why a recovery email or backup codes matter more than the number used at sign-up.
Should I keep a temporary number as my recovery phone?
No. It closes after one code, so a recovery text would go nowhere. Remove it and rely on a recovery email instead.