How to create a Gmail app password (and what to do when Google won't let you)

An app password is a separate 16-letter code that lets one app (a mail client, or a tool like MailTag) open your email without your real Google password. It is not your Google password, and you can delete it at any time.

Before you start: 2-Step Verification

Google only lets you create app passwords when 2-Step Verification is on.

• Already on? If Google sends a code or a prompt to your phone when you sign in, it is.
• Not sure? Open Security → 2-Step Verification and turn it on. It takes a minute and a phone.

Create the app password

1. Open myaccount.google.com/apppasswords. Sign in if Google asks.
2. Type a name you'll recognize later, for example the app it's for, and click Create.
3. Google shows a 16-letter code like abcd efgh ijkl mnop. Copy it now: Google shows it only once.
4. Paste it into the app, where it asks for a password. The spaces don't matter.

If you have several Google accounts signed in, make sure the page shows the right one: click your picture at the top right and switch.

When Google won't let you

Google shows your account's home page instead

That's how Google says app passwords aren't available for this account yet. Almost always it means 2-Step Verification is off. Turn it on, then open the link again.

"The setting you are looking for is not available for your account"

Same cause in most cases: 2-Step Verification. It also appears for accounts in Google's Advanced Protection Program, which can't use app passwords at all.

Work or school account (Google Workspace)

Your organization's admin decides whether users can turn on 2-Step Verification. If you can't turn it on, ask them to allow it in Admin console → Security → Authentication → 2-Step Verification → Allow users to turn on 2-Step Verification. After that, you create the app password yourself, from your own account.

You pasted the code and the app says the login failed

• You pasted your normal Google password instead of the app password.
• The code was created in a different Google account than the address you typed.
• You created several codes: use the newest one.

Is an app password safe?

• It only works in apps that ask for a password, like mail clients. It can't be used to sign in to your Google account or to change your password or settings.
• Each app gets its own code, so you can remove one without affecting the others.
• To revoke it, go back to app passwords and delete it. The app loses access immediately.

Using it with MailTag

MailTag uses an app password to sort your Gmail into your own categories, as labels. When you connect, it detects Gmail or Google Workspace from your address and walks you through exactly these steps. MailTag only reads and labels your email; it never sends or deletes anything, and it keeps the app password encrypted.

FAQ

Is the app password my Google password?

No. It's a separate 16-letter code for one app. Your Google password doesn't change and isn't shared.

Does it expire?

It keeps working until you delete it, or until you change your Google password, which revokes app passwords.

I lost the code. Can I see it again?

No. Delete it and create a new one; it takes a few seconds.

Why can't I find "App passwords" in my Google settings menu?

Google doesn't always show it in the menu. Use the direct link: myaccount.google.com/apppasswords.