If you’re looking to add another layer of security to your Gmail account, you may think that a password manager is the way to go. However, there are some downsides to using one — you have to give up the ability to access your account from anywhere and it’s difficult to sync your passwords between computers or mobile devices. 

What if there was an easy-to-use service that would let you keep all your accounts secure and accessible on any device? Enter Google Authenticator, which allows you to create unique authentication codes for each account that you want to protect. You can then use those codes to quickly log into any account without entering your username and password. Here’s how it works. 

Google Authenticator is available as a free download for both Android and iOS devices through Google Play and Apple’s App Store respectively. Once google authenticator download, you’ll need to set up the app so that it automatically generates new codes whenever you launch it (you can do this by going to Settings > Security). The next time you need to log into an account, just type in 2-4 digits of code instead of your password. This will be enough to get you logged in, but not enough to actually enter your account information. If you really want to know what the code means, just open the app and scroll down to where it says “Authenticating…”. Here you’ll see the details of the code, including its meaning (which you can also find out with a quick search on Google), expiration date, and the number of attempts allowed before it expires. 

This is great for logging into all sorts of online accounts, such as Facebook, Twitter, Dropbox, and other services — but it could potentially become a bit dangerous if you start relying on these codes too heavily. For example, you might end up using the same code for multiple accounts, which means that someone who knows about it could steal your account information. 

To prevent this from happening, we recommend setting up two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication adds another layer of protection to your account by requiring a second method of verification when you login. One of the most popular options is a text message sent to your cell phone, which is why Google Authenticator lets you generate codes for your other accounts. These codes expire after 30 seconds, so they won’t last forever. 

If you’d like to use Google Authenticator to generate codes for another account, here’s how you do it on a Mac: 

• Open the Google Authenticator application. 
• Go to Preferences at the top of the screen. 
• Select Other Accounts. 
• Click Add Account… 
• Type in the account name and click Next. 
• Scroll down and select SMS Authentication. 
• Enter the phone number to receive the text messages and click Next. 

Now you need to make sure you’ve entered the correct number! Go back to the iPhone app’s preferences, go to SMS and choose your phone number. Click Send Verification Code and wait for the confirmation text. Now you can close the settings window and save changes. 

You should now be able to sign into your account on your computer as well as your iPhone or iPad. 

You can view your codes in the Google Authenticator app itself, or copy them to the clipboard and paste them into a web browser. 

If you ever lose your phone, you can still log into your account with just a few numbers. Just head over to the Google website and follow the instructions there. 

Here’s how to use Google Authenticator on a Windows PC: 

• Launch the Google Authenticator application. 
• Go to Preferences at the top of the screen. 
• Select Other Accounts. 
• Click Add Account… 
• Type in the account name and click Next. 
• Scroll down and select SMS Authentication. 
• Enter the phone number to receive the text messages and click Next. 

Now you need to make sure you’ve entered the correct number! Go back to the Windows Phone app’s preferences, go to SMS and choose your phone number. Click Send Verification Code and wait for the confirmation text. Now you can close the settings window and save changes. 

You should now be able to sign into your account on your computer as well as your Windows Phone. 

If you ever lose your phone, you can still log into your account with just a few numbers. Just head over to the Google website and follow the instructions there. 

If you don’t already have it enabled, here’s how to enable two-factor authentication for a Google account: 

• Head to Settings ” Signing in & sharing” and click Sign-in options. 
• Under Step 1: Choose a verification option, click Enable under SMS. 
• You can also check out our guide to enabling two-factor authentication for Gmail and other email accounts. 

If you’re interested in trying something different, check out our list of the best password managers and password generators. They’ll let you safely manage all of your accounts from one place while keeping your data safe.