Create a Google Account Without Your Phone Number

The short answer

There is no setting that removes the phone step. Google decides during sign-up whether to ask, and you find out when you reach that screen. If it shows a Skip option, you can finish without any number. If it does not, you need a mobile number for one 6-digit code. A separate number works for that as long as Google accepts it.

When Google lets you skip the phone step

On some sign-ups the phone field is optional. Google does not publish the rule, but it depends on what it sees at the time: the device, the network, and how many accounts were created from them recently. Two things people commonly try:

• Adding the account from a phone's own settings instead of a desktop browser.
• Signing up on a device and network that have not created other accounts lately.

Neither is guaranteed. If the Skip option is not there, Google wants a number.

When Google requires a number

Google texts a 6-digit code that starts with "G-" to the number you enter. It refuses some numbers before sending anything, with the message "This phone number cannot be used for verification". The usual reasons:

• The number has already verified too many Google accounts.
• The number is a VoIP line. See VoIP vs non-VoIP numbers.

Steps with a separate US number

1. Buy a Google verification. A US mobile number appears on your order page.
2. On Google's phone screen, choose United States (+1) and enter the number.
3. When Google texts the number, the code shows on your order page.
4. Enter the code. Full refund if the code never arrives.

The case a separate number cannot solve

In some sign-ups Google does not text you. It shows a QR code and asks you to send an SMS from your own phone. A zapsms number only receives texts, so it cannot complete that step. If you see the QR screen, a one-time number will not help.

What to do right after sign-up

• Add a recovery email address you control.
• Turn on 2-Step Verification with an authenticator app or a passkey, not text messages.
• Remove the one-time number from the account under Personal info. Google can text a recovery code to any number left there, and a one-time number can no longer receive it.

When to use your own number

For your main email, or any account you could not afford to lose, use a number you keep. Google leans on the phone when a sign-in looks unusual. If you want a separate number that stays yours, a number rental keeps one US number from 1 day to 1 year.

Related guides

• Non-VoIP US numbers for SMS verification
• zapsms vs Google Voice: which number should you use for verification?
• What is SMS verification and how does it work?