My previous article was about how to set up two-factor authentication on Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, and Instagram, they were all social media platforms. But the priority changes when we start with Google first.2. How to Set Up Two-Step Verification on Google With access to your credit card (for making purchases on Google Play), important messages and documents, and even your YouTube videos, basically your entire life, a Google account must be well protected .Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Luckily, the company has been working on 2FA systems since 2010. Google calls its system two-step verification. It's about identifying you via phone. When you enter a password to sign in to your Google Account for almost any service, if two-step verification is turned on, you have more options for taking the second step. Chief among these now: Google Prompt. Simply add your smartphone to your account, make sure the Google search app is on your phone, and when you sign in, you can go to your phone and simply recognize with a tap that you're the one signing in. Easy. If it doesn't work, you will need to enter an additional code. This code is sent to your phone via SMS, voice call, or using an authenticator app. On your personal account you can choose to register your computer so you don't have to enter a code every time you log in. If you have a G Suite for Business account, you can choose to receive a code only every 30 days. Google Authenticator, actually any authenticator app, can generate the verification code for you, even if your smartphone is not connected to the Internet. You must sign up for two-step verification before you can use it. The app will scan a QR code on your desktop screen to give you access, then generate a time- or counter-based code for you to type. Replaces receiving the code via SMS, voice calls or email. Authenticator apps also work with other services, such as LastPass, WordPress, Facebook, Evernote, Microsoft, IFTTT, Dropbox, Amazon, and Slack. After you set up Google's two-step verification, sign in again by visiting your Google account's security settings. Here you can select the phone numbers that can receive codes, switch to using an authenticator app, and access 10 unused codes that can be printed to take with you in case of an emergency (for example, if your phone dies and can't reach the authenticator app.) Here you can also generate app-specific passwords. Let's say you want to use your Google account with a service or software that doesn't use standard Google sign-in (I ran into this with Trillian on iOS). You are typically locked out of that service if you have two-step verification turned on, and you'll need an app-specific password to sign in using your Google credentials.2. Microsoft Two-Step Verification Microsoft has done a much better job in recent years of bringing all of its services together under one umbrella account. I use mine for Outlook.com, OneDrive, Xbox Live, Skype, an Office 365 subscription, and more. Of course, it should receive extra protection. Sign in to your Microsoft account at account.microsoft.com/profile. In the top navigation, click Security; on the next page, click the More security options link. Scroll down to Two-Step Verification to turn it on. Microsoft will first suggest that you get an app password to set up Outlook.com for it.