How to create a Google account without phone number in 2026? (complete guide 2026)

You know that moment when you’re halfway through creating a new Gmail account, feeling pretty good about yourself, and then—bam—Google hits you with “Verify your phone number”?

Yeah. That one stings.

Maybe you’re trying to keep your personal number private. Maybe you’re setting up accounts for a marketing project and don’t have 47 phone numbers lying around. Or maybe you just don’t think Google needs to know your digits for the fifth account this month.

Whatever brought you here, the question is simple: Can you actually create a Google account without giving up your phone number?

Jump to the working method — tested and confirmed as of January 2026. Don’t miss out!

Short answer: yes, but Google makes it feel like solving a puzzle blindfolded. The phone field is technically “optional”—except when it isn’t. And Google decides that on a case-by-case basis, based on signals you can’t always control.

This guide breaks down what actually works, what’s a waste of time, and why some methods that worked six months ago are now dead ends. Whether you need to create multiple Gmail accounts or just want one without the phone hassle, we’ve got you covered.

What’s really going on when Google asks for your number

Before we get into workarounds, it helps to understand what you’re up against.

Google isn’t asking for your phone number because they’re nosy (well, not just because). Their systems are watching for patterns that suggest automated account creation or abuse. Phone verification is one of their tripwires.

Here’s what triggers that verification prompt:

Multiple signups from the same device or IP. Google keeps track. Create two accounts from your laptop on Monday, and by Wednesday, they’re asking questions.

Browser fingerprints that look familiar. Even if you clear cookies, your browser leaves behind a trail—screen resolution, installed fonts, timezone, WebGL rendering. Google’s bot detection systems piece these together.

Suspicious timing or behavior. Rapid-fire account creation, unusual form-filling patterns, or signing up from IPs associated with VPNs and datacenters can all raise flags.

Geographic inconsistencies. Your IP address says you’re in Germany, but your browser timezone says Los Angeles? That’s a red flag.

The phone number requirement isn’t random. It’s Google’s way of saying “prove you’re a real person, not a bot farm.”

The quick fixes everyone tries (and why they mostly fail)

Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way. These methods float around Reddit and YouTube, and they can work—sometimes. But they’re inconsistent enough that you shouldn’t build a workflow around them.

The “just skip it” approach

Sometimes the phone field genuinely is optional. You leave it blank, click continue, and… it works. This happens more often if you’re on a fresh IP that hasn’t been associated with multiple signups, and if your browser fingerprint looks clean.

But here’s the catch: if you’ve created even one account recently from the same setup, Google often removes the skip option entirely. No warning, no explanation—just a mandatory phone field where the optional one used to be.

Incognito mode

Opening a private window feels like a fresh start. No cookies, no history, clean slate… right?

Not quite. Incognito mode hides your browsing from your browser, not from websites. Google can still see your IP address and can still fingerprint your browser. It’s like wearing sunglasses and thinking you’re invisible.

Signing up through your phone’s settings

This one has more merit. Going through Settings > Accounts > Add Account on Android (or the equivalent on iOS) sometimes presents the skip option more reliably than the web interface.

The theory is that account creation through native device settings carries more trust signals. Your phone has a legitimate device ID, carrier information, and behavioral patterns that scream “real human.” It’s not foolproof, but it’s worth trying if you only need one or two accounts.

Signing up through YouTube or other Google services

Instead of going to accounts.google.com directly, try starting at youtube.com and clicking “Sign In” > “Create Account.” Different entry points sometimes have slightly different verification flows.

This worked more reliably a year or two ago. Google has since unified a lot of these flows, but occasionally the YouTube path still slips through with less friction.

Why traditional workarounds keep getting worse

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Google is getting better at this faster than most workarounds can keep up.

A few years ago, you could create dozens of accounts with basic incognito sessions and proxy switches. Today, Google’s detection looks at:

• Canvas fingerprinting (how your browser renders graphics)
• WebGL data (your graphics card leaves a signature)
• Audio context fingerprinting
• Font enumeration
• Screen and window dimensions
• Timezone vs. IP location matching
• Mouse movement and typing patterns

Clearing cookies doesn’t touch any of this. Switching browsers helps a little. But if you’re creating multiple accounts, you need each one to look like it’s coming from a completely different person on a completely different device.

That’s where the game changes.

The real solution: Making each account look like a different person

The people who successfully manage dozens or hundreds of Google accounts without constant phone verification aren’t using clever tricks. They’re using tools that create genuinely isolated environments for each account.

Two approaches work reliably:

Antidetect browsers for web-based account management

An antidetect browser creates separate browser profiles, each with its own digital fingerprint. We’re talking different screen resolutions, fonts, timezones, WebGL signatures, canvas renders—the whole package.

Pair each profile with a different residential proxy, and suddenly you don’t have “one person creating 50 accounts.” You have what looks like 50 different people, each creating one account from their home connection.

This is what Multilogin’s browser profiles do. Each profile maintains its own cookies, storage, and session data. Unlike incognito (which wipes everything when you close it), these profiles persist. You can log into an account, close the profile, come back a week later, and pick up exactly where you left off.

Cloud phones for mobile-first workflows

Here’s where things get interesting.

Google treats mobile app signups differently than web signups. The Gmail app on a real Android device carries trust signals that browsers can’t replicate—hardware IDs, carrier information, device attestation.

Traditional Android emulators (BlueStacks, NoxPlayer, etc.) try to mimic this, but they use spoofed device fingerprints. Google has gotten very good at detecting emulator signatures. If you’ve tried creating accounts through an emulator recently, you’ve probably noticed they almost always require phone verification now.

Cloud phones take a different approach. Instead of emulating a device, you’re using an actual Android device hosted in a data center. Real hardware. Real IMEI. Real Android ID. Real MAC address.

To Google, it looks exactly like what it is: a legitimate Android phone. The difference is you’re controlling it remotely through your desktop instead of holding it in your hand.

Multilogin’s cloud phones run actual Android OS (versions 10-15) on real hardware, with about 30 different device models available—Samsung, Google Pixel, OPPO, Xiaomi, OnePlus. Each cloud phone maintains persistent storage, so your app data, cache, and login sessions carry over between uses.

This matters for account creation because Google’s mobile verification triggers are calibrated for spoofed environments. When they see a real device with consistent, authentic fingerprints, there’s no reason to demand phone verification.

How Multilogin solves the phone verification problem

Multilogin is built for multi-account management. Here’s how it helps you bypass phone verification:

• Unique fingerprints: Each profile mimics a different device, preventing Google from linking your accounts based on browser characteristics. This includes canvas fingerprinting, WebGL, and 55+ other parameters.
• Built-in proxy integration: Assign a different IP address to each profile using Multilogin’s built-in residential proxies (30M+ IPs across 195+ countries). This stops Google from linking accounts via IP.
• Cloud phones with real device identity: For mobile-first workflows, each cloud phone uses genuine Android hardware parameters for non-spoofed mobile identities that pass all detection checks.
• Persistent sessions: Unlike Incognito, Multilogin saves cookies and session data within each isolated profile. This helps build trust with Google over time and reduces verification prompts.
• Avoids linking: By keeping everything separate (fingerprint, IP, cookies, device identity), Multilogin drastically reduces the chances that Google will associate your accounts or demand phone verification.
• 2-in-1 solution: When you get Multilogin cloud phones, you also get full access to the antidetect browser in the same dashboard—complete web and mobile multi-accounting control.

Countries with limited or no SMS support

In certain regions, Google may not ask for phone verification at all. This is especially true in countries where SMS services are unreliable or unavailable. For example, Mongolia and Colombia are known for having issues with SMS verification, and in these cases, Google may manually activate the account after reviewing the sign-up request.

If you are in one of these regions or want to use a proxy from these countries, it’s worth considering selecting a proxy from a region with limited SMS verification. With Multilogin’s built-in proxies offering city-level targeting across 1,400+ cities, you can make it appear as though you are signing up from a region with no phone verification, increasing the likelihood of skipping the phone number request.

Pro Tip: Always check for the most up-to-date information on Google’s help pages to ensure you’re following the current protocol for your region.

The method that actually works in 2026 — step by step

I’ve tested this workflow extensively. It’s not magic—you’re still subject to Google’s algorithms—but it dramatically increases your success rate for creating accounts without phone verification.

Step 1: Get set up with the right tools

Start with the 3-day trial of Multilogin. Yes, it costs €1.99 for three days, but that’s intentional—it filters out tire-kickers and ensures you’re getting real support and real proxies to test with.

You’ll have access to both browser profiles (for web-based creation) and cloud phones (for mobile-first creation). Both include built-in residential proxies, which matters because proxy quality directly impacts success rates.

Step 2: Choose your approach based on your needs

For desktop/web-based account creation:

• Open Multilogin, click “Create new profile”
• Give it a name
• Choose an OS (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android) and Browser (Mimic mimics Chrome, Stealthfox mimics Firefox)
• You can often leave fingerprint settings on default or customize if needed

For mobile-first account creation (recommended for Gmail):

• Spin up a cloud phone from Multilogin’s dashboard
• Each cloud phone gets its own device identity and proxy
• Open the Gmail app and create your account through the native Android flow

Step 3: Set your proxy location strategically

Go to the “Proxy” section for the profile. Use Multilogin’s built-in residential proxy or add your own by simply integrating. Using a quality proxy (residential or mobile) is crucial for success. Add a proxy from countries with limited SMS support for best results.

Step 4: Launch the profile and sign up

Open the profile (or cloud phone), visit the Google sign-up page, and fill out the required details. If prompted for a phone number, the “Skip” option should appear more reliably than in a regular browser.

The typical registration path starts with choosing create account “For my personal use.”

After that, you go through the standard screens where you enter your name, date of birth, and set a password. These steps are always the same.

Next, Google may ask for additional details. Sometimes you’ll be prompted to add a recovery email address, which you can either provide or skip.

At this stage, Google may also request a phone number. In some cases it’s optional, and you can continue without entering one.

When that happens, you complete the process and get a new account with email access.

That’s it! The key is that Multilogin uses advanced fingerprinting technology that makes it look like you’re using a regular home computer (or with cloud phones, a real mobile device). To Google, you appear as a real, trustworthy user.

Note: You may need to run this a few times—there’s a bit of randomness involved. But in most cases, it works on the first or second try.

Give Multilogin a try — it’s built for serious results. At €5.85/month for the full product after trial, it delivers 100% of what you need — stability, stealth, and full control over your accounts.

Step 5: Add a recovery email

This is non-negotiable. Without a phone number linked, your recovery email is your only way back in if you forget your password or trigger a security review.

Go to myaccount.google.com > Personal info > Contact info > Recovery email. Add something you’ll have access to long-term.

Step 6: For additional accounts, use fresh profiles

Each new account should get its own Multilogin profile (or cloud phone) with its own proxy. Never create multiple accounts from the same profile—that’s exactly the pattern Google watches for.

Whether the phone number step is skippable depends on Google’s current policies and your session’s trust level (device, IP, location, etc.). Sometimes it’s mandatory, sometimes not. However, this is exactly the kind of problem that Multilogin solves — by managing fingerprints and session parameters (or providing real device identity with cloud phones), it allows you to go through the process smoothly.

Why cloud phones beat emulators for this

I keep coming back to cloud phones because they solve the core problem in a way emulators can’t.

When Google’s detection systems check whether you’re on a real device, emulators fail that test. Cloud phones pass it because they are real devices.

This is also why cloud phones work for phone farming and managing multiple accounts across platforms that have gotten aggressive about device verification.

What about temporary phone numbers?

If you absolutely must provide a number, you have options—but they come with tradeoffs.

Virtual phone services (Google Voice, TextNow, etc.)

These give you a secondary number without needing a physical SIM. The problem: Google has flagged most VoIP ranges. Your verification code might never arrive, or the number gets rejected outright.

Prepaid SIM cards

Buy a cheap prepaid SIM, use it for verification, then ditch it. This works, but it’s not scalable (you need a new SIM for each account), and Google may request re-verification later if they see suspicious activity.

Public SMS receiving sites

There are websites that publish phone numbers and display incoming texts publicly. In theory, you could use these for verification. In practice, these numbers are burned almost immediately—thousands of people try to use the same number, Google flags them, and you’re back to square one. Plus, anyone can see your verification codes.

The point of this guide is avoiding phone verification entirely. These backup options exist, but they’re band-aids, not solutions.

Method comparison: Which way is best for you?

If you’re creating one account and don’t mind gambling on the skip button, start there. If you need reliable, repeatable results for multiple Gmail accounts, proper tooling is the difference between success and constant frustration.

Don’t forget account recovery!

Whether you skipped the phone number or used a temporary one, setting up a recovery email is non-negotiable.

• Go to your new Google Account settings (myaccount.google.com).
• Navigate to “Personal info” > “Contact info” > “Email” > “Recovery email.”
• Add an email address you know you can access reliably.

This is the primary way you’ll regain access if you forget your password or encounter login issues without a phone number linked.

Making it sustainable

Creating accounts is one thing. Keeping them healthy long-term is another.

A few practices that help:

• Don’t create accounts and immediately hammer them with activity. Log in occasionally, browse around, maybe send a test email. Build a normal-looking usage pattern before relying on the account for anything important.
• Keep your profiles organized. With multiple accounts, it’s easy to lose track. Multilogin lets you add notes and tags to profiles—use them. Know which account is for what, which proxy it’s using, and when you last accessed it.
• Watch for verification prompts on existing accounts. If Google starts asking for phone verification on an account you’ve been using, that’s a sign they’ve flagged something. Review whether any behavior might have triggered it (logging in from a new location, unusual activity patterns, etc.).
• Stay current. Google’s detection evolves. What works today might need adjustments in six months. Multilogin’s approach stays ahead of this by using real device signals rather than trying to spoof them.