If you bounce between various computers for work and personal use, you’ll want to make sure you’re signed out of your Gmail accounts when those devices aren’t in use. More importantly, if a laptop or mobile device becomes lost or stolen, or you had to borrow a laptop in a rush and forgot to log out; or when you need to allow someone to use your main PC — where you keep your session active — while you are away, it’s crucial to know how to disconnect your private accounts from it immediately. Logging out of Gmail from multiple devices is simple and can be done in two quick clicks.
Here’s how it’s done:
- Log in to Gmail from any web browser and scroll down to the bottom of your inbox.
- You should see tiny print that says “Last account activity.” Click the “Details” button right below it.
- Press the “sign out all other web sessions” button to remotely log out of Gmail from computers in other locations. You can also view a list of devices that have signed into your Gmail account recently underneath this button.
If you just need to make sure you’re logged out everywhere, a single click will do the trick. However, you could also take some time to examine those sessions and identify whether there’s any activity you should worry about or long forgotten apps that you no longer want to grant access.
Particularly in the first column titled “Access Type” you’ll be able to see the browser, device, application or mail server (like POP or IMAP) that you accessed Gmail from. If you don’t recognize the activity on the page, like a location or access type, someone might have access to your account as a result of a phishing scam or malware, and you should change your password immediately.
For entries that read Authorized Applications you can click on Show details and then on Manage Account Access. From here you’ll get a full list of every application that you have granted access to your Gmail, and clicking on an entry will reveal the date this access was granted, along with details of what the app has access to and a Remove button to revoke its authorization.
