Not being able to access an email account is a serious problem for most users and on the Official Google Blog the company offers advice on what to do if users can’t access their Gmail accounts.

Google says most of the issues with Gmail are account related but some interruptions are caused by technical issues. Account issues that can lead to interruptions include a lost password, unusual account activity or the theft of login information.

Google offers the basic advice of not sharing your Gmail password with anyone, including family or friends. It also states not to respond to messages asking for login information and that the company will never send users an email or IM asking for Gmail login information.

One of the most important things Gmail users can do is keep the verification number Google sends when signing up for its mail service. The verification number is sent to a users existing email account and is the best way to prove ownership of the account.

Another tip Google offers is resetting your Gmail account password. The company says that usually resolves access issues.

The final piece of advice is to visit Google’s help center and find the account -recovery form.

The company says,"We recently launched an account-recovery form in our help center that can drastically reduce the amount of time it takes to verify ownership of an account and restore access. If you have the information necessary to prove ownership — such as the verification code for the account — this new process can help our support team restore access within a matter of hours."