If your Google account ever gets hacked or if you are unable to get into your Gmail account because you no longer have access to your mobile phone number or alternate email address, Google will require you to answer a few security questions before restoring your account.

These questions include:

1. What was the last password you used to sign-in to your Google Account?
2. When was the last time you were able to sign in to your Google Account?
3. When did you create your Google Account?

All these questions are required and if you are not sure about the exact dates, Google says that you can provide your “best estimate.”

It is therefore recommended that you make a note of Google account creation date at a safe place but where you do get this information from? One option is that you open your Gmail mailbox, switch to All messages and note the timestamp of the welcome message from Gmail.

When did you create your Gmail account?

When did I create the Google Account?

In case you have deleted that email message, here is how you can easily find out the date when you first created you Google / Gmail account.

1. Go to google.com/takeout, sign-in with your existing Google Account and click the Create an Archive button.
2. On the next page, click the Edit link against the Google+ circle option and then click the link that says “Transfer your Google+ connections to another account”
3. Google will once again require your account password. Sign-in and on the next screen you’ll see your Google Account creation as shown in the above screenshot.

This is one important piece of information that will be required for recovering your lost Gmail account.