Set up a voicemail greeting and PIN
You can have one greeting for everyone who calls, or you can have different greetings based on who's calling. You can record up to 10 voicemail greetings.
Record one greeting for everyone who calls
Using a phone
- On a phone, call your Google Voice number.
- During the greeting, tap Star (*).
- Enter your PIN, and tap Pound (#).
- Open the settings by tapping 4.
- Follow the instructions to record a new greeting.
Using a computer
Important: Voicemail recording does not work with Internet Explorer.
- On your computer, open Google Voice.
- At the top left, click click Menu
Settings
Voicemail.
- In the "Active Greetings" section, click Record a greeting.
- Record your greeting, then click Save.
- Enter the name for the new greeting, then click Save.
If you want to pick a greeting you already recorded, click Manage all greetings. Next to the greeting you want to use, click More
Set as active.
- On your computer, open Google Voice.
- At the top left, click Menu
Legacy Google Voice. Google Voice will look different, but you're in the right place.
- At the top right, click Settings
Settings.
- Click the "Voicemail & Text" tab.
- In the "Voicemail Greeting" section, click the Down Arrow
System Standard.
- Click Save changes.
- On your computer, open Google Voice.
- At the top left, click Menu
Legacy Google Voice. Google Voice will look different, but you're in the right place.
- At the top right, click Settings
Settings.
- Click the "Voicemail & Text" tab.
- In the "Recorded Name" section, click Record new.
- Under "Phone to call with," select one of your forwarding phones.
- Click Connect.
- Google Voice will call you on the forwarding phone you selected. Answer the call and record your new recorded name when prompted.
- After recording, your new recording will be automatically saved.
Use different greetings for different people
When you have a group or circle, it'll show up in Google Voice. You can customize call settings for everyone in the group.
Step 1: Create a group or circle
Organize the people who you want to make a greeting for:
Step 2: Find the group
- On your computer, open Google Voice.
- At the top left, click Menu
Legacy Google Voice. Google Voice will look different, but you're in the right place.
- At the top right, click Settings
Settings.
- Click the "Groups & Circles" tab.
- Under the group's name, click Edit.
Step 3: Create a greeting
- In the "When people in this group go to voicemail" section, click Use phone to record a new greeting or Record new.
- Enter a name for the new greeting, and click Continue.
- Under "Phone to ring," select one of your forwarding phones.
- Click Connect.
If you want to pick a greeting you already recorded, go to "When people in this group go to voicemail" and click the Down Arrow . Once you've picked a greeting, go to the bottom of the page and click Save.
Step 4: Record the greeting
- Google Voice will call you on the forwarding phone you selected. Answer the call and record your new greeting when prompted.
- After recording, the new greeting will be automatically selected for the group.
- In the top right of the "Record Greeting" window, click Close
.
- Click Save.
Step 1: Find the person
- On your computer, open Google Voice.
- At the top left, click Menu
Legacy Google Voice. Google Voice will look different, but you're in the right place.
- On the left, click History.
- Find a contact you want to edit. Click their name to open details.
Step 2: Create a greeting
- Under the "When this contact goes to voicemail" section, click Use phone to record a new greeting or Record new.
- Enter a name for the new greeting, and click Continue.
- Under "Phone to ring," select one of your forwarding phones.
- Click Connect.
If you want to pick a greeting you already recorded, go to "When people in this group go to voicemail" and click the Down Arrow . Once you've picked a greeting, go to the bottom of the page and click Save.
Step 3: Record the greeting
- Google Voice will call you on the forwarding phone you selected. Answer the call and record your new greeting when prompted.
- After recording, the new greeting will be automatically selected for your contact.
- In the top right of the "Record Greeting" window, click Close
.
- Click Save.
Change PIN settings
Use a computer to change your PIN settings.
- On your computer, open Google Voice.
- At the top left, open Menu
Legacy Google Voice. Google Voice will look different, but you're in the right place.
- At the top right, click Settings
Settings.
- Click the "Voicemail & Text" tab.
- Next to "Voicemail PIN," enter and confirm your new PIN.
- At the bottom, click Save changes.
- On your computer, open Google Voice.
- At the top left, open Menu
Legacy Google Voice. Google Voice will look different, but you're in the right place.
- At the top right, click Settings
Settings.
- Click the "Phones" tab.
- Under your phone number, click Edit.
- Click Show advanced settings.
- Next to "Voicemail Access," select Yes.
- Select PIN required.
- At the bottom, click Save.
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Megan is a Google Voice expert and the author of this help page. Help her improve this article by leaving feedback below.