Rapid electrodeposition is crucial for the industrial production of Ga from a low-concentration Ga solution. Herein, the induced time for Ga electrodeposition was examined and an effective method to shorten the induced time by anodic activation of a stainless-steel electrode surface was proposed. The adjustment mechanism of the induced time was analyzed based on the evolution of the surface structure (i. e. nucleation site and wettability). The results indicated that an extended induced time for Ga electrodeposition resulted from stainless-steel cathode without activation. With anodic surface activation in a H2SO4 solution, the induced time was shortened from 4.75 h to 20 min. It may be related to the increased surface roughness, which provides more nucleation sites for Ga electrodeposition. Meanwhile, the wettability was also improved, which accelerates the rapid separation of hydrogen bubbles. Therefore, rapid Ga electrodeposition from a low-concentration Ga solution was achieved with a short induced time and a high current efficiency. (C) 2018 The Electrochemical Society.