Change your email address
Your email address is a username, a recovery inbox and the place every bill and notice goes. Find every account that depends on it and move them in a safe order before the old inbox goes quiet.
Official sources last reviewed . How we review
Build your personalized plan
A few questions, revealed as they become relevant. Your answers stay in this browser.
Start with the basics
We never ask for phone numbers, card numbers, passwords or codes. Names of providers or nicknames are enough.
Your plan so far
18things this change touches
- critical1
- high8
- moderate5
- low4
Updates as you answer. Every item will explain why it's there.
What could break
In a typical email address plan, these are the most serious things to get right.
Keep the old email account open until everything has moved
Critical, Sign-in & recovery
If the old account closes early, every account you haven't moved needs its own account-recovery process.
Secure the new email account before you rely on it
High, Sign-in & recovery
A weak or unrecoverable new account becomes a single point of failure for everything you move to it.
Make a list of every account that uses the old address
High, Sign-in & recovery
Forgotten accounts keep sending resets, bills and notices to an inbox you no longer check.
Outlook.com: export your contacts and save your mailbox
High, Data & files
If the account closes or is deleted, those messages may be gone for good.
Apple Account: make the new address your primary email
High, Core accounts
If the details on your Apple Account stop working, signing in on a new device or recovering the account can stall.
Google Account: update your sign-in and recovery email
High, Core accounts
Outdated recovery details make it much harder to get back in if you're ever locked out.
Microsoft account: add the new address and make it your primary alias
High, Core accounts
Security codes go to whatever details are on file. If those are out of date you can be locked out of Windows sign-in and email.
Password manager: change your account email and search the vault
High, Sign-in & recovery
If you're locked out of the password manager, every account inside it becomes harder to reach.
Domain registrar: update your account and domain contact email
High, Website & DNS
A domain can expire or be hard to recover if renewal and verification messages can't reach you.
Hosting and website accounts: update the account email
High, Website & DNS
A failed payment or missed notice can take your site offline.
Before and after the change
Before you change it
- Keep the old email account open until everything has moved
- Secure the new email account before you rely on it
- Make a list of every account that uses the old address
- Outlook.com: export your contacts and save your mailbox
- Apple Account: make the new address your primary email
- Google Account: update your sign-in and recovery email
- Microsoft account: add the new address and make it your primary alias
- Password manager: change your account email and search the vault
- Domain registrar: update your account and domain contact email
- Hosting and website accounts: update the account email
- Accounts that sign you in with an emailed link or code
- Apps you sign in to with Apple
After the change
- Outlook.com: forward new mail to your new address
- Gmail: use forwarding, not "Check mail from other accounts"
- Set an auto-reply on the old address
- Set up mail apps on your phone and computer
- Insurance policies: update your email
- Employer or school records: update your email
- Facebook: change your login email
- Instagram: change your login email
- LinkedIn: change your login email
- Subscriptions and memberships: update your account email
- Airline and hotel profiles: update your email, including upcoming bookings
- Utilities and phone bills: update your billing email
Your own plan adds or removes items based on your answers, and explains why each one is there.
The safe order
Doing things in the right sequence is what keeps you from getting locked out halfway through.
Before the change
Step 1: Keep the old inbox working and secure the new one
Decide how long the old address lasts and make the new account the best-protected one you have.
- Keep the old email account open until everything has moved (critical risk)
- Secure the new email account before you rely on it (high risk)
Step 2: List every account that uses the old address
Your old inbox and password manager will tell you more than your memory.
- Make a list of every account that uses the old address (high risk)
Step 3: Back up mail and contacts
Take a copy while you still have full access.
- Outlook.com: export your contacts and save your mailbox (high risk)
Step 4: Move your most important accounts first
Apple, Google, Microsoft, your password manager and your domain unlock everything else.
- Apple Account: make the new address your primary email (high risk)
- Google Account: update your sign-in and recovery email (high risk)
- Microsoft account: add the new address and make it your primary alias (high risk)
- Password manager: change your account email and search the vault (high risk)
- and 2 more
Step 5: Fix logins that depend on the old inbox
Emailed sign-in links, relay addresses and recovery emails.
- Accounts that sign you in with an emailed link or code (high risk)
- Apps you sign in to with Apple (high risk)
- Apps you sign in to with Google (high risk)
- Point relay and alias addresses at the new inbox (high risk)
- and 1 more
Step 6: Update banks, payments and investments
Some banks confirm changes by emailing the old address, so start early.
- Your banks and credit unions: update your email address (high risk)
- PayPal and payment apps: update your email (high risk)
Step 7: Update government accounts
Government sign-in often uses your email as the username.
- Government and tax accounts: update your email (high risk)
During the change
Step 8: Turn on forwarding and an auto-reply
Bridge the two addresses so nothing is missed while you finish.
- Outlook.com: forward new mail to your new address (high risk)
- Gmail: use forwarding, not "Check mail from other accounts" (moderate risk)
- Set an auto-reply on the old address (low risk)
- Set up mail apps on your phone and computer (low risk)
Immediately after
Step 9: Update everyday accounts
Social media, shopping, subscriptions, travel and the rest.
- Insurance policies: update your email (high risk)
- Employer or school records: update your email (high risk)
- Facebook: change your login email (moderate risk)
- Instagram: change your login email (moderate risk)
- and 7 more
Step 10: Tell people and update your signature
Friends, family and anywhere your address is printed.
- Tell people your new email address (moderate risk)
- Email signature, résumé and public profiles (low risk)
Verify
Step 11: Test password reset and forwarding
Make sure the new address actually receives what matters.
- Test password reset with the new address (high risk)
- Send a test message to the old address (moderate risk)
Clean up
Step 12: Remove the old address from your accounts
Only after each account works with the new address.
- Remove the old address from your accounts (high risk)
Step 13: Decide what happens to the old account
Keep it active and forwarding, or close it deliberately.
- Outlook.com: keep the Microsoft account active (moderate risk)
Later
Step 14: Watch the old inbox for stragglers
Forgotten accounts usually turn up within a couple of months.
- Check the old inbox for stragglers (low risk)
Why this change needs a plan
An email address does more than receive mail. It's the username for most of your accounts, the place password resets and sign-in links are sent, and the address banks, governments and stores use to reach you.
That's why a new address can quietly break things. Many sites confirm an email change by sending a link to the old address, some use the address as a username you can't change, and accounts that sign you in with an emailed link have no password to fall back on.
The safe approach is to run both addresses side by side: keep the old account open and forwarding, move your important accounts while you can still confirm changes, and only let the old address go once nothing important arrives there.
Why it matters
Password resets, sign-in links, bank alerts, tax notices and domain renewals all go to your email. If the old inbox stops working before those accounts move, getting back in can mean slow account recovery, and for some services, losing access for good.
What makes it risky
Risk is highest when the old account will close on a fixed date (for example, when you leave a job or school), when someone else may have access to it, and when accounts sign you in with emailed links or codes instead of a password.
Common mistakes
- Closing or deleting the old account before moving the accounts that use it.
- Changing the contact email on an account but not its sign-in or recovery email, which some sites store separately.
- Forgetting accounts you rarely use: tax portals, domain registrars, insurance, investment and loyalty accounts.
- Relying on forwarding forever instead of updating each account.
- Deleting a Google or Microsoft account to leave Gmail or Outlook.com, and losing purchases, files and every app that signs in through it.
- Using a work or school address as the login for personal accounts, then losing access when you leave.
- Moving everything to the new address before turning on two-step verification and recovery options for it.
Frequently asked questions
Should I keep my old email account after changing addresses?
Yes, for as long as you can. Many sites send a confirmation link to the old address before they'll accept a new one, and forwarding catches anything you forgot to update. Sign in now and then, because some providers close or delete inactive accounts; check your provider's current policy.
How do I find every account that uses my old email address?
Search the old inbox for words like "welcome", "verify your email", "receipt" and "password reset", search your password manager for the old address, and check the connected-apps pages of your Google, Apple and Microsoft accounts. Then watch what arrives at the old address for a few weeks.
Can I change my Gmail address without making a new account?
Possibly. Google says some accounts can change an @gmail.com address to another @gmail.com address, with the old one kept as an alternate address. There are limits on how often you can do it, so check Google's current instructions for your account.
What happens to emails sent to my old address?
If you keep the old account and turn on forwarding, new mail is passed to your new address. If the account closes, senders usually get a bounce or nothing at all, so tell people and update accounts before then.
What about sites that use my email as the username?
Most let you change it in account or security settings. Some don't, and you may need to contact support or open a new account. Deal with these early, while the old inbox still works.
Should I use my own domain for email?
It can help. With your own domain you can change email providers later without changing your address. It does mean renewing the domain on time and keeping the registrar account secure, because losing the domain means losing the address.
My old email account was hacked. What should I do first?
Secure it before anything else: change the password, sign out other sessions, check the recovery details, forwarding rules and connected apps, and turn on two-step verification. Then move your most important accounts, starting with banking, your password manager and your Apple, Google or Microsoft account. If money or identity documents may be involved, contact your bank and your local fraud reporting service.
Regional notes
General information, not legal advice. Check the official source where you live.
- Canada
- CRA uses the email on your My Account profile to send notifications about your account. Update it so notices about taxes and benefits reach you.
- United States
- Login.gov and ID.me use your email address to sign you in to many federal services. Update it there first, then in your IRS and Social Security accounts.
- United Kingdom
- GOV.UK One Login uses your email address to sign you in. Change it there, then check the contact details HMRC holds for you.