How to Change an Email Address

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Changing email addresses can be a frustrating experience. Since most email services don't allow you to change your email address, you'll need to create an all-new account and then migrate your information over. By setting up proper forwarding and informing people of the change, you can make the process much easier on your sanity. After making the switch, keep your old account active for a while to ensure that you receive every important message and don't get locked out of any online accounts.

Part 1 of 3:

Creating a New Address

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Create a new address to change. Most email services do not allow you to change your existing email address. In order to change your email address, you'll need to create a new account. You can use the same email service you've been using, or you can take this opportunity to switch to a service that better meets your needs.

Gmail accounts give you access to Google Drive and provide 15 GB of free Drive storage for emails and other files. Your Gmail account can also be used for a variety of other Google services, such as YouTube.
Outlook gives you access to OneDrive, which comes with 5 GB of free storage.
Yahoo! Mail has 1 TB of free mail storage.
Zoho is an ad-free service that provides 5 GB of storage, as well as cloud document services like Google Drive and OneDrive.

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Make a Google Account
Set up a Yahoo! Mail Account
Create a Hotmail Account (Outlook.com)

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Create an account that you'll want to keep. If you're creating a new account because your old one has a name that feels too outdated, try to create a new account that you'll always be able to use. Try sticking to just your name, and avoid using a name based on a fad or your current interest, as those are likely to change over the years.

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See Create a Secure Password for a detailed guide on making a strong password.

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See Set up 2 Step Verification in Gmail for instructions on setting up two-factor authentication in Gmail.

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Get familiar with the new interface. Once you create your account, you'll be taken to your new inbox. Take a few minutes to get used to how the interface is laid out. Most email services are very similar, with your folders or labels listed along the left side of the window.

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Log into your new account in your email client (if applicable). If you use an email client like Outlook, you'll need to log in with your new email account. See Set Up Microsoft Outlook for instructions on adding your new email address to Outlook.

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Transitioning to Your New Address

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You may want to send different messages to different groups of people. Many email services allow you to group contacts. Create a few different groups, such as "Work," "Family," and "Friends," and then send the messages to the groups instead of individual contacts.

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Start with the most important accounts first, including your online banking, utilities, social media, and online store accounts. Then make sure all of your other accounts are changed as well, including forum accounts and other less-important accounts.
See Change Your Email Address on Facebook for instructions on changing your address in Facebook.
See Change Your Email Address on Linkedin for instructions on changing your LinkedIn email address.
See Change Your Email Address on Yelp for instructions on changing your Yelp account email.
See Change Your Email Address on wikiHow for instructions for changing your email address here at wikiHow.

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In Gmail, click the Gear button and select "Settings." Click the "Accounts and Import" tab, and then click "Import mail and contacts." Follow the prompts to load your old account. Once you've added your old account, you can even send mail from the old address using Gmail.
In Yahoo Mail, click the Gear button and select "Settings." Click the "Accounts" tab on the left side of the window. Click "Add another mailbox" and then follow the prompts to add your old account. Yahoo Mail supports Gmail, Outlook, AOL, and other Yahoo accounts. Once you've added an account, you can send mail using your new or old address.
In Outlook.com, Click the Gear button and select "Connected accounts." Click the "Gmail" button to add a Gmail account, or the "Other email" button to add any other account. If you add an email account, you'll be able to send mail from either your Outlook.com address or your old address.

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See Export Gmail Contacts for instructions on exporting your Gmail contacts.
See Export Contacts from Outlook for instructions on exporting your Outlook mail client contacts.

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Import your contacts into your new email account. Once you've exported your contacts from your old service, you can import them into your new service. The process for this will vary depending on the email service you are using now. Some email services, such as Gmail and Yahoo, allow you to import contacts directly from another web-mail service without having to export them first.

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The process for forwarding email will vary depending on your service. Generally, you'll find the forwarding settings in the Settings menu of your email service. You may have multiple options, such as keeping copies of forwarded messages on the original account, or deleting them as they're forwarded to your new account.
See Forward Gmail for instructions on forwarding mail from Gmail.
See Forward Yahoo Mail for instructions on forwarding mail in Yahoo.

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See Set Up a New Gmail Account on Android for a guide on adding a new Gmail account to your Android device.
See Set Up Email Account on an Android Device for instructions on adding any other email account to your Android device.
See Set Up Gmail on an iPhone for tips on getting your Gmail account added to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.
See Send Email on the iPhone for instructions on adding any email account to your iOS device.

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Getting Rid of Your Old Address

There may be no harm in keeping an old address, especially if it's free. You can always use your old address to sign up for mailing lists and other less important accounts, which can help minimize spam on your new account.
Keeping your old email account can be very useful if you need to log into an online account you set up with it that you forgot to transition to your new email. If you delete your old account before making the change, you may be locked out without the ability to manage it.

Leave your address for at least six months, even if you plan to delete it. You'll want to make sure that you don't miss any important messages, so leave your old account online for at least six months. Web-based email accounts will not deactivate in this time, so you'll receive all of your forwarded messages without having to log into the old address.

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See Use Email Autoresponders for information on setting up an auto-reply.

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See Delete a Google or Gmail Account for information on deleting your Gmail account.
See Delete Yahoo! Accounts for instructions on deleting your Yahoo Mail account.
See Close a Microsoft Account for details on deleting a Hotmail, Live, or Outlook.com mail account.

Community Q&A

What should I do if I never receive the code to change my email address? Community Answer

The code might have been sent to the secondary email address you have registered with your account. If not, you may also check your spam folder. As a last resort, you can always contact your email provider's customer service.

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I'm moving from Germany to UK 01.07.2016. How do I change my email address? Community Answer You just make a new account, and you can easily restore any important information.

How can I change my email password? Community Answer

If you have another e-mail address or phone number associated with the account, you can just select "Forgot Password" at the logon screen.

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