Manage your email addresses

Choose which email addresses you use to do things like sign in to your Google Account, get back into your account if you lose access, and get information from Google.

Google Account email

This is the main email address for your Google Account. It's set as your primary email when you create a Google Account, but you can choose a different primary email if you like.

To change your Google Account email:

1. In your Google Account, open the Personal info tab.
2. Under "Contact info," select Email Google Account email.
   • If you can't open this setting, it might not be possible to change your email or username. Learn more about changing your username.
3. Follow the steps on the screen.

Change Google Account email

Other email addresses

Recovery email

Add a recovery email address to get back into your account quickly and securely if you forget your password or get locked out.

1. Open your Google Account.
2. Under "Personal info," select Your personal info Email.
3. Click Recovery email Add a recovery email.
4. Follow the onscreen instructions.

Learn more about account recovery options.

Add recovery email

Contact email

Google notifies you at your contact email address when there is important information that you need to know about your Google Account or the products you use, such as YouTube. By default, Google uses your Google Account email for contacting you unless you add a contact email.

This email address can be from any email provider, but it should be one you check frequently.

1. In your Google Account, open the Personal info tab.
2. Under "Contact info," select Email.
3. Under "Contact email," click the icon.
4. Select Add other email Add your contact email address.
5. Check your inbox for your verification email and open it.
6. Click Verify contact email.

Important: Some Google products still use your Google Account email even if you add a contact email.

Add other email

Alternate emails

You can add a non-Gmail email address to your account and use it to sign in, recover your password, and more.

1. In your Google Account, open the Personal info tab.
2. Under "Contact info," select Email.
3. Under "Alternate emails," click Add alternate email.
4. Enter an email address you own and select Add.

Learn more about alternate emails and how they're used.

Add alternate email

About me emails

These email addresses are from your "About me" page. You can control who these email addresses display to across Google products like Drive or Photos.

1. Open the About me section of your Google Account.
2. Under "Contact info," select existing email or Add contact info.
3. To add a new email, select Add email.
4. Click Save.
5. Below your email address, right after “Choose who can see your email," select either Only you or Anyone for displaying your email. You can also edit or remove your email address.

Learn more about controlling what others see about you across Google products.

Manage who can view your email

When we'll send you emails

We'll use your email address to communicate with you in certain situations. For example, we'll email you when we need to:

• Help you access your account when you can't sign in or forget your password.
• Send you important security-related information about your account, like when there's unusual activity with your email address.
• Send you updates about your account, like when you're running out of storage space or when we've made a policy change.
• Deliver a receipt for your Play Store purchase.
• Send you updates about Google products and services that you've asked to receive.

Related articles

• Change the email address for your account
• Change the primary domain for your organization's Google account