Where to find the email change option on Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and Apple
The steps to change your email address depend on which email service you use. Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, and Apple Mail all store the change in different places, but none of them require you to create a new account — you can keep your existing inbox and contacts.
On Gmail, go to myaccount.google.com, click "Personal info" on the left, find "Email" near the top, and click the pencil icon to edit. You will be asked to confirm your current password before the change takes effect. On Outlook, sign in at outlook.live.com, select the gear icon in the top right, choose "View all Outlook settings," go to "Mail" then "Sync email," and look for "Change mailbox." For Yahoo Mail, log in at mail.yahoo.com, click the account icon in the top right, select "Account info," choose "Account security," and find "Change email address." On Apple Mail (iCloud), go to iCloud.com, click "Account settings," select "Edit," and look for the email section under your name.
Each service will send a confirmation link to your new email address before the change is final. You must click that link within a set time — usually 24 to 48 hours — or the change will not go through.
Key Takeaways
- Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and Apple Mail all let you change your email address without losing your inbox or contacts by using their account settings pages.
- You will receive a confirmation email at your new address and must click the link within 24 to 48 hours for the change to take effect.
- Your old email address will stop working for login purposes once the change is complete, so update your password manager and recovery options first.
- Any accounts linked to your old email — banking, social media, work systems — will need to be updated separately to prevent lockouts.
- Some services let you keep your old email as an alias or recovery address, which is useful if you want to receive mail at both addresses temporarily.
Update your recovery email and phone number before you change
Before you change your main email address, add a backup recovery method to your account. This is the phone number or secondary email that the service will use if you get locked out or forget your password. If you change your primary email without setting up recovery options first, you may lose access to your account if something goes wrong.
On Gmail, go to myaccount.google.com, click "Security" on the left, scroll to "How you sign in to Google," and add a recovery phone number and backup email. On Outlook, go to account.microsoft.com, select "Security," and add a recovery email or phone under "Security info." Yahoo and Apple have similar options in their account security sections. Set these up at least a few days before you plan to change your main email, so you have time to test them if needed.
Notify other services and accounts that use your old email
Your email address is the key to dozens of accounts — banking, shopping, social media, work systems, and subscription services. If you change your email without updating these accounts, you will not receive password reset links, billing notices, or security alerts, and you may get locked out.
Make a list of the accounts that matter most: your bank, email providers, social media, work email, cloud storage, and any subscription services you pay for. Log into each one and update the email address in the account settings. Most services have a section called "Account info," "Email settings," or "Contact information" where you can make the change. For work email or school email, contact your IT department or help desk — you usually cannot change these yourself.
For accounts you use less often — old shopping sites, forums, or services you have not logged into in months — you can update them as you remember them, but do it within the first week. After that, write down which ones you have not updated yet and check back in a month.
What happens to mail sent to your old email address
Once your email change is final, your old email address belongs to the service again and can be assigned to someone else. Mail sent to your old address will not reach you automatically — it will either bounce back to the sender or go to whoever takes that address next.
Some services let you set up forwarding so that mail sent to your old address gets forwarded to your new one for a limited time. Gmail offers this for up to 12 months. To set it up on Gmail, go to Settings, click "Forwarding and POP/IMAP," and choose "Add a forwarding address." Enter your new email and confirm the link sent to it. Outlook and Yahoo have similar forwarding options in their settings.
If you do not set up forwarding, you will need to tell people your new email address manually. Send a message to your contacts, update your email signature at work, and change it on any public profiles or websites where it appears.
Keep your old email as an alias if the service allows it
Some email providers let you keep your old address as an alias — a secondary address that delivers mail to your main inbox without being your primary login email. This is useful if you want to receive mail at both addresses for a while, or if you have had the old address for a long time and do not want to lose it completely.
Gmail calls these "alternative email addresses" and lets you add up to four. To add one, go to myaccount.google.com, click "Personal info," find "Email," and select "Add an email address." You can receive mail at both addresses, but you will log in using your primary email. Outlook has a similar feature called "Add alias." Yahoo and Apple also support aliases, though the process varies slightly.
Keep in mind that aliases are not the same as forwarding. With an alias, you own both addresses and can send mail from either one. With forwarding, mail just gets redirected to your new address. If you think you might want to use your old email again someday, an alias is the better choice.
Change your email on your phone and other devices
If you use your email on a phone, tablet, or desktop app — not just the website — you will need to update it there too. When you change your email address, the app will not automatically know about it and may stop working or show an error when you try to send or receive mail.
On an iPhone or iPad using the Mail app, go to Settings, tap "Mail," select "Accounts," find your email account, and tap "Edit." Delete the old account and add the new one by tapping "Add Account" and entering your new email and password. On Android, open Gmail or your email app, tap your profile picture, select "Manage your Google Account" (or the equivalent for your provider), go to "Security," and update your email there. On a Mac, open Mail, go to Mail menu, select "Preferences," find your account, and update the email address in the account settings.
After you update your email on each device, the app will ask you to sign in again with your new email and password. This is normal and means the change worked.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change my email address back if I change my mind?
Yes, most services let you change your email address as many times as you want. Go back to the same settings page where you made the first change and repeat the process. However, if someone else has already claimed your old email address, you cannot use it again.
What if I forget to update a linked account before changing my email?
You can still update it afterward. Log into the linked account using your old email and password if you remember it, or use the "Forgot password" option and have the reset link sent to your new email address. Then update the email in that account's settings.
Will I lose my emails or contacts when I change my email address?
No. Your inbox, contacts, and all stored messages stay with your account. Changing your email address only changes how you log in and how people reach you — it does not delete anything.
How long does it take for the email change to go through?
Once you click the confirmation link in the email sent to your new address, the change is usually when ready. However, it can take a few hours for all of the service's servers to update, so you might not be able to log in with your new email when ready. Wait 30 minutes and try again if you get an error.
Can I use my old email as a backup if I forget my password?
Only if you set it up as a recovery email before you changed your primary address. If you did not, you will need to use your recovery phone number or another method. You cannot add your old email as a recovery option after you have already changed your primary email.