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There are plenty of good reasons why you might want to change your email account. You want or need to change email providers, you hate your current email address, or you’ve become inundated with spam. However, switching email accounts can feel like a daunting task. Not only do you need to notify everybody of your new email address (including all of those sites where you’ve created accounts over the years), but there’s also the fear that you’ll miss an important email from a person or organization that you can’t afford to miss. Fortunately, it’s fairly easy to make the change and not lose any emails in the process. Here’s how to do it. 1. Try to keep your old email address as long as possibleWhen switching accounts, you’ll want to hold onto your account for a little while to ensure the process has worked smoothly. If you’re switching jobs or leaving school, find out how long you’ll have access to your old email address before it’s deactivated and plan accordingly. Most organizations won’t let you access your account, but some may forward email for a length of time to your new account. 2. Create a new email addressCreate an email address with a free provider like Gmail or Outlook.com. Do not use the email assigned by your internet service provider, company or school. When choosing your new email address, use your name or something that will age well over time. If you have a common name, try using your last name first or a combination of your initials and your last or first name. 3. Forward emails to your new email accountYou can forward your messages while retaining a copy with your old mail service. Or, you can forward your messages and delete the copies on your old mail service. Forward emails to Gmail
Forward emails to Outlook
As you move to your new account, you'll also want to change your default email address.
Forward emails to Outlook.comUnless your old email is a Gmail account and you subscribe to Microsoft 365 ($69.99 per year), you can add you can't set up Outlook.com to pull in your old email. If you are a Microsoft 365 subscriber, you can add your Gmail account to Outlook.com.
Note that your Gmail email will remain in a Gmail tab and you can't set a default from address. If you have more than one Outlook.com account, can choose the option to "Set default From address."
4. Import your contacts from your old email addressChances are that you have an address book associated with your old email account and you’ll want to import them for use with your new account. Before importing contacts, you'll need to export your contacts from your current provider to a CSV file or, for Google Contacts, a CSV or vCard file. Search for "export contacts from (name of your old email provider)" for instructions. Importing to Google Contacts
Importing to Outlook
Once imported, you'll find all of your contacts under the contacts icon in the lower left corner. Importing to Outlook.comIf your old email is a Gmail account and you've added it to Outlook.com, your contacts will appear in the Gmail tab. You can also import them into your Outlook.com email account. Before importing contacts, you'll need to export your contact from your current provider. Search for "export contacts from (name of your old email provider)" for instructions. Choose the option to save the exported contacts as a CSV file. Then go to your Outlook.com account.
5. Tell people about your new email addressOnce you have your new email up and running, it’s time to email everyone telling them about your new email address. Be sure to use the Bcc option (blind copy) in the address bar, so you don’t accidentally share other people’s email addresses with the whole group. You may also want to add a signature that calls out the fact that your email has changed. For Outlook.com go to Settings > View all Outlook settings > Mail > Compose and reply. For Gmail for to Settings > See all settings > General and scroll all the way down to Signature. Updated on 6/17/2022 with new instructions for Outlook.com and added instructions for Outlook [Image credit: Google account creation screen on laptop via SmartMockups, screenshots via Techlicious/Google/Microsoft] For the past 20+ years, Techlicious founder Suzanne Kantra has been exploring and writing about the world’s most exciting and important science and technology issues. Prior to Techlicious, Suzanne was the Technology Editor for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and the Senior Technology Editor for Popular Science. Suzanne has been featured on CNN, CBS, and NBC. How do I change my email address without creating a new one?Step 1: Check if you can change it. On your Android phone or tablet, open your device's Settings app Google. Manage your Google Account. At the top, tap Personal info. ... . Step 2: Change it. Next to your email address, select Edit . Enter the new email address for your account.. Can I change my email name without creating a new account?You can't change your username or the actual email address. You can only change the name associated with the account. If people have you saved as something else in their contacts, that's the name they'll see. Your "new name" will only show up in emails you send to them.
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