How to change email id?

Changing your email ID can be necessary for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you want to create a more professional email address as you enter the workforce or start a business. Maybe your current email was compromised and you want to increase your security. Or you could just be looking for an email makeover to better reflect your name or interests.

Whatever the reason, changing your primary email address takes some time and preparation. You’ll need to think about where to change it, who needs notifications, and how to make the transition smooth. But with some planning, you can successfully switch over to a new email ID with minimal disruption.

Determine if You Really Need a New Email

Before going through the effort of changing your email address, think about whether it’s truly necessary. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Is your current email unprofessional, embarrassing, or difficult to remember?
• Has your email been compromised by a hack or data breach?
• Do you want an address that better represents your name, business, or personal brand?
• Are you unsatisfied with your current email provider?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then a new email ID could be beneficial. But if your address is still working fine, think twice before making a switch.

Choose Your New Email Address

Once you decide to change your email, it’s time to choose the new address. Here are some tips for picking an email ID:

• Use your full name or initials if it’s for professional purposes
• Incorporate your business name or personal brand if applicable
• Keep it simple and easy to remember
• Avoid numbers, symbols, or overly creative spellings
• Check availability by signing up for a new account

Ideally, your new email ID should be some variation of your name. This makes it easy for people to recognize. But you can also include hobbies, interests, business names, middle names, maiden names, or nicknames if you want something more customized.

Select an Email Provider

The next step is choosing an email provider and signing up for an account. Here are the most popular options:

Gmail

• Free email service from Google
• 15GB of storage space
• Integrated with other Google services like Drive and Calendar
• Customizable interface with different themes
• Gmail app available on iOS and Android

Outlook/Hotmail

• Free email service from Microsoft
• 15GB of storage space
• Spam and phishing protection
• Integrated with Microsoft Office
• Outlook app available on iOS and Android

Yahoo Mail

• Free email service from Yahoo
• 1TB of storage space
• Custom domains available
• Ad-free option for $3.49/month
• Yahoo Mail app available on iOS and Android

iCloud

• Free email for Apple users
• 5GB of storage space
• Seamlessly synced across Apple devices
• Private Relay for privacy
• Works with Siri and other Apple services

There are also paid options like Zoho Mail and ProtonMail if you want advanced features, custom domains, and increased security.

Notify Important Contacts

Once your new email account is set up, it’s time to spread the word. Be sure to notify any important contacts, services, and companies that you have a new email address. Here’s a starter checklist:

• Friends and family
• Work clients and colleagues
• Business and banking contacts
• Online accounts like social media, shopping sites, forums, etc.
• Subscription services like newsletters, magazines, etc.
• Government agencies if applicable
• Insurance and healthcare providers
• Other service providers like phone, internet, utilities, etc.

You can notify people manually via email or text message. For email subscriptions and online accounts, look for notification settings where you can update your email address. Don’t forget social media and forums where your email might be linked to notifications or your profile.

Forward Emails from Old Account

To make the transition smoother, take advantage of email forwarding. Most providers let you automatically forward incoming mail from an old account to your new email address. Here are forwarding options for major providers:

Gmail

• In settings, add new forwarding address
• Choose option to forward all incoming emails
• You can delete forwarding at any time

Outlook/Hotmail

• Under account settings, manage email forwarding
• Input email address to forward messages to
• Can set end date for forwarding if desired

Yahoo Mail

• In settings, choose “set up forwarding”
• Enter email address to forward to
• Option to forward attachments and delete forwarded messages

iCloud

• Under account settings, manage forwarding addresses
• Can forward to multiple email addresses
• Forwards copies rather than original emails

Email forwarding ensures you receive mail sent to your old address during the transition period. You can then notify any lingering contacts about your new email.

Update Email on Important Accounts

While email forwarding catches mail from outside senders, you also need to update your email within key services and accounts. These include:

• Social media profiles like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
• Shopping accounts like Amazon, eBay, department stores, etc.
• Subscriptions like Audible, Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc.
• Loyalty accounts like airline and hotel rewards programs
• Online forums and communities you belong to
• Payment accounts like PayPal, Venmo, Skrill, etc.

Look for account settings or profile pages where you can enter a new email address. Changing it here ensures you get notifications and login links sent to your updated email.

Update Email on Mobile Devices

Don’t forget to update your new email address on any mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Here are the steps for iOS and Android:

iPhone and iPad

1. Open Settings > Select your name
2. Tap Email & Accounts > Select the old email
3. Tap Delete Account to remove the old email
4. Add your new email address and login

Android Phones and Tablets

1. Open Settings > Accounts
2. Tap the old email account > Remove Account
3. Add a new account with your updated email
4. Select what content you want to sync

This ensures all notifications, calendars, contacts and other synced data go to your new address.

Update Personal Documents and IDs

If you use your personal email for documents and official IDs, those need updates too. Go through documents like:

• Passport
• Drivers license
• Insurance cards
• Tax forms
• Medical records
• Bank account info
• Legal documents
• Utility bills
• Mortgages, leases, car loans
• Online store accounts
• Resume and job profiles

For physical documents, print out a new copy with the updated email. For digital services, check account settings for an email change option. Keeping this info current ensures you receive important notices.

Transfer Email Content

If you want to transfer emails and contacts to your new account, most providers let you export data from the old and import it into the new. Here are instructions for major providers:

Export Data from Gmail

1. Open Gmail on desktop
2. Go to Settings > Advanced > Export mail & data
3. Select Export Mail option
4. Choose date range and delivery method

Import Data into New Gmail

1. Open Gmail on desktop
2. Go to Settings > Advanced > Import mail & data
3. Upload exported file from old Gmail
4. Select Import Button

Export from Outlook.com

1. Open Outlook on desktop
2. Go to Settings > View all Outlook settings
3. Select Import/Export > Export
4. Follow prompts to export data

Import into New Outlook

1. Open Outlook.com on desktop
2. Go to Settings > View all Outlook settings
3. Select Import/Export > Import
4. Upload exported Outlook file

This makes it easy to transfer years of old emails and contacts to your new address so you don’t start from scratch. Just be sure your old account remains active until the export/import process is complete.

Set Vacation Responder on Old Email

To avoid confusion, set an automatic vacation responder on your old email when you stop using it. The message should notify senders that you have a new email address. For example:

“You have reached my old email address. I recently changed my email to [email protected]. Please update your contacts and resend your message there for a prompt reply. This email address will no longer be checked or monitored. Thank you!”

Here are vacation responder instructions for major providers:

Gmail

1. Open Gmail settings
2. Click on Vacation responder
3. Toggle to Enable and enter custom message
4. Choose contacts to exclude from auto-reply

Outlook.com

1. Go to Settings > Automatic replies
2. Toggle on Send automatic replies
3. Enter custom message in text box
4. Choose contacts to exclude from auto-reply

Yahoo Mail

1. Go to Settings > Vacation responder
2. Toggle option on
3. Enter subject line and vacation message
4. Select when to disable auto-reply

The vacation responder prevents confusion if people email your old address. It also prompts them to update their contact information.

Phase Out the Old Address

After several months of dual email use, you can eventually phase out your old address completely. First, double check that you changed the email everywhere important. Confirm nothing slips through by:

• Searching your old inbox for recent unread messages
• Checking notifications and subscriptions
• Reviewing account settings in services

When you’re fully confident you completed the switch, here are final steps to deactivate the old email:

1. Export any final emails you want to save from the old account
2. Change passwords on accounts formerly associated with the old email
3. Remove forwarding to prevent new emails from arriving
4. Notify contacts one last time about your closed address
5. Delete the old email account completely

With that, your email transition is complete! Enjoy the improved features, security, and convenience of your new inbox.

Troubleshooting Email Change Issues

Changing your email address involves juggling multiple accounts and providers. Here are solutions to common problems that come up:

Emails still going to old inbox

• Double check forwarding settings are enabled, with emails deleting from the old account after forwarding
• Use old account to email lingering contacts about the new email
• Temporarily reactivate forwarding if previously disabled

Can’t change email on certain accounts

• Reset password via email recovery if you no longer access the old email
• Contact customer service for assistance changing email on the account
• Close account completely and open a new one

Imported emails missing content

• Export from old using a different file format like .mbox instead of .csv
• Manually forward important emails to new address
• Sign back into old account temporarily to retrieve emails

Contacts not syncing properly

• Export contacts directly from old address book before importing
• Manually add missing contacts in new address book
• Use contacts backup file or service like Google Contacts

New login links sent to old email

• Change security email to new address if option is available
• Use account recovery options via phone number or other linked accounts
• Contact customer service if locked out of the account

With patience and some troubleshooting, you can resolve most issues that come up during the email change process.

Conclusion

Changing your primary email address takes effort but can really pay off. With a professional, secure, and personalized inbox, you can streamline communication and represent yourself better online. Use this guide to make the transition smooth and headache-free. The work upfront is worth having an email ID you’re proud of and eager to share.