How to Switch From Gmail Without Losing Anything

Last reviewed September 21, 2026 · 2 min read

Switching email addresses is less about the new inbox and more about not losing access to the accounts tied to the old one. Take it in stages, and do not delete the old address until you are sure.

Before you start

Choose the new service and address. If you plan to keep it for years, consider using your own domain name, so you can move again without changing your address.
Decide what you want to keep. All of your mail, only recent mail, or just contacts.
Set aside a weekend. The migration takes a few hours. Updating every account takes weeks.

Step 1: Back up your old account

Use Google Takeout to export your mail and contacts.
Store the export in a safe place, ideally encrypted.

Step 2: Set up the new inbox

Create the new account and turn on two-factor authentication immediately.
Set a strong, unique password in a password manager.
Use the new provider's import tool, if it has one, to copy mail, contacts and calendar from Gmail.

Step 3: Forward new mail for now

In Gmail, add forwarding to your new address in Settings.
Keep forwarding on for at least six months.
Leave the old account open so you can still receive verification emails and see what is still sending to it.

Step 4: Update your accounts in priority order

Make a list, starting with the most important:

Money: banks, credit cards, payment apps, tax and payroll.
Identity and government: government portals, insurance and healthcare.
Other email and recovery addresses: anything that lists your old email as a recovery address.
Work and school.
Shopping, subscriptions and social media.
Everything else.

To find accounts you forgot about, search the old inbox for words like "welcome", "verify" and "receipt", and check your password manager's list.

Step 5: Tell people

Send a short message to your contacts with the new address, and set an auto-reply on the old one that mentions it.

Step 6: Watch and wait

For the next six months, check the old inbox regularly. Each message that arrives there is an account you still need to update.

Step 7: Decide about the old account

Do not delete it quickly. Old accounts can be used to reset passwords for accounts you have forgotten. When the flow of mail has clearly slowed, and you have your backup, you can decide to close it or keep it as a low-use catch-all with a strong password and two-factor authentication.

Common mistakes

Deleting the old account too soon.
Forgetting the recovery address on important accounts.
Skipping two-factor authentication on the new account.
Not exporting a backup before you begin.