How to Change Your Email Address Without Losing Your Mind

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Do you have an AOL email address? AOL was founded in 1993, while Yahoo began its email service in 1997. Gmail, a relatively newer service, was launched in 2007. This means that your email address could be over 30 years old!

It’s Time for a Change

I am frequently asked about how to change an email address. Sometimes, a client has been compromised, resulting in their email and password being compromised multiple times. Other times, the amount of junk mail, or spam, becomes a relentless barrage that cannot be effectively managed. There are several solutions to these dilemmas, including creating a stronger password, unsubscribing (which only works when it is a legitimate website), and using junk mail filters.

It is often easier to start fresh with a new email address. I will describe that process in this article. Contrary to popular belief, changing your email address can be a relatively straightforward process, provided you plan and follow the steps outlined here.

First, it is crucial to keep your current email active even when creating a new one. This will allow you to monitor the old account and check for any messages from senders unaware that your email has been changed. Additionally, it is virtually impossible to truly delete an email address.

Next, you need to decide on a new email provider or reserve your own domain for email. Several free services are available, including Gmail (yourname@gmail.com) and Apple’s iCloud (yourname@icloud.com). These are some of the largest and most stable providers. Another option is to acquire your own domain (www.yourname.com), which allows you to have a unique and memorable personal email address (you@yourname.com). No one can take away your email address if you own the domain. Domain names can be purchased for under $15 per year, and adding an email account is typically only another $20 annually. I use hover.com for my email domain and account management, that is all that Hover does.

Upon creating a new email account, it is imperative to disseminate an electronic “Change of Address” notice to your regular contacts, including friends, family, and associates. This communication should be concise and direct, ensuring that the updated address is promptly communicated to these individuals. You may have already received similar emails from friends and family, and it is now your turn to take action. Below is a simple template for this purpose:

Subject: Change of Email Address

Message Body: Effective immediately, my new email address will be example@example.com. Kindly copy this address and paste it into your address book, replacing my previous email address.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Jeff

Important Note: Ensure that you send this email from your new email address. Additionally, activate the BCC field to prevent your entire address book from being sent to everyone.

Updating Online Accounts

To enhance your online security, it is advisable to regularly update the email addresses associated with various websites you frequent. This includes banks, credit card companies, airlines, and other online retailers. Upon visiting these websites, complete the change of email address forms provided on the site. This proactive approach will minimize the likelihood of forgetting to update your email addresses. Maintain a list of completed changes for reference. It is important to note that your username is often the same as your email address. Therefore, you may not need to change your username everywhere it is used. Instead, you can keep your old username while changing your contact email in your account settings for each website.

One reason to keep an older email active is to use it when filling out forms that require an email address. This helps you distinguish between legitimate emails and junk mail. Additionally, you can create a second new email address, often referred to as an alias, specifically for forms and online shopping. This allows you to filter any resulting junk mail more effectively. Remember that deleting an email account entirely may not be advisable, as you may need to check it for messages from infrequent correspondents. Over time, you may find that you only need to check your old email account once a month or less.

Changing your email address does not need to be a complex process. By following the outlined steps, you can make the change easily. Simultaneously, review all the websites you access through your email address and update your account information to reflect your new address.

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For technical inquiries, please contact me at jeff@jeffbohr.com, and I will provide guidance in a future column.