How to Change Your Email on Snapchat (and Verify It)

Changing it takes a minute. The part people skip is verifying it, and that's the part that matters if you ever forget your password. An unverified email isn't much help when you're locked out.

Here are the steps, how to verify, the rules about one email per account, and what to do when the verification email doesn't turn up.

Steps to change your email address

1. Open Snapchat and go to your profile.
2. Tap the gear icon to open Settings.
3. Under Shortcuts, tap My Account.
4. Under Change My Info, tap Email.
5. Enter a valid email address you can get into.
6. Tap Continue and confirm the email belongs to you.

Verify the new email

Snapchat makes this easy to spot: if you haven't verified your email, your settings gear shows up red.

1. Tap the gear icon at the top of your Profile screen.
2. Tap your email address in Settings. It'll also be shown in red.
3. Snapchat sends a verification email to that address.
4. Open it and follow the instructions to finish.

Snapchat says email verification is only supported in the app at the moment and can't be done through the web. If you're trying from a browser on your laptop, that's why it isn't working.

The one-email rule

You can have more than one Snapchat account, but only one unique email and one mobile number can be verified per account. The same contact details can't be shared across accounts.

Here's how that bites. If two accounts use the same email and you verify it on the newer one, Snapchat removes that email from the older account. So if you're setting up a second account, give it its own email. Otherwise you may find your main account has lost the address it relies on for password resets.

Situation	What happens
You change your email	The new address replaces the old one, then needs verifying
Email isn't verified	Your Settings gear shows red
Same email on two accounts	Only one can have it verified
You verify it on a newer account	It's removed from the older account

Other people can find you by email

Something most people don't realise: if there's an email on your account, other people can find your Snapchat account using that address by default. If you'd rather they couldn't, you can opt out in Settings at any time. It's worth doing if you've used a work email or one lots of people know.

When the verification email doesn't arrive

• Wait a few minutes, then try verifying again.
• Check your spam or junk folder.
• Make sure you typed the address correctly when you changed it.
• If you're verifying a phone number instead and get a too many requests error, wait 24 hours before trying again.

If the problem is with your phone number rather than email, my guide to Snapchat not verifying your phone number covers the fixes.

Why this matters more than it looks

Snapchat says you need at least one verified contact method, either email or mobile number, to verify your account. That verified contact is how you reset your password if you forget it.

And Snapchat's limits here are firm. It can't reset a password if your account has no email or number, if you don't know which ones are linked, or if you can't get into them any more. If you know your username but can't reach the email or number, Snapchat says it can't reset your password. Keeping a current, verified email is the simplest way to avoid that.

If you're already stuck, start with how to recover a Snapchat account.

Changing email versus changing your number

The two sit next to each other in the same My Account section, and both need verifying. If you're changing phones as well as email, update both while you still have access to the old ones. That way you're never left with nothing verified on the account.

Change your mobile number at the same time

1. Tap the gear icon on My Account to open Settings.
2. Under Shortcuts, tap My Account.
3. Under Change My Info, tap Mobile Number.
4. Type the number and tap Verify.
5. Tap Send via SMS, or Call me instead to get the code by phone call.
6. Enter the code and tap Continue.

On some Android phones, a Google prompt verifies the number with your mobile network instead, so no code is sent. And note this: once a phone number is verified you can't remove it completely, only change it to a different number.

Don't ask Support to change it for you

If you've lost access to the old email and the phone number, Snapchat's support pages are blunt that it can't reset your password for you without them. That's why updating both while you can still log in matters so much: there's no back door if every contact detail on the account is out of date.

My advice

Change your email, then verify it straight away in the app. Use an address only you control, don't reuse it on a second account, and switch off being found by email if it's one you'd rather keep private. Two minutes now saves you a lot of trouble the day you forget your password.

Frequently asked questions

How do I change my email on Snapchat?

Tap the gear icon on your profile, tap My Account under Shortcuts, then Email under Change My Info. Enter the new address, tap Continue and confirm it's yours.

Can I verify my Snapchat email on the web?

No. Snapchat says email verification is only supported in the app at the moment and can't be done through the web.

Can two Snapchat accounts use the same email?

Only one account can have a particular email verified. If you verify it on a newer account, it's removed from the older one.

Why is my Snapchat settings gear red?

A red gear means your email address isn't verified yet. Tap your email in Settings to send a verification email.

Can people find my Snapchat with my email?

Yes, by default people can find your account using the email on it. You can opt out in Settings at any time.