A Gmail alias is another address you send from inside your Gmail account, added under Settings, Accounts and import, Send mail as, and Gmail lets you send from up to 99 different addresses. Personal Gmail also gives you built-in variations of your own address, because every dotted version of it already lands in your inbox.
Here's the catch. Starting January 2027, Gmail will no longer support Send as for third-party addresses such as @yahoo.com or @outlook.com. Google Workspace aliases and other Gmail addresses you own aren't affected. If you send from a Yahoo or Outlook address inside Gmail today, it's worth planning your switch now rather than finding out on the day.
The dots rule: personal vs work accounts
| Account type | Do dots change the address? | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Personal @gmail.com | No | If you're [email protected], you also own john.smith, jo.hn.sm.ith and j.o.h.n.s.m.i.t.h at gmail.com |
| Work, school or other organisation, like yourdomain.com or yourschool.edu | Yes | A dot makes it a different address; to change the dots in your username, contact your admin |
So nobody else can take a dotted version of your personal address, and nobody else gets your mail because of a dot. That also explains the odd stray email. If you're getting someone else's mail, dots aren't the reason: the sender mistyped or forgot the right address. Google's own example is a message meant for [email protected] that reached [email protected] because the sender typed john.smith. You can notify the sender, report it if it looks suspicious, or unsubscribe from newsletters you never signed up for.
Addresses you can send mail as
As of October 2026, you can add any address you own: a Yahoo, Outlook or other non-Gmail address until the January 2027 change, your work, school or business domain or alias, or another Gmail address. Gmail checks you own it before it lets you use it.
- On your computer, open Gmail and click Settings, then See all settings.
- Click the Accounts and import or Accounts tab.
- In the Send mail as section, click Add another email address.
- Enter your name and the address you want to send from.
- Click Next Step, then Send verification.
- For a school or work account, enter the SMTP server, such as smtp.gmail.com or smtp.yourschool.edu, plus that account's username and password, then click Add Account.
- Sign in to the account you added, open the confirmation message from Gmail and click the link.
To use it, click the From line in a new message and pick the address. If you can't see a From line, click the space next to the recipient's email.
Making the alias your default
If you want every email to go from your other address, change both your default From address and your default reply-to address. Change only the From address and replies still go to your original Gmail address by default, which is the most common reason people think their alias isn't working.
If you see Couldn't reach server or TLS Negotiation failed while adding an address, you might need a different port number and authentication type. Check you've used the right outgoing mail server for your provider, and if it still fails, your third-party email provider can give you the correct settings.
Pulling another account's mail into Gmail
Sending as an address is one half. To read that account's mail in Gmail too, you use Check mail from other accounts, and you can add up to 5 email addresses this way. Google flags upcoming changes to Gmailify and POP support, so keep an eye on that if you rely on it. There are a few limits as of October 2026:
- The other account needs POP access turned on.
- Gmail can't connect accounts that don't support secure connections.
- You can import messages, but not folders or labels.
- You can't add an Outlook account to Gmail on your computer; use the Gmail app for that.
Add it from the Accounts and import tab, under Check mail from other accounts, by clicking Add a mail account. Google recommends ticking Always use a secure connection (SSL) when retrieving mail, and Label incoming messages, which makes the alias mail easy to spot. If you get Server denied POP3 access and you use 2-Step Verification, create an app password. For a work or school account, try mail.domain.com on port 110, or pop.gmail.com on port 995 if your domain uses Google MX records.
Sorting alias mail with filters
Once mail from several addresses lands in one inbox, filters keep it tidy. A filter can send mail to a label, archive, delete, star or forward it. Here's my walkthrough on creating a filter in Gmail, and the short version is:
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- Open Gmail and click Show search options in the search box.
- Enter your search criteria, such as the alias address, and click Search to check the results.
- Click Create filter, choose what the filter should do and click Create filter again.
Two details trip people up. A filter only acts on new messages, not the ones already in your inbox, and a reply to a filtered message is only filtered if it matches the same criteria. If you'd rather pass alias mail on to another inbox entirely, here's how to set up email forwarding in Gmail.
My verdict on Gmail aliases
I'd use Send mail as for any work or business address you own, and set both the From and reply-to defaults if it's the address you want people to answer. I'd stop relying on it for Yahoo or Outlook addresses, because that support ends in January 2027. Skip the dotted trick on a work account, since there a dot makes a different address. And add a label or filter on day one, so alias mail never gets lost in your main inbox.
Frequently asked questions
How many aliases does Gmail allow?
You can send emails from up to 99 different email addresses in one Gmail account.
Do dots matter in a Gmail address?
Not in a personal @gmail.com address, where you own every dotted version. With a work, school or other organisation account, dots do change the address.
Why do replies go to my Gmail address instead of my alias?
If you only change the From address, replies go to your original Gmail address by default. Change your default reply-to address as well.
Can I still send as my Yahoo or Outlook address in Gmail?
Starting January 2027, Gmail will no longer support Send as for third-party addresses like @yahoo.com or @outlook.com. Google Workspace aliases and other Gmail addresses you own aren't affected.
Why am I getting someone else's email in Gmail?
Not because of dots. The sender probably mistyped or forgot the correct address, so you can notify them or report it if it looks suspicious.
