I transitioned e-mail address twice. What has worked for me is doing it slowly. Keep the old address around: from time to time you'll get emails from services you did not even remember being subscribed to. Also, if you don't use a password manager, now it's the perfect time to start. I suggest Bitwaden
this post was submitted on 01 Sep 2023
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Privacy
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Thanks. I do use bitwarden as well I selfhost a bunch of stuff like nextcloud. I'm actually weirded out on myself that I'm still depending from google
Just a little at a time. Most sites let you change your email. As you get a message from a site move it to your other email.
I just forwarded my outlook and gmail to my proton. Changed the account I use most and then when an account emails and it gets forwarded it reminds me to then change it.
Also then filters out the 100s of older accounts that can probably die with my old email
You're using a password manager right? Just iterate through the entries in your password manager updating.
Can vouch for this method, I did something similar and just updated my email on services in order of my entries in password manager.
Yes I do. Although many sites simply wont let you change it. I will still have to try and change as many as I can
Could you give me an example of a mainstream website that doesn't let you update your email?
Ryanair and wizzair websites won't let you change email
Start by changing your most important services to your new email, and set your gmail to forward everything to your new email. From then, sign up to new sites with your new email and change emails of old accounts if you have time, it's not a huge rush.
As long as you set up the email forwarding, you've done most of the important work right there.
You can also auto-label anything in your new account based on From: in the header to indicate that it got forwarded from the old account. This way you will know what you still need to switch over.
Yeah I have them auto go into an "old email" folder rather than clutter my inbox especially if it's forwarding crap newsletters/spam etc. I was very liberal with my old email...
Consider getting your own domain. That way you own your own name, but you can swap email providers behind the scenes
I'm thinking about this every once in a while. What about using a custom domain and a relay service like FireFox Relay or Addy.io? That would give you the option to move your actual email around easily, even after you lose access to it.
I just did this. I have an android phone so I will have a hard time getting rid of google account but I have used clodflare to create a custom email and have setup forwarding/sending vianalias inside gmail. I made a separatr address for website registrations and personal mail. I will slowly start the transitioning of all my accounts.
I switched to Fastmail a few months ago and love it.
My tip is: Start simple.
- If you have any other Domains forwarded to Gmail forward them to Fastmail instead.
- Forward Gmail to Fastmail (i.e. add as an account including importing old mails). This won't get you off Google yet, but at least a backup and you can practically stop using Gmail.
- For any new registration, use Fastmail (or any of its random emails etc.)
- Slowly transition your old accounts.
did it years ago. created several new email addresses for different purposes with one main new personal one. I set up a forwarding to that main address from Google while I transitioned online accounts to the new email addresses. now I use Google only for YouTube and my phone but the Google mailbox is pretty much defunct, occasionally I get an email but that is still being forwarded to my new main one
*Lose
You could literally destroy me financially or other ways by just gaining login to my gmail.
Sounds like you need to start using MFA.
I'm still transitioning to gmail from my hotmail accounts....
Less of a leap and more of a careful crawl. Use nee email for new services, and deactivate old accounts if possible. I have yet to selfhost email, but for hosted options proton and tutanota are better than gmail for easily. The issue with selfhosting email is that it is easy to get blacklisted iirc.
Never had gmail, I used my ancient hotmail to signup for a google account.
Before you change your accounts over to your new email, use email aliases like anonaddy or simplelogin for your online accounts.
Most websites don't let you change the email? Just create a new account then.
You have to make some sacrifices to get away from having your entire identity online tied to Google. Be willing to have some downsides to get upsides.