Changing your email address if you’ve never done it before can seem like a daunting task. However, give yourself plenty of time to switch smoothly and you might find it worth it.
1) Set up an email address with a free service. Gmail and Outlook are two of the most popular. Do this well in advance when considering switching broadband providers – you may even need a few months to switch.
2) Set up a forwarding system on your old email account so that all new emails are automatically forwarded to your new email address. It sounds tedious, but it need not be. You can usually find the redirect option in the inbox settings of your old email account. This will work as long as your old email account is still active.
3) Import all your contacts from your old account to your new one. You can do this in bulk to make sure you don’t miss any important contacts that you forgot.
4) Email your primary contacts to let them know your new email address.
5) Set up an autoresponder message to your old email address. This means that when someone emails you at this address, they receive an automated message stating that their email has been forwarded and explaining that you will respond from the new email address in the future.
6) Make a list of all accounts and logins that are linked to your old email address. Go through and update your contact details for each with your new email address. Don’t forget online banking, streaming services, and social media accounts.
7) Once you’ve saved all the old emails you want to keep, delete the rest, especially those containing personal information.
