What a Gmail alias is and why you'd use one
A Gmail alias is an alternate email address that sends and receives mail to your main Gmail inbox. When you add an alias, you get a second address — or third, or fourth — that all funnel into the same account. Mail sent to your alias arrives in the same inbox as mail sent to your primary address, and you can reply from either one.
The main reason to use an alias is to separate which address you give out for which purpose. You might use one alias for online shopping, another for work contacts, and keep your primary address for people you know personally. When a scam email arrives at your shopping alias, you know when ready it came from a retailer or a breach of a retailer's list — not from someone in your actual life. You can then filter all mail from that alias into a folder, or set up a rule to flag it differently, so you spot the pattern faster.
Gmail aliases are different from forwarding addresses. A forwarding address sends mail somewhere else; an alias keeps everything in one account but gives you multiple entry points. You own and control both addresses equally.
Key Takeaways
- A Gmail alias is a second email address that delivers to your main inbox, letting you separate mail by purpose without managing multiple accounts.
- You can add up to 10 aliases per Gmail account, and each one works for both sending and receiving.
- Aliases are created in Gmail Settings under the "Accounts and Import" tab, not in a separate tool.
- Once you add an alias, you can choose which address to send from when you compose a new email.
- Scammers and data brokers often target one alias more than others, making it easier to spot which service leaked your information.
How to add an alias in Gmail Settings
Open Gmail in your web browser and click the gear icon in the top right corner. Select See all settings from the dropdown menu. This takes you to the full Settings page.
Click the Accounts and Import tab at the top. Under the section labeled "Send mail as," you'll see your primary Gmail address listed. Below that, click the link that says Add another email address. A popup window will appear asking for the name and email address you want to use as your alias.
In the "Name" field, type the name you want to appear when you send from this alias — this can be anything, like "Shopping Account" or just your first name. In the "Email address" field, type the new Gmail address you want to create. It must follow the format yourname+something@gmail.com or yourname.something@gmail.com, where "yourname" is your existing Gmail username and "something" is the word or phrase you choose to identify this alias.
Leave the "Treat as an alias" checkbox checked — this is the default and the option you want. Click Next Step. Gmail will send a confirmation email to the new alias address. Check your inbox (it arrives within seconds), open the confirmation email, and click the verification link inside it. Once you verify, the alias is active and ready to use.
Choosing which address to send from
After you've added an alias, you can choose which address to send from every time you compose an email. Open a new email in Gmail and look for the "From" field at the top left of the compose window. Click on your primary email address — it's a clickable link, not just text. A dropdown menu appears showing your primary address and all your aliases. Select the one you want to send from.
If you don't see the "From" field, it may be hidden. Click the down arrow next to "To" at the top of the compose box to expand the full header and reveal the "From" option.
You can set a default sending address if you use one alias much more often than the others. Go back to Settings, click Accounts and Import, and under "Send mail as," click the radio button next to the address you want to use as your default. From then on, new emails will start with that address selected — though you can still switch to a different one before sending.
Organizing mail from different aliases
Once you have multiple aliases, you may want to sort incoming mail by which address it was sent to. The easiest way is to create filters. In Gmail Settings, click the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab. Click Create a new filter.
In the "To" field, type the alias address you want to filter — for example, your shopping alias. Click Create filter. Now you can choose what happens to mail sent to that address: skip the inbox and send it to a label, mark it with a star, or explore a color. Most people create a label for each alias (like "Shopping" or "Work") and have mail automatically sorted there. You can still see all your mail in the main inbox if you want, but the label makes it straightforward to find messages from a specific alias later.
Labels are more powerful than folders because one email can have multiple labels, and you can search by label. If you want to see only mail from your shopping alias, click the label name in the left sidebar. If you want to see everything, stay in the main inbox.
What happens when you reply from an alias
When someone sends mail to one of your aliases, you can reply from that same alias. The person who sent you the email sees the reply coming from the alias address they wrote to — they don't see your primary Gmail address. This keeps your aliases separate in the eyes of the person you're corresponding with.
If you receive mail at an alias and reply from your primary address by mistake, the person will see your primary address in the reply. To avoid this, always check the "From" field before you hit send. Gmail remembers which address you last sent from, so if you usually reply from one alias, it will default to that one next time — but it's worth a quick glance to be sure.
Limits and what you can't do with aliases
Gmail allows up to 10 aliases per account. If you need more than 10 separate addresses, you would have to create a second Gmail account entirely, which means a separate inbox and separate login.
You cannot delete an alias once you've created it. You can stop using it — straightforward don't select it when you compose mail, and don't give it out to anyone new — but the address itself remains tied to your account. If you want to reclaim the address for a different purpose, you can change the name associated with it in Settings, but the email address part stays the same.
Aliases do not create separate storage. All mail from all your aliases goes into the same inbox and counts toward your Gmail storage limit. If you're running low on space, you need to delete old emails, not create new aliases.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use an alias that doesn't include my Gmail username?
No. Gmail aliases must be based on your existing Gmail address. They follow the pattern yourname+something@gmail.com or yourname.something@gmail.com. You cannot create a completely separate address like newemail@gmail.com as an alias. If you need a truly separate address, you would need to create a new Gmail account.
Do people know when I'm using an alias to reply to them?
They see the alias address in the "From" field of your reply, so they know you're using a different address than your primary Gmail. They don't know it's an alias — they just see it as the address you're sending from. If you want to keep it private that you use aliases, don't mention it in your emails.
What if someone sends mail to my alias and I want to reply from my primary address instead?
You can. When you reply, click the "From" field and select your primary address from the dropdown. The person will then see your primary address in the reply. This breaks the separation between that alias and your primary address for that one conversation, but it's your choice to make.
Can I receive mail at an alias if I don't give anyone the address?
Technically yes, but it's not useful. Mail can only arrive at an address if someone sends it there. If you create an alias and never give it to anyone, you won't receive any mail at it. Aliases are meant to be shared with specific people or services so you can track which ones have your address.
If my alias gets spammed, can I turn it off without affecting my main account?
You cannot disable an alias, but you can filter all mail from it or block it entirely. Create a filter for that alias address and choose to delete all incoming mail automatically, or mark it as spam. This stops the mail from cluttering your inbox without affecting your primary address or other aliases.