Gmail aliases let you receive mail at different addresses that all land in the same inbox
A Gmail alias is an alternate email address that forwards to your main Gmail account. When someone sends mail to your alias, it arrives in your regular inbox, but the "To" line shows the alias address instead. You can create up to 10 aliases per Gmail account without paying anything or setting up a separate mailbox.
Aliases work differently from forwarding. With an alias, you own and control the address. With forwarding, you're borrowing someone else's mailbox. Aliases let you give out different addresses for different purposes — one for online shopping, one for work contacts, one for newsletters — and sort them all by the address they were sent to. That makes it much easier to spot when a sender is using the wrong address or when a company is selling your information to other marketers.
Key Takeaways
- Gmail aliases are created through your account settings and use the format yourname+tag@gmail.com, where you choose the tag.
- You can create up to 10 aliases per account, and mail sent to any alias arrives in your main inbox with the alias visible in the "To" line.
- Aliases help you track which companies have your address and spot when they share it with third parties.
- Unlike forwarding, aliases are addresses you own — if a company misuses an alias address, you can block mail from that alias without affecting your main account.
The two ways Gmail creates aliases
Gmail offers two methods to create an alias. The first uses the plus sign (+) and works when ready with no setup. The second requires you to add an alternate email address in your account settings and verify it, which takes a few minutes.
The plus-sign method is the fastest. You take your Gmail address — say, jane.smith@gmail.com — and add a plus sign and any word or phrase you want: jane.smith+shopping@gmail.com, jane.smith+work@gmail.com, jane.smith+newsletters@gmail.com. Gmail treats everything after the plus sign as a tag and ignores it when routing mail, so all three addresses deliver to jane.smith@gmail.com. You can create as many plus-sign aliases as you want with no limit.
The alternate address method requires you to own a second email address — either another Gmail account or an email from another provider like Outlook or Yahoo. You add that address to your Gmail settings, verify you own it by clicking a link Gmail sends to it, and then you can send mail from that address using your main Gmail account. This method is more work but gives you a completely different-looking address that doesn't reveal your main Gmail account to the recipient.
How to create a plus-sign alias right now
You don't need to do anything in Gmail settings to use a plus-sign alias. straightforward give out the address with the plus sign to whoever you're signing up with. When they send you mail, it arrives in your inbox with the alias in the "To" line.
To organize mail from a plus-sign alias, create a filter in Gmail. Open Gmail, click the Settings gear icon in the top right, then click "See all settings." Go to the "Filters and Blocked Addresses" tab and click "Create a new filter." In the "To" field, type the full alias address — for example, jane.smith+shopping@gmail.com. Click "Create filter." In the next screen, check the box next to "explore the label" and choose an existing label or create a new one. You can also check "Skip the Inbox" if you want these messages to bypass your inbox and go straight to the label. Click "Create filter" to save.
Now every message sent to that alias will be tagged with the label you chose, making it straightforward to find all mail from that source in one place. If you later discover the company is misusing the address, you can create a second filter for the same alias that checks "Delete it" instead, and all future mail from that sender will be automatically deleted.
How to create an alternate address alias
If you want an alias that doesn't show your main Gmail address, you'll need a second email account. If you don't have one, you can create a free Gmail account in a few minutes by going to accounts.google.com and clicking "Create account." Choose a username that doesn't reveal your main account — something generic like firstname.lastname or a made-up name.
Once you have a second email address, go to your main Gmail account and click the Settings gear, then "See all settings." Click the "Accounts and Import" tab. Under "Send mail as," click "Add another email address." Type the name you want to appear in the "From" line when you send from this alias — this can be anything, like "Jane" or "Jane Smith" or a business name. Type the alternate email address in the next field. Leave "Treat as an alias" checked. Click "Next Step."
Gmail will send a verification email to the alternate address. Go to that email account, find the message from Gmail, and click the verification link. Once you verify, the alternate address is set up. Now when you compose a new email in your main Gmail account, you can click the "From" line and choose to send from the alternate address instead of your main one. Mail sent to the alternate address will still arrive in your main inbox, but the "To" line will show the alternate address.
When to use each type of alias
Use plus-sign aliases for most everyday situations: online shopping, newsletter signups, social media accounts, and any service where you don't mind the sender knowing your Gmail address. They're fast to create, require no setup, and let you track exactly which company is sending you mail. If you later get spam at that alias, you know which company either sold your address or had a data breach.
Use alternate address aliases when you want to hide your main Gmail account from the recipient. This is useful for accounts you want to keep separate — a business email, a dating profile, a hobby community, or anywhere you want a different identity. An alternate address also works better if you plan to send mail from the alias, because the recipient will see the alternate address in the "From" line, not your main Gmail account.
Protecting yourself by monitoring which address gets used
The real power of aliases is tracking. When you sign up for a service using jane.smith+amazon@gmail.com and later receive mail at jane.smith+ebay@gmail.com claiming to be from Amazon, you know someone is either impersonating Amazon or Amazon sold your address. When you use different aliases for different purposes, you can spot this when ready.
Create a spreadsheet or document listing which alias you gave to which company. Keep it somewhere safe — a notes app on your phone, a document in Google Drive, or a password manager that stores notes. When you receive unexpected mail, check the "To" line against your list. If the address doesn't match, you've found either a scam or a data leak.
You can also use aliases to test whether a company is respecting your privacy choices. Sign up for a service with one alias and opt out of marketing mail. If you later receive marketing at that alias, the company ignored your preference. If you receive mail at a different alias you never gave them, they bought or traded your address with another company.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone tell my main Gmail address if I use a plus-sign alias?
Yes. A plus-sign alias shows your main Gmail address with a tag added — jane.smith+shopping@gmail.com reveals that your main address is jane.smith@gmail.com. If you want to hide your main address, use an alternate address alias instead.
What happens if I delete an alias?
For plus-sign aliases, there's nothing to delete — they exist only when you use them. For alternate address aliases, you can remove them from your "Send mail as" settings, but mail sent to that address will bounce back to the sender. Any mail already in your inbox stays there.
Can I send mail from a plus-sign alias?
No. Plus-sign aliases only receive mail. The "From" line will always show your main Gmail address. If you need to send mail from an alias, create an alternate address alias instead.
Do I need to pay for aliases?
No. Gmail allows up to 10 alternate address aliases per account at no cost. Plus-sign aliases are unlimited and free.
What if I want to reply to mail sent to an alias?
When you reply to a message sent to an alias, Gmail automatically sends your reply from that same alias. The recipient sees the alias in the "From" line, not your main address. This works for both plus-sign and alternate address aliases.