Where to find and change your YouTube email

Your YouTube account is tied to a Google Account, so changing your YouTube email means changing the email Google has on file for you. You do this in Google Account settings, not in YouTube itself — YouTube will follow whatever email you set there.

The fastest way is to go to myaccount.google.com in your web browser, sign in if you are not already, and look for the "Personal info" tab on the left side. Click "Email" under your name, and you will see your current email address. From there you can change it to a new one.

If you are on your phone, the same page works in a mobile browser, though the layout is narrower. You can also change it through the YouTube app itself: tap your profile picture in the top right, select "Manage your Google Account," go to the "Personal info" tab, and follow the same steps.

Key Takeaways

  • YouTube email changes happen in Google Account settings at myaccount.google.com, not in the YouTube app or website.
  • You will need to verify the new email address by clicking a link Google sends to it before the change takes effect.
  • Your old email address remains linked to the account as a recovery option for 30 days, then is removed unless you add it back.
  • If you no longer have access to your old email, you can remove it when ready without waiting 30 days by answering security questions.
  • Changing your email does not affect your YouTube videos, subscribers, or watch history — those stay with your account.

What happens when you add a new email address

When you enter a new email in Google Account settings, Google sends a verification link to that address. You have to click the link within a set time (usually several hours) to confirm you own that email. Until you do, the change is not complete and your old email is still your account email.

Check the inbox of your new email address right away. If you do not see the verification message, check your spam or promotions folder — it sometimes lands there by mistake. The email will come from Google and say something like "Verify your email for your Google Account." Click the link inside, and your new email becomes active when ready.

Your old email address stays linked to your account for 30 days as a recovery option. This means if you get locked out, Google can still send you a recovery code to your old email. After 30 days, Google removes it automatically unless you add it back to your account.

If you cannot access your old email anymore

If your old email account is closed, hacked, or you straightforward cannot get into it, you do not have to wait 30 days. Go back to the email settings in your Google Account, find your old email in the list, and select "Remove." Google will ask you to verify your identity by answering security questions you set up when you created the account — things like your recovery phone number or a backup email you provided years ago.

Answer the questions correctly, and Google removes the old email when ready. This is safer than waiting 30 days, because it closes the window where someone else could use that old email to recover your account if it gets compromised.

If you cannot answer the security questions because you do not remember them, Google has a recovery process, but it takes longer and may require you to provide a photo of your ID. Start at accounts.google.com/signin/recovery and follow the prompts.

Changing email on a shared or family account

If your YouTube account is part of a Google Family Group — where a parent manages accounts for children or a household shares settings — changing the email is more complicated. The primary account holder (usually the parent) controls the email for child accounts and has to make the change themselves through Family Link settings.

If you are the primary account holder, you can change your own email the normal way. But if you are a child account and want to change your email, ask the parent or guardian to open the Family Link app, select your account, go to "Account info," and change the email there. You cannot do it yourself even if you know the password.

What to do before and after you change your email

Before you change your email, write down or screenshot your current email address. You will need it to sign into YouTube and other Google services until the change is complete, and if something goes wrong, you will want to remember what it was.

After the change is complete, update your email in any other places where you used it: password managers, email forwarding rules, two-factor authentication settings on other websites, and anywhere else you signed up with that address. If you are still using your old email for other things, you do not have to delete it — you can keep using it for email, just not for signing into Google or YouTube.

If you set up two-factor authentication on your Google Account (which you should), make sure you still have access to your recovery phone number or backup email. If you changed your phone number recently, update that in Google Account settings too, or you might get locked out if you ever need to sign back in.

Troubleshooting if the change does not go through

If you entered a new email but never received the verification link, wait a few minutes and check your spam folder. If it is still not there after 10 minutes, go back to myaccount.google.com, click "Email" again, and select "Send verification email" to request a new link. Google will send another one right away.

If the verification link expired (usually after 24 hours), you will see an error message when you click it. Go back to the email settings page and request a new verification email — the old link will not work anymore.

If you see an error saying the email is already in use, that email address is already tied to another Google Account. You cannot use the same email for two accounts. Either use a different email address, or if that email is yours and you want to use it for this account instead, you will have to remove it from the other account first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing my email affect my YouTube videos or subscribers?

No. Your videos, channel name, subscriber count, and all your YouTube history stay exactly the same. The email change only affects how you sign in and how Google contacts you — it does not touch anything on your channel.

Can I use a Gmail address and a non-Gmail address at the same time?

No. Your Google Account has one primary email address at a time. You can add other email addresses as recovery options, but only one is your main email. If you want to use a different email to sign in, you have to make it the primary one.

What if I change my email and then want to change it back?

You can change it back the same way you changed it the first time. Go to myaccount.google.com, click "Email," and enter your old email address. Google will send a verification link to that address, and once you click it, you are back to your original email.

Do I need to change my YouTube password when I change my email?

No. Your password is separate from your email. Changing your email does not affect your password, and you do not need to change it unless you think your account has been compromised.

How long does it take for the email change to show up everywhere?

Once you click the verification link, the change is active when ready on YouTube and Google. If you use YouTube on multiple devices, you may need to sign out and sign back in on those devices to see the new email, but the change itself is when ready.