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How to create a Gmail alias to send from a different address

Gmail's "Send mail as" setting lets you compose and send messages that appear to come from a different email address, without leaving your main inbox or logging into a second account. This guide covers adding and verifying that address on the desktop browser version. It covers sending only — if you also want mail sent to that other address to land in this inbox, that's a separate forwarding setup on the other account.

What you'll need: A Gmail account. A desktop or laptop browser — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge. Access to the inbox of the other email address, to complete verification.

Open Gmail Settings

Go to mail.google.com, sign in, then click the gear icon (⚙️) near the top-right of the screen and click See all settings.

Go to the Accounts and Import tab

In the Settings menu, click Accounts and Import along the top.

Start adding another address

Scroll to the Send mail as section and click Add another email address.

Enter the alias's details

A pop-up window opens. Enter the name you want to appear on outgoing messages and the email address you want to send as, then click Next Step.

Treat as an alias is ticked by default. Leave it ticked unless you specifically want this address to behave as a fully separate sending identity — for most people, ticked is correct, since it keeps replies to your sent messages arriving in this same inbox.

Send the verification

Click Send Verification. Gmail sends a confirmation email to the address you entered, containing a verification link and a confirmation code.

Verify the address

Open the inbox for the other email address, find the message from the Gmail Team, and either click the confirmation link inside it, or copy the confirmation code and paste it into the pop-up still open in your original Gmail tab, then click Verify.

Choose the alias when composing

Click Compose to start a new email. Click the From field, just below the To field, and select the address you added from the dropdown.

Set it as the default, if you want (optional)

Back in Settings › Accounts and Import, find the address under Send mail as and click make default next to it. Every new message you compose will then use that address unless you change it.

Variations

Sending from an address on a custom domain hosted elsewhere

If the address isn't a Gmail or Google Workspace address, Gmail may ask for that provider's outgoing (SMTP) server details — server address, port, username, and password — rather than a simple email verification. Your email host can supply these.

Changing which address a reply comes from

In Accounts and Import, under When receiving a message, choose Reply from the same address the message was sent to so replies default to whichever address a message originally arrived at, rather than always your main one.

Removing an alias later

In Accounts and Import, find the address under Send mail as and click delete next to it. This only removes the sending option — it doesn't affect the other account itself.

Troubleshooting

The verification email never arrives

Check the spam or junk folder of the other account first. If it's still missing after a few minutes, go back to the "Send mail as" list, click send verification again next to the pending address, and try once more.

There's no From field when composing

The From field only appears once you have more than one verified sending address. If you've only just verified the alias, close and reopen the compose window.

Replies to my alias are landing in the wrong place

Check the When receiving a message setting in Accounts and Import, described above under Variations. Without it set, replies default to your main address rather than following the address a message was sent to.

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