Gmail's third-party Send as ends in January 2027

In short

• Gmail's third-party Send as ends in January 2027. (opens in a new tab) Gmail addresses and Google Workspace aliases are unaffected.
• Check whether your email plan includes a mailbox and a supported way to send before choosing an app.
• Test delivery, the sender address and replies before switching. Keep the current service active while you check.

This documentation-based planning guide includes privacy-redacted Gmail settings screenshots and images from Google's public Help pages. We have not migrated an account, sent test messages or tested the January 2027 removal.

1. Check how your address connects to Gmail

1. On a computer, open Gmail, then Settings, See all settings, and Accounts and Import or Accounts.

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Gmail Quick settings panel with the See all settings button.

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Open See all settings from Gmail's Quick settings panel. Cropped to omit account information.

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Gmail Settings tabs with Accounts and Import selected.

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Select Accounts and Import to find the sender and mail-fetching settings. Cropped to omit account information.

2. Under Send mail as, list the addresses you use. Check each address's actual mail provider in your hosting account or with your administrator. A custom domain can be hosted by Google or by another provider.
3. Check Check mail from other accounts separately. That setting fetches incoming mail. Google's POP notice (opens in a new tab) explains this change. Send mail as handles the address used for outgoing messages. Gmail's settings instructions (opens in a new tab)

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Gmail settings labels: Send mail as and Check mail from other accounts.

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Google is also retiring Gmailify and web-based POP fetching. Its POP timeline (opens in a new tab) says new users can no longer start using these features after the first quarter of 2026, while existing users can continue until January 2027. If you use POP fetching, plan how new mail will arrive as well as how you will reply.

What continues:

• Send as for Google-hosted identities, including Gmail addresses and Google Workspace aliases
• Separately added non-Google accounts in the Gmail mobile app
• Incoming mail forwarded by another provider to Gmail
• Messages already imported into Gmail
• Other mail apps connecting to your Gmail account through IMAP or POP

These exceptions are in Google's change notice (opens in a new tab). Legacy third-party Send as through your primary Gmail account ends on both the website and the mobile app. Gmail may restrict new configurations earlier, so avoid deleting a working entry to experiment.

2. Find out what your email plan includes

Before installing an app or paying for hosting, check your current provider's help pages or ask support:

1. Does this address have a mailbox with stored messages, or does it only forward mail elsewhere?
2. Can I send from this exact address through the provider's webmail?
3. Does my plan include IMAP access and an outgoing SMTP service that permits this address? Which secure connection and sign-in method does it require?

Mail apps need an actual service to connect to. Thunderbird's setup documentation (opens in a new tab) identifies separate incoming and outgoing server settings. A forwarding-only address may lack both; installing a mail app cannot supply them.

If your existing plan includes a usable mailbox, start with its webmail or a compatible app. This may solve the problem without another hosting subscription. If you only have forwarding, ask whether your provider offers a supported sending service or mailbox, and what it costs.

Consider paid hosting when your current service cannot do the job. If keeping Gmail's web interface with your domain is essential, Google Workspace's business email plans (opens in a new tab) provide that through a subscription. Confirm custom-domain support in the exact plan, then check local currency, taxes, renewal terms and cancellation conditions before buying.

3. Add a supported mailbox to Gmail mobile

If you already have a mailbox with compatible access, Google's Android instructions (opens in a new tab) and iPhone and iPad instructions (opens in a new tab) describe this route:

1. Open the Gmail app and tap your profile picture, then Add another account.

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Add another account row in Google's Gmail app illustration.

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Google's illustration shows Add another account after opening the profile menu. Source: Google Gmail Help (opens in a new tab), cropped.

2. Choose your provider if it appears, and follow its sign-in process.
3. For an unlisted provider, choose Other on Android, then Personal (IMAP). On iPhone or iPad, choose Other (IMAP). Use your provider's published settings.
4. Once the account is added, use Menu, then All inboxes, if you want a combined view.

This connects a separate mailbox in the app. It does not add that mailbox to Gmail's website. Confirm that both the provider and your chosen app support sending from any aliases you need, then run the checks below for each sending address.

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Google's Android instructions showing Add another account, Other and Personal IMAP for a separate mailbox.

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Google's Android help page shows how to add an existing IMAP mailbox as a separate account. Source: Google Gmail Help, cropped.

4. Check the sender and reply path before switching

Use two accounts you control and a harmless test message. Keep the current service active while you check the replacement.

1. From your chosen app or webmail, send to your second account. Before sending, inspect the full From address.
2. In the receiving account, check the displayed sender and full address. Look for an unexpected personal Gmail address or an "on behalf of" label.
3. Click Reply and inspect the destination before sending. Send the test reply, then confirm which inbox receives it.
4. Send a fresh message from the second account to your domain address. Confirm that it arrives, then find the outgoing test message in the expected Sent folder.

Google's Send as help (opens in a new tab) explains why checking replies matters: changing From alone can leave replies going to the original Gmail address. The replacement service has its own sender and reply settings. Check the received message instead of assuming they match.

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Google's legacy Send as help explaining separate default From and reply-to addresses.

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Google's legacy Send as help explains why changing From alone can leave replies going to the original Gmail address. Check the replacement service's reply settings separately. Source: Google Gmail Help, cropped.

For a closer look in a receiving account in Gmail on the web, open the message, choose More beside Reply, then Show original. Google's header instructions (opens in a new tab) explain where to find this. Keep headers private because they can contain addresses and routing details.

Before moving hosting or changing your domain's mail-delivery records, back up mail and record the current configuration. Follow the new host's migration instructions, repeat these checks after the change, and keep the old service until you have verified delivery and access to the messages you need.

If something does not work

• If a new Send as entry is unavailable, choose a supported alternative. Recreating a legacy entry may already be restricted. Google's transition notice (opens in a new tab)
• If you can receive but cannot send, check the outgoing service and whether it permits your exact sender address. Forwarding success does not test sending.
• If the app reports an insecure connection or certificate problem, stop and ask the mail provider for valid settings. Do not turn off encryption to get past it. Google's connection-error help (opens in a new tab)
• If a replacement extension requests access to your mail or credentials, review that access carefully. Google warns that tools recreating Send as can expose account data. Google's security warning (opens in a new tab)

Sources: Google's third-party account changes (opens in a new tab), Gmailify and POP timeline (opens in a new tab), Send as settings (opens in a new tab), Gmail mobile setup (opens in a new tab), message headers (opens in a new tab), Thunderbird server settings (opens in a new tab), Workspace business email (opens in a new tab).