How to Change Your Default Gmail Account

Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: October 22, 2021 Tested

Your default Gmail account is what dictates your default YouTube page, your calendar events, and much more. To change your default Gmail account, you'll need to sign out of all existing accounts and then re-sign in on a browser that will save your preferences; you can then add your other accounts to your new default.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Changing Your Default Gmail Account

1
Navigate to your Gmail inbox. Make sure this is your default account before proceeding.
2
Click your profile image. You can find this in the top right corner of your inbox page.

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3
Click "Sign out" in the drop-down menu. Your default Gmail account and all linked accounts will sign out.^{[1]
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4
Click your preferred default account.
5
Enter your account's password.
6
Click "Sign in". You should now be signed into your preferred default account; from here, you can add your other accounts to your new default.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Adding Accounts

1
Click your profile image.
2
Click "Add Account" in the drop-down menu.
3
Click the name of an account you'd like to add. Alternatively, you can click "Add account" at the bottom of this page to add a new account.^{[2]
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4
Type you additional account's password. If you're adding a previously-unlinked account, you'll need to provide the email address as well.
5
Click "Sign in" when you're done. Your secondary account should now by signed in and linked to your default account!
- You can repeat this process for as many accounts as you would like to link.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I change my default Gmail account if signing out of my default Gmail account is not an option?

Community Answer

You can select the "Sign out of all accounts" button at the bottom. This worked for me.
Question

Why does my secondary Gmail account show as my default?

Community Answer

If you logged into that account prior to your primary account, then it automatically becomes your default. Sign out of both and then sign back in to the one you want as default first.

Warnings

Once you sign out of your default Gmail account, you'll be signed out of any google-related services as well.

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