# Changing g-mail address?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-g-mail-address/477834
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 19, 2008, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-g-mail-address/477834 "2008-12-19T00:31:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Influential\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Influential_Panda)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2008, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-g-mail-address/477834/1 "2008-12-19T00:31:16Z")
So I’ve got two gmail addresses. One isn’t very professional sounding (let’s call it CrapFish), but has all of my contacts, e-mail from the past 4-5 years, and google homepage settings. So it’s my baby. The other is very generic and professional (let’s call it Banker), and I’ve got all of Banker’s mail forwarding to CrapFish. All outgoing mail from Crapfish is supposed to be sent with Banker’s e-mail address, but I just discovered that g-mail won’t truly spoof the address and instead sends “from CrapFish on behalf of Banker”, which COMPLETELY defeats the purpose.
Is there any way to migrate all my data from CrapFish over to Banker? Or even just change the account name on CrapFish?
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### Author:  [@PopeJewish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PopeJewish)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2008, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-g-mail-address/477834/2 "2008-12-19T04:12:24Z")
I believe you can do this by using an independent mail program to simply manage two accounts, like Mac’s Mail app. Then you can select which address to send mail from, and have received mail from both dumped into the same inbox
ETA: Try Mozilla’s Thunderbird, I hear good things
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### Author:  [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2008, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-g-mail-address/477834/3 "2008-12-19T05:04:22Z")
Try the Gmail user group [help forum](http://groups.google.com/group/Gmail-Help-Discussion).
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### Author:  [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2008, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-g-mail-address/477834/4 "2008-12-19T11:42:26Z")
Never mind.
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### Author:  [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2008, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-g-mail-address/477834/5 "2008-12-19T12:44:15Z")
No need to forward. In gmail’s _settings/accounts_ menu you can add more gmail accounts to be read/accessed at the same time from gmail. Whenever you send a mail, you can choose from a drop-down menu which of your accounts it should be sent from.
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### Author:  [@Influential\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Influential_Panda)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2008, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-g-mail-address/477834/6 "2008-12-19T16:37:24Z")
> [@Panurge](#):
>
> No need to forward. In gmail’s _settings/accounts_ menu you can add more gmail accounts to be read/accessed at the same time from gmail. Whenever you send a mail, you can choose from a drop-down menu which of your accounts it should be sent from.
Uhhhh
[QUOTE=Influential Panda]
g-mail won’t truly spoof the address and instead sends “from CrapFish on behalf of Banker”, which COMPLETELY defeats the purpose.
[/quote]
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### Author:  [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-g-mail-address/477834/7 "2008-12-19T16:53:00Z")
Sorry - I must have misunderstood you when you said that you _forwarded_ the mail from Banker to Crapfish. I thought you had another thing going on. I have never noticed the problem you mention (but then again - I rarely send stuff to myself).
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### Author:  [@Influential\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Influential_Panda)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2008, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-g-mail-address/477834/8 "2008-12-19T17:02:38Z")
Ah, my fault. I see where I should have been clearer.
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### Author:  [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-g-mail-address/477834/9 "2008-12-19T17:24:08Z")
I have _exactly_ this problem.
I have three Gmail accounts:
1. [Equivalent of] SpunkyMonkey
2. My.Full.Nickame
3. My.Full.Name
I use 2 and 3 for business purposes, but SpunkyMonkey is the one I’ve got everything in - and the “on behalf of” thing made me look like a putz whenever I used it before I realised what was going on. Don’t want to use a mail client either.
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### Author:  [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2008, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-g-mail-address/477834/10 "2008-12-19T19:26:05Z")
It seems that the “on behalf of” is becoming a [hot subject on the gmail discussion forums](http://groups.google.com/group/Gmail-Help-Message-Delivery-en/browse_thread/thread/b27f0e9baa0c0ffc/87a257c47e3d4e69?lnk=gst&q=REQUEST#87a257c47e3d4e69). No real solutions though, unfortunately. Apparently the good folks at Google are “working on it”..
Someone on the gmail forum suggests this:
> [@](#):
>
> The only solution is to only use gmail on the Web and not through a
> mail client such a Outlook or Thunderbird. Once POP and IMAP are
> disabled in gmail settings and you have set up forwarding from any
> other email providers/ISPs to gmail it works fine.
>
> The only notification that the mail has come from a gmail account is a
> small line at the bottom of the mail “From [gmail.com](http://gmail.com)” so NO full email
> address which is the thing that was concerning people the most.
I don’t know if it actually works, though. Good luck.
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### Author:  [@JackofHearts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackofHearts)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2008, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-g-mail-address/477834/11 "2008-12-19T20:02:53Z")
My solution, while probably not exactly what you’re looking for, is to use OSXs mail.app and mobile me to manage everything. I have 2 gmail accounts (like you, the silly name, and a more professional sounding one) and the .mac one.
1. I have both gmail addresses set up (under settings) to forward all mail to the .mac and not retain a copy (this part becomes important later to avoid duplicate mesages)
2. I then have my mobile me stuff (the iPhone and mail.app) set up to push the mobile me to both of my computers and phone.
3. I then set up both gmail accounts on the iPhone, as if I am having it check 3 different mailboxes. This is the only way to have the iPhone give the option to “send from” the gmail addresses. Here is where the part about not saving on the gmail server is important. If you have it retain a copy, you will get the original mail sent to the gmail showing up on the phone or mail.app in addition to the one forwarded to .mac
4. Basically, it is all one big mailbox with the option to “send from” any of the accounts without having to manage multiple accounts, and without the “sent on behalf of” beingan issue.
Hope that helps or at least gives some ideas…