How to Change Your Email on PayPal

Last updated: July 6, 2026 · Verified against the current process

Quick answer Go to Settings (gear icon) → Account → Email, choose Add email, enter the new address, and click the confirmation link PayPal emails you. Then set it as primary and remove the old address. Do this before closing the old mailbox — but keep the old email on your PayPal account until you are sure no one is still sending payments to it.

PayPal is different from a social account: your email is not just a login, it is also an address people send money to. That makes the order doubly important. If you are retiring an old inbox — perhaps you are about to delete a Gmail account — update PayPal first, confirm the new address works, and give any regular senders time to switch before you remove the old one. Remove it too soon and incoming payments to that address can fail.

Before you start

Sign in at paypal.com from a device you trust, because PayPal may ask for extra verification when you change account details. Have the new mailbox open to click the confirmation link. If you use PayPal to receive payments — invoices, marketplace sales, friends and family — make a short list of who sends to your old address so you can tell them the new one once it is live. PayPal supports multiple confirmed addresses, so you can run both in parallel during the switch.

Add and confirm the new email

  1. Open your email settings

    Click the Settings gear icon near the top, then open the Account tab and find the Email section. Look for the list of addresses on file.

  2. Add the new address

    Select Add email (or the edit/plus control), type the new address carefully, and save. PayPal sends a confirmation link to that mailbox.

  3. Confirm it

    Open the new inbox and click Confirm your email in the message from PayPal (sender ends in paypal.com). The address shows as "unconfirmed" until you do this, and an unconfirmed address cannot become primary or receive payments. Check spam if it does not arrive within a few minutes.

Make it your primary address

Back in the Email settings, select the newly confirmed address and choose Make primary. The primary email is where PayPal sends receipts, security alerts, and login notifications, and it is the default address shown to people paying you. Confirm the label updates to "Primary" before continuing.

Remove the old email

Give payments time to move first Any money sent to a removed email address will fail or bounce back to the sender. Keep the old address on your account until you have confirmed nobody is still sending to it, then remove it. You cannot remove the primary address, so the new one must be primary first.
  1. Notify anyone who pays you

    Tell regular senders and update any saved payee details, invoices, or subscription profiles to the new address.

  2. Remove the old address

    In Settings → Account → Email, select the old (now non-primary) address and choose Remove. PayPal keeps at least one confirmed email on the account, so the new one must be confirmed and primary before this works.

With the old address detached, you can safely close that mailbox. PayPal will no longer send anything there.

Security, 2FA, and payment implications

Changing your email does not change your password, and it does not disable two-step verification — but a money account deserves extra care:

Because a compromised PayPal inbox is high-value to attackers, consider giving PayPal a dedicated alias that you do not reuse anywhere else.

Frequently asked questions

Will changing my email affect money people send me?

Payments follow whichever address the sender uses. Once the new email is confirmed and primary, ask regular senders to use it. Keep the old address on the account until you are sure nobody is still sending there, then remove it — money sent to a removed address fails or is returned.

Can I have more than one email on my PayPal account?

Yes. PayPal lets you add several confirmed addresses and pick one as primary. All confirmed addresses can receive payments, which helps during a transition, but only the primary is used for notifications and login.

Why can't I remove my old PayPal email?

You cannot remove the primary address. Add the new email, confirm it, set it as primary, and the old one becomes removable. PayPal also requires at least one confirmed email on the account at all times.

Do I need the confirmation email to finish the change?

Yes. PayPal sends a confirmation link to the new address, and it stays unconfirmed — unable to become primary or receive payments — until you click it. Check spam and use the resend option on the email settings page.

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