How to Change Your Default Google Account
So you've got multiple Google accounts and find yourself constantly juggling between them because the wrong one is always selected by default? You're not the only one caught in this cycle of frustration.
Fortunately, it's possible to set a new default and make your life a bit easier. That way, the account that automatically comes into play when you open any Google service like Gmail or Google Drive is the one you actually want to use.
Changing Default Google Account on Desktop
Changing your account on a desktop is easy, but it may not be immediately obvious how to do it. Well, look no further. The following steps are here to guide you through the process:
- Launch your web browser and go to: https://myaccount.google.com/
- Click the profile picture in the top-right corner.
- Select the Sign out of all accounts option.
- Log back into the Google account you wish to set as your new default. Then log into your secondary Gmail accounts.
- Click your profile picture one more time to verify that the first account listed is now your new default.
Changing Default Google Account on Mobile
Switching your account on mobile isn't any more difficult than switching the default Google account on desktop. Here's what you need to do:
Android
- Open the Settings app on your Android device.
- Scroll until you find Google and then tap it.
- Click the arrow next to your Google account and select the Manage accounts on this device option.
- Select and remove each and every Google account.
- Sign in to the account you want to use as your Google default account, and then sign in to your secondary accounts.
iOS
- Open the Settings app on your iOS device.
- Scroll down and tap Mail.
- Select the Accounts option.
- Select and remove each and every Google address.
- Sign in to the credentials you want to use as your Google default account, and then sign in to your secondary accounts.
How to Manage Multiple Google Accounts Effectively
Juggling multiple Google accounts can feel like you're spinning too many plates at once, but with a few simple tips & tricks, you can manage multiple Gmail accounts quite effectively:
- Learn how to make a Google account default: As you've just discovered, knowing how to make a Google account default saves you time and clicks. This way, every time you access Google services, you'll automatically be using the account you most prefer.
- Use the Google Account Switcher for one-time tasks: Need to quickly change your Gmail address to, for example, send an email from a different address? Use the Google Account Switcher. Simply click your profile picture in the top-right corner of your Gmail inbox to switch accounts. It's great for quick swaps without the hassle of logging out.
- Create different web browser profiles to separate different accounts: Using this feature, you can essentially have two or more Google accounts open in separate browser windows. This is particularly helpful for those who use one address for work and another one for personal use because it eliminates the need to change the default Gmail account.
- Consolidate your Google accounts to reduce their number: If you've got old accounts you don't use or addresses that you use for the same purpose, consider consolidating them into your primary account to eliminate the need to switch the default Google account. You can import emails and contacts and even connect them to your main address for a simplified experience. Of course, you can always create a new Gmail account and use it as your primary one.
- Take advantage of third-party plugins and tools: While they won't help you set the default Google account, there are countless tools available to help you customize Gmail and manage your accounts more effectively. For instance, tools like Clean Email can offer more advanced features for email management.
Equipped with the knowledge of how to switch the default Google account and the above-described tips & tricks, you're now set to manage multiple Google addresses like a pro. But there's more to email management than just knowing how to change your primary Google account, and the next section of this article explains how you can further optimize your inbox and enhance your overall email experience.
Enhancing Inbox Management with Clean Email
Even after you've mastered how to set your Google account as default, you might still feel overwhelmed by a cluttered inbox. That's where Clean Email comes in. This popular inbox organizer is designed to make your Gmail experience more manageable and secure.
Clean Email can help you organize your Gmail emails in several different ways. For example, the Smart Folders feature lets you apply predefined filters to your mailbox, grouping similar messages together. You can then select all messages that have something in common (finance-related or related to online shopping, and more) and manage them in bulk.
Here is how to use Smart Folders:
- Sign in to the Clean Email app with the Gmail account you want to clean up.
- Click on any of the Smart Folders located in the left pane.
- Select the email bundle or bundles you want to manage.
- Tell Clean Email what you want to do with the selected emails (ex. send them to Trash).
- Repeat the process for other Smart Folders.
When you organize your Gmail inbox using Clean Email, you can always easily create Auto Clean rules to perform the same action automatically in the future, saving you valuable time and effort.
Other useful features include:
- Cleaning Suggestions: This feature offers quick actions for managing your emails, based on your previous behavior and on actions commonly taken by other users. For example, if you frequently delete emails from a certain sender, Clean Email will suggest that action for future messages from the same source.
- Unsubscriber: Tired of receiving newsletters and promotional emails that you never signed up for or no longer want to read? The Unsubscriber feature allows you to easily opt out of these types of communications, helping to declutter your inbox in the process.
- Screener: When you enable the Screener feature, Clean Email intercepts all messages coming from new senders and keeps them quarantined for your review instead of delivering them to your inbox. This allows you to decide how to manage these messages before they clutter your main inbox.
These and other features are designed with a strong emphasis on your privacy and security. The application will only use access to read or control Gmail message metadata, including information about attachments and headers, to provide you with its services.
What's even better is that all of these robust features are available on mobile platforms, making it easier for you to manage your emails while on the go.
Wrap-Up
Making a Google account default is relatively simple, and this guide has provided you with all the steps you need to reach the finish line. But why stop at changing the default account settings? With Clean Email, you can take your inbox management to the next level thanks to features like Smart Folders, Cleaning Suggestions, Unsubscriber, Screener, and more.
