You don't need a desktop email client to manage multiple email accounts. Gmail can seamlessly handle all your private and professional email addresses. We'll show you how you can check all your Gmail accounts from the same interface, all at once.

1. Open Gmail in Multiple Browsers

Gmail in three parallel browser windows.

To log in to two or three different Gmail accounts at once, you could simply run two or three different browsers or browser profiles, each with a different user account logged in.

This is a workaround for when you want to keep your accounts separate. It's also extremely simple as it doesn't require much of a setup, other than installing different browsers or browser profiles.

If you're using Chrome on your desktop, jump to the third suggestion below for a more detailed rundown of how to set this up.

The multi-browser method works both on the desktop and on mobile, though if you're on a phone or tablet, using the Gmail mobile app would be easier. Here's how you can manage multiple Google (and Gmail) accounts on Android.

2. Switch Between Gmail Accounts With Google's Multiple Sign-In Feature

Add another account to your Gmail multiple sign-in account switcher.

Google's account switcher lets you sign in to multiple accounts at once and within a single browser. This feature works in any browser, meaning you don't have to use Chrome.

To set up switching between email accounts from within Gmail, log in to your main Gmail account, click on your profile picture in the top right, and select Add another account.

A new window or tab will open where you can go through the sign-in and verification process. Once you're done, you'll see that account's inbox in a separate browser window or tab. From now on you'll be able to switch between your Gmail accounts from the list of accounts, as shown in the screenshot above.

Rather than just setting this up within Gmail, you can take it up a notch and switch between your Google (and Gmail) accounts with a Chrome browser profile.

3. Use Google Chrome's Account Switcher

Add multiple Google accounts in Chrome.

In Chrome, you can create a separate profile for each of your Google accounts, and so also each of your Gmail accounts. It's the best option if you want to maintain separate bookmarks, browser settings, saved data, or extensions for each account.

To create a new Google-account-based browser profile in Chrome, click the user icon in the top right, select Add, then create the profile, and sign in to your Google account.

When you switch to a different Google account, Chrome will open a separate window and browser session. Be sure to enable sync for your Google accounts to back up and access your open Chrome tabs, bookmarks, and other browsing data on other devices.

4. Add Email Accounts and Aliases to Your Main Gmail Account

The above solutions work well if you want to keep your accounts separate. If you want to control all your Gmail accounts from a single inbox or interface, it's best to add these email addresses to your main account; you can even add third-party email addresses.

Here's how you can manage multiple email accounts in Gmail:

Set Up Forwarding From One Gmail Account to Another

Set up forwarding of emails in Gmail.

To forward all incoming emails from one Gmail account to another, click the cog icon in the top right of the respective Gmail account, select See all settings, and switch to the Forwarding POP/IMAP tab.

Before you can start forwarding emails, you have to Add a forwarding address. Enter the target email address, click Next, and then Proceed to confirm the address. Switch to the target account inbox to fetch the confirmation code, then enter it to Verify your forwarding address.

Once you have confirmed a forwarding address, you can choose to Forward a copy of incoming mail to your target email account. You can also choose what should happen to the original copy of the email in the source account.

Check Mail From Other Accounts

Set up Gmail to check mail from other accounts via POP3 or IMAP.

Instead of forwarding emails, you can also pull emails into your Gmail inbox using IMAP or POP3.

To enable IMAP or POP3 in the source account, click the cog icon and go to See all settings > Forwarding and POP/IMAP. Enable POP download, choose your preferred settings, then click Save Changes at the bottom. If you're setting this up for a non-Gmail account, you might also be able to use IMAP.

Related: Get help with choosing between POP3 and IMAP

Back in the target Gmail account, head to Accounts and Import > Check mail from other accounts and select Add a mail account. Follow the steps in the popup window, have your username and password ready, consider labeling incoming messages, then click Add Account.

If you choose this route, Gmail will offer to add the email to your "send mail as" list. To finalize the setup, Verify the source email with a confirmation code.

Note: If your setup attempts fail, you might have to enable less secure app access in the source Google account security settings.

Send Mail Using Another Email Address

Add additional "reply to" emails that you can send mail as in Gmail.

To set up additional "From" email addresses in Gmail, click the cog icon and go to See all settings > Accounts and Import. Under Send mail as, click Add another email address and follow the setup steps in the popup window to add and verify the email account.

You can make any of the added emails your default "Reply to" address. You can also choose whether to reply from the same address the message was sent to or whether you'd prefer to always reply from your default address.

We provide a more thorough walkthrough of the above methods in our article on How to Import and Manage Multiple Email Accounts in Gmail.

5. Use a Browser Extension to Manage Gmail

Check your Gmail accounts using the Checker Plus for Gmail browser extension.

Is your head spinning after reading that last section? If all you want is to stay on top of incoming email without having to check your inboxes, a Gmail browser extension might be a better solution.

Checker Plus for Gmail (available on Chrome or Firefox) can automatically detect all the Gmail accounts you're signed in to. You can customize your notifications based on labels, set do not disturb preferences, and more. Then go about your day and forget about Gmail until the extension alerts you of incoming emails you care about.

When you receive emails from any of your accounts, you can manage them directly from the extension popup.

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