A lot of us have more than one Google account that we use. For that reason, a common question is how to link multiple Google accounts together. There are several ways to do so, and we’ll highlight the benefits of each. Do note there is no official way to merge Google accounts.
However, we will show you how to access them all in a single place. Various Google apps (Gmail,Drive, Calendar, Contacts,Photos, etc.) have different ways you can link them together. An example for Gmail is setting up forwarding, so that email is forwarded automatically from one or more accounts to another. For other Google apps, like Calendar and Drive, we’ll detail how you can share across accounts.
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How to simultaneously sign in to multiple Google accounts
Option 1: Sign into them all in a supported browser
The simplest method to access multiple Google accounts at once is by signing in to them in a browser. Browsers that support cookies, such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari, allow you to open multiple tabs or windows while remaining logged in. This enables you to open all your Google accounts simultaneously in different browser tabs or windows, a technique known as the multiple sign-in method.
Alternatively, you can open different browser tabs or windows, visit the Google service you desire, and then switch Google accounts in that tab or window. This allows you to have multiple tabs or windows open, with each corresponding to a different Google account.
Option 2: Switch between Google services
Another way to switch between Google accounts easily is within the specific Google service you want to use, whether it’s the Google Search app, or Gmail, or Google Drive.
We’ve covered linking multiple Google accounts in the same browser or within Google apps.
This method is great because you don’t need extra downloads or installations to access all your accounts. The downside is having to switch between accounts or juggle multiple tabs and windows. On mobile, note that apps like Google Ads and Google Analytics don’t let you sign in to multiple accounts. Here, you could use different Chrome profiles or Incognito mode for different accounts.
With Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, whether you’re on a browser or an app, switching between accounts is a bit different (Google’s support articlesprovide the details). Now, let’s dive into other ways to link specific Google services, moving beyond just the multiple sign-in method.
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How to link different Gmail accounts together
Let’s talk about handling multiple Gmail accounts. It’s usual for people to have different Gmail or Google Workspace accounts for work, personal use, or school. A handy way to manage them is by logging into all your accounts at once in the same browser or Gmail app. Other than signing into multiple accounts, you can also gather all your emails in one place. This can be done through mail clients or by setting up mail forwarding.
Option 1: Mail clients
One way to link multiple Gmail accounts together is by adding the accounts to a mail client. These could be free first-party clients like Microsoft’sMail and Calendar appand the newOutlook for Windows appthat’s bundled with Windows. On macOS, you could useApple Mailor even the newOutlook for Macby Microsoft. Let’s not forgetApple Mail for iOS. Others includeThunderbird,Mailbird,Canary Mail, orSpark.
Regardless of which mail client you use, visit the “Add account” section, and add all the Gmail accounts you want to access in a single place. The benefit of this method is the ability to view emails from different accounts in a single place, but a potential detraction is that you’re handing over information from mail accounts to third parties, each of which has its own unique vulnerabilities.
In the next section, we detail how you can forward emails from multiple accounts into one primary account.
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Option 2: Mail forwarding
Another way to link multiple Gmail accounts together is to have one or more accounts (let’s call these secondary accounts) and forward emails they receive to another account (let’s call this the primary account).
You would only need to monitor the primary account, where mail from several secondary accounts is shown. One problem with this method is that only new emails received (those received after you’ve set up mail forwarding) by the secondary accounts will be seen in the primary account, and not all their emails. The multiple sign-in method or mail client methods described in the previous sections don’t have this drawback.
As Google explains on itsGmail support page, you’re able to choose to forward all of your new messages to another email address, or only forward certain types of messages. The company also says messages from the spam folder will not be forwarded. Setting up mail forwarding is also only possible in desktop browsers, Google notes, and not possible in the Gmail app.
To set up mail forwarding for all emails, follow this process:
To set up mail forwarding for specific emails instead of all emails, firstcreate a filterin the secondary account. While creating a filter, you should see an option to choose an email address to forward email. In case you don’t see this option, first set up mail forwarding.
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How to link different Google Drive accounts together
Beyond multi-sign-on in browsers and the Google Drive app, you can easily share any file or folder from your Google Drive account with another.
Set up sharing for files or folders on Google Drive
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Why would you link multiple Google accounts together?
Linking multiple Google accounts together can provide several benefits:
Remember, linking accounts as we’ve described doesn’t merge the accounts; it just allows for easier switching and management.
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Final advice for linking Google accounts
While we’ve explicitly described methods to link or share between multiple Google, Gmail, and Google Drive accounts, almost all Google services support interoperability with each other. For example, with Google Calendar, Google Maps, Google Photos, you can share calendars, maps, photos, or videos with other accounts. While the multiple sign-in method will work in browsers and some Google apps, others will support sharing or linking. The steps for each are slightly different, but similar to what we’ve described above. We hope you found this guide useful.
