Gmail "Send mail as" is ending. Here's what to do.
If you read and reply to your business email in Gmail, using an address like you@yourdomain.com, this affects you.
Google has announced that Gmail will remove "Send mail as" for outside addresses. In its own words, starting January 2027:
"Gmail will fully remove 'Send as' for third-party accounts, Gmailify, and POP." (Google's announcement)
The change is already under way. Google says that before January 2027 it "will restrict new configurations of this feature", so setting it up fresh may stop working before the final date. If yours works today, it keeps working through the transition.
Below is what stops working, what keeps working, and the realistic options for keeping your own address.
What stops working, and what keeps working
All of this comes from Google's notice.
| Stops working in January 2027 | Keeps working |
|---|---|
| Sending new email as you@yourdomain.com from Gmail | Receiving mail at your address through forwarding into Gmail |
| Replying as your address: replies go out from your @gmail.com address instead | Reading that mail in Gmail |
| Gmailify for outside accounts | Sending from other Gmail addresses and Google Workspace aliases |
| Gmail fetching mail from other accounts with POP | Mail you already imported stays in your mailbox |
| Adding new "Send mail as" setups (restricted during the transition, before January) | IMAP access to Gmail from other mail apps |
The important line is the first one. Forwarding means you can still receive mail at your own address in Gmail. What goes is sending as that address. Your clients would start getting replies from a personal @gmail.com address.
Who is affected
You are affected if all of these are true:
- You own a domain (yourbusiness.com, yourname.dev).
- Mail to that domain is forwarded into a free @gmail.com account.
- You reply from Gmail with "Send mail as" set to your domain address.
This is a very common setup for freelancers, small shops and side projects, because it's free and you never leave Gmail.
You are not affected if you pay for Google Workspace on your domain. Workspace addresses and aliases keep working, as Google's notice says.
Your options
There are four realistic paths. The right one depends on how many people need an address and whether you mind leaving Gmail.
| Option | What you get | Cost | Good fit if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace | Gmail on your own domain, plus Docs, Drive and Meet | Paid per person, per month (Google's pricing) | You want to stay inside Gmail and use Google's office tools |
| Another paid email host (Fastmail, Zoho Mail, and others) | A full inbox on your domain, with webmail and phone apps | Usually paid per person | You want a long-established provider and don't mind per-seat pricing |
| Pennymail (from the SendMailAs team) | A real inbox on your domain, with webmail and phone/desktop mail apps; storage shared across all your mailboxes | $12 a year for 2 mailboxes. Opens early November 2026 | You want the cheapest way to keep sending as your own address |
| Forwarding only | Mail still reaches Gmail; you reply from @gmail.com | Free | You only need to receive, not send, as your domain |
Google also suggests sending from your provider's own website or app, or connecting a desktop mail app over IMAP/SMTP. Both still need a provider that hosts your domain's mail, which is what the first three options give you.
A note on Pennymail: we built SendMailAs, the tool many people use for exactly the Gmail setup that's going away. Pennymail is our answer: a proper email host, not a workaround that depends on Gmail. Your address stays the same; only the place you read it changes. If you're already a SendMailAs user, your account and domains carry over.
What to do before January 2027
Google's timeline: the notice period began in Q3 2026, the transition runs through Q3–Q4 2026, and the removal lands in January 2027.
- Check your setup. In Gmail, open Settings → Accounts and Import → "Send mail as". If your domain address is listed there, this change affects you.
- Don't rebuild it. Google is already restricting new setups. If you remove and re-add your address now, it may not come back.
- Pick where your mail will live. Use the table above. If cost matters most, Pennymail opens in early November at $12 a year.
- Switch before the holidays. Moving takes one sitting: you add a few DNS records at your domain provider and mail starts arriving in your new inbox. Doing it in November gives you time to test before January.
- Tell nobody. Your address doesn't change, so there's nothing to announce. Clients keep writing to the same address.
Keep your address for $12 a year
Pennymail opens in early November 2026. Leave your email and we'll tell you the day it opens.
We'll email you once when plans open. No spam.
FAQ
Will I lose my email address? No. You own your domain, so your address stays yours. What changes is where you read and send from.
Will my mail stop arriving in Gmail in January? Not if it's forwarded. Google's notice says forwarded mail still arrives. What stops is sending as your domain from Gmail.
Does this affect Google Workspace users? No. Workspace addresses and aliases keep working.
Can I keep using the Gmail app on my phone? Yes for your Gmail account, and Google says the mobile app's access doesn't change. But it can't send as your outside domain address after the removal. Most email hosts, Pennymail included, work with your phone's built-in Mail app instead.
Is there a free way to keep sending as my domain? Not through Gmail after January. Free forwarding still lets you receive. Sending as your domain needs a provider that hosts your mail; Pennymail is $12 a year for 2 mailboxes.
I use SendMailAs. What happens to me? Your SendMailAs account carries over to Pennymail with the same login and domains. Free forwarding stays free. If you pay today, you move to our top plan, Business, at your current price.
Sources
- Learn about changes to third-party email account support in Gmail (Gmail Help). All quotes and the stops/keeps lists come from this page.
- Google Workspace pricing.