Gmail is ending “Send mail as” in January 2027: what UK small businesses need to do
Quick answer
From January 2027, Gmail will stop letting you send email from a non-Google address, such as info@yourbusiness.co.uk, through a free Gmail account. Google is already blocking new setups. Your old emails stay where they are, but you need a new way to send: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, your email host's own app, or the Gmail phone app.
If you read your business email inside your personal Gmail, this change affects you. It's one of the most common setups we see with trades and small service businesses: the domain came with a basic mailbox from the web designer or 123-reg, and someone connected it to Gmail so everything sat in one inbox. Here's what's changing, how to check in a minute, and the cheapest sensible fix.
What Google is changing, and when
Google's own help page sets out the timeline. It gives months, not exact days.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| January 2026 | Gmail stopped fetching mail from other accounts over POP (“Check mail from other accounts”) and ended Gmailify. |
| Q3 2026 | Google started notifying affected users inside Gmail. |
| Before January 2027 | New “Send mail as” setups for third-party addresses are restricted. |
| January 2027 | “Send mail as” for third-party addresses is removed. |
What isn't changing: Google Workspace addresses and aliases, other Gmail addresses you own, forwarding from your email provider into Gmail, adding non-Google accounts in the Gmail app on Android, iPhone and iPad, and apps like Outlook and Apple Mail.
Check if you're affected (one minute)
- Open Gmail on a computer.
- Click the cog, then See all settings, then Accounts and Import.
- Look at Send mail as. If your business address is listed and you don't log in to Google with that address, you're affected.
- Look at Check mail from other accounts. If an account is listed there, Gmail stopped collecting its mail in January 2026. Log in to that mailbox directly today, because enquiries may be sitting there unread.
If you sign in to Google with your business address itself (no @gmail.com anywhere), you're almost certainly on Google Workspace and nothing changes for you.
What happens if you do nothing
If your provider forwards mail to Gmail, enquiries will still arrive. But your replies will go out from your personal @gmail.com address, or you won't be able to pick the business address at all. Customers see a different address on your quote from the one on your website. Some will ignore it, and some replies will land in spam.
Your options, with UK prices
| Option | Cost | Still looks like Gmail? | Phone and computer? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace Business Starter | £5.90 per user a month on an annual plan, or £7 flexible | Yes, it is Gmail | Yes | Most sole traders and small teams already used to Gmail |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | Around £5.40 per user a month after Microsoft's July 2026 rise (check at sign-up) | No, it's Outlook | Yes | Businesses whose customers work in Outlook and Teams |
| Your current host's mailbox, in its own app or any mail app | Often included with your domain or hosting | No | Yes | Keeping costs at zero, if the mailbox is reliable |
| The Gmail phone app, with your business account added | £0 extra | Same app, separate inbox | Phone only, as Gmail on a computer won't send as it | Tradespeople who run everything from their phone |
| Zoho Mail Forever Free | £0 for up to 5 users, 5 GB each, one domain | No | Zoho's own apps only, as the free plan has no IMAP | One-person businesses on a tight budget |
Our view: for most trade and service businesses, Google Workspace Business Starter causes the least disruption. You keep the Gmail you know, you can bring your old mail across, and you get a proper calendar and shared Drive. Choose Microsoft 365 if your customers are larger firms on Outlook. The free routes work if you're happy with two apps or fewer features.
How to switch without losing a single email
- List every address you use (info@, quotes@, your own name@) and where each mailbox lives now.
- Choose the new provider and create the mailboxes. Workspace lets you add extra addresses to one user as aliases, so info@ and quotes@ needn't cost extra.
- Verify your domain by adding the record the new provider gives you to your domain's DNS settings.
- Copy your old mail across before anything else moves. Workspace has a data import tool that copies mail from hosting companies such as GoDaddy over IMAP. Microsoft 365 has a similar IMAP migration.
- Change your MX records to point at the new provider. Keep the old mailbox open for two weeks to catch anything that arrives late.
- Add SPF, DKIM and DMARC records. Since February 2024, Google has required SPF or DKIM from everyone sending to Gmail users. Without them, your quotes are more likely to land in spam.
- Update the address everywhere it appears: your website's contact form, Google Business Profile, invoicing software, Checkatrade or other directory listings, and your email signature.
- Remove the old “Send mail as” entry from Gmail so nothing goes out from the wrong address.
Frequently asked questions
Will I lose my old emails?
No. Google says messages already imported into Gmail stay there. Mail on your old provider stays until you close that mailbox.
Can I keep using the Gmail app on my phone?
Yes. Google says adding and using non-Google accounts in the Gmail app on Android, iPhone and iPad is unchanged. The change is to Gmail in a web browser.
Does this affect Google Workspace?
No. Workspace addresses and aliases are unaffected.
Can my email provider still forward to Gmail?
Yes. Forwarding still works. You just can't reply as your business address from Gmail on the web.
What's the exact date?
Google has only said January 2027, with new setups restricted before then. We'll update this page when the date is confirmed.
Are browser extensions that keep “Send as” working safe?
Google warns that third-party replacement tools often ask for your password or access tokens, and it can't vouch for their safety. A proper mailbox is the safer route.
We scope every project around your requirements. Explore domain & email setup.
Sources
- Google: Changes to third-party account support in Gmail
- Google: Send emails from a different address or alias
- Google: Email sender guidelines
- Google Workspace: UK plans and prices
- Google Workspace: Import email with the data import tool
- Zoho Mail: plans
- The Register: Gmail drops POP3 mail fetching
- CloudSwitched: Microsoft 365 UK price changes, July 2026 (secondary source; check Microsoft's own price at sign-up)
Jake, founder of Elevation Media
Elevation Media is a St Albans web design and digital development studio creating business websites and redesigns for ambitious UK businesses, with ecommerce and digital product capabilities alongside.