The Latest Way to Change the Google AdSense Login Email Address

After a data leak at NetEase's 163/126 email services exposed email accounts, passwords, and security questions, the author found that one of their 126 mailboxes showed a login from a foreign location. To protect other accounts, they decided to stop using the NetEase mailbox.

Background

The author had a Google AdSense account using a NetEase mailbox as the login name. Although Google accounts offer a change email address feature, it cannot be changed to a Gmail address. Since domestic mailboxes were no longer trusted, the Google account was changed to an Outlook mailbox.

The process: log in to Google with the NetEase mailbox → My Account → Personal Info → Change (note: accounts using a Gmail mailbox cannot be changed) → the Google account was successfully changed to the Outlook mailbox.

The Problem: AdSense Login Email Is Still the NetEase Mailbox

Logging in to AdSense with the Outlook mailbox showed that the AdSense login email was still the NetEase mailbox. Searching Baidu yielded no results — AdSense does not provide a direct feature to change the login email.

Even though AdSense was not used for a long time, the risk of someone else taking over was unacceptable. After some exploration, the author found that the "Access and Authorization" option in AdSense Settings can invite others to manage your AdSense. Through this method, you can transfer AdSense to another account, unlinking it from the Google account logged in with Outlook and transferring it to a Google account using a Gmail address as its login.

Why Can't You Just Change It Directly?

This comes down to AdSense's account model: an AdSense account is bound to the Google identity that created it, and the platform does not support "changing the login email in place." Its Access and Authorization mechanism, however, lets you add or remove administrators — so you can migrate the whole account to another Google account using "invite first, remove later." The same idea applies to any service whose account email cannot be changed directly.

In other words, this migration is "transferring ownership," not "editing an account attribute." As long as the new account is active and policy-compliant, payment details, ad units, and historical data all stay with the account as a whole — nothing is lost by switching login identity.

Steps

Step 1: Invite the New Account as an Administrator

Settings → Access and Authorization → Invite my Gmail account, set as administrator, enter password, verify the email, done

At this point AdSense is associated with two Google accounts.

Step 2: Unlink the Old Account

Log in to AdSense with the Gmail mailbox:

Settings → Access and Authorization → Delete the NetEase mailbox address

At this point, AdSense has been transferred from one Google account to another, and the NetEase mailbox security issue is resolved.

Key Points During the Migration

Step What to watch
Role The new account must be granted "Administrator" permissions or it cannot manage the account later
Verification Click the verification link in the new mailbox after the invite; skipping it leaves the migration incomplete
Order Invite and confirm first, then remove the old account, to avoid a period with no one managing it
Notifications If the old recovery mailbox still receives notices after migration, remove it in Google account security settings

Also, do the whole migration during a period of stable connectivity so a drop mid-way does not cause a missed verification email. If the invite email is slow to arrive, check the spam folder first, then confirm the entered address is spelled correctly. After migrating, log back into AdSense with the new account and check the account settings and payment info to make sure everything is unchanged.

Lessons Learned

This process shows how important it is to protect your Google account password. Once the password leaks, AdSense may no longer be yours.

  • Google provides two-factor authentication; bind it with your phone to strengthen account security;
  • The above process was completed while using a proxy/VPN;
  • If you still receive notifications from the old mailbox after changing it, check and remove the old recovery email in the Google account security settings.

If AdSense has automatic payment or tax details attached, double-check them after migrating so a change of identity does not affect future settlements.

Security Recommendations

For webmasters using AdSense or other Google services:

  1. Enable two-factor authentication for your Google account and bind a trusted phone number;
  2. Prefer secure mailboxes (such as Gmail or Outlook) and avoid using domestic mailboxes that have experienced data leaks as login names;
  3. Regularly review your account's signed-in devices and authorized apps to detect anomalies early;
  4. If you manage multiple sites, keep your AdSense account separate from Google Search Console permissions so a single leak does not affect many assets at once.

Website monetization and account security are important parts of running a website. For more website operations and monetization content, see the SEO and marketing category, such as domain parking monetization guide and website security best practices.

Original post: https://www.cnblogs.com/cqzhuomi/articles/17280892.html (cnblogs.com CQZHUOMI, repost)
Reference: Google AdSense Help Center https://support.google.com/adsense