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Email aliases

Why do I have two email addresses?

If you are a student, you will have one email account on the Google Apps system. This means you will have one email inbox, which can receive and send emails from two different email addresses. These two email addresses are:

A primary email address that adheres to the format [central username]@student.unimelb.edu.au (e.g jdoe@student.unimelb.edu.au).
This is the email address that you will need to use to access your Google Apps account and once it is set up, you don’t have to do anything further.
An alias email address that usually follows the format [first name or first initial].[last name]@student.unimelb.edu.au (e.g. john.doe@student.unimelb.edu.au).

An alias email address is the address that others can use to send you emails while keeping your username private. This email address is the one that will be stored in the Student Admin system and thus, emails from the University will be likely sent to. However, typically won’t be the address that will be used to send your emails.

If you prefer you can set up your email to use your alias email address (see Add Email Alias).

Please note: You cannot login with your alias address and will need to use your primary address to access your account.

How does it affect emails sent to me?

Your email alias works similar to a forwarding email address, so emails sent to either address will appear in the same inbox. It is up to you which email address you prefer to provide to others as a contact method.

How does it affect emails I send?

Any emails you send from your student account will automatically use your primary email address as the sent identification. Having an alias email address will not affect any emails which you send as a student unless you change your default address to your alias, in which case your sent identification will change to that address.

How do I know what my email alias address is?

To see what your student email alias is, visit your Personal Details page and click ‘View my contact details’ in my.unimelb. Your email alias will be listed here as your preferred email address as this is the address stored in the University’s Student Admin system.

Can I send emails from my email alias?

Yes, if you prefer to have your email sent from your email alias address (e.g. john.doe@student.unimelb.edu.au instead of jdoe@student.unimelb.edu.au) you can add your email alias to your student Gmail account. For instructions on how to do this please see Add Email Alias. Please note that you will still have to use your primary address to sign in to your email account.

Can I change my email alias?

Students are unable to change their email alias unless their official name has changed, such as in the case of a change of marital status. To request another email alias address to be added to reflect an official name change please submit a Change to Personal Details form. Please note: Changing your email alias may risk wiping your Google account data.

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Last updated: Dec. 10, 2021, 6:14 p.m.