Start while you can still receive messages at your current account address. OpenAI requires access to that inbox for self-service changes.
Check which account and route you have
Before signing out, open Account settings and note the account email. It may differ from an address where you receive billing messages. Changing the sign-in email and editing billing contact information are different tasks.
Self-service eligibility requires that you have never used SSO, do not belong to an Enterprise workspace or organization, and do not use a current domain verified for an Enterprise or Business customer. Managed accounts may need an administrator to make a supported SCIM update. Eligibility and administrator route
For example, moving from an old personal inbox to a new personal inbox is a reason to inspect the self-service option. Moving a company-managed account to a personal address needs an administrator's review; access to the inbox alone does not establish eligibility.
Make the change on the web
- Sign in to the existing account in a browser.
- Open Settings, then Account.
- Select your email address.
- Enter the new address and complete the verification prompts.
- After ChatGPT signs you out, sign back in with the updated address.
The mobile apps do not provide this change flow. If you originally signed up through Google, Microsoft, or Apple, OpenAI instructs you to add a password under Account settings before changing the email. Web flow and social sign-in prerequisite
Do not enter a new address that already belongs to another OpenAI account. The update also changes the sign-in email for the API Platform because it shares the account with ChatGPT.
Verify you returned to the same work
Open a known recent conversation or project after signing back in. An email update preserves the contents of the existing account. If your familiar work is absent, check the account address and selected workspace before starting new conversations in what may be another account.
For a practical check, choose one recognizable item before the update, such as a project containing your own meeting notes. Afterward, confirm that the same project and notes are accessible. This is a check for you to perform, not a report that an account change was executed here.
If you cannot access the old inbox, self-service cannot proceed and Support cannot bypass that requirement. For a managed account, ask your administrator about the supported route. Creating a new account is separate: OpenAI states that ChatGPT history and workspaces cannot be transferred to it. A downloaded ChatGPT archive is a local record, not an automatic migration into a new account. Account contents and alternatives
Keep the new address in your sign-in records, then verify the expected workspace and recent work before closing the old inbox.