What is an email alias?

An email alias is an email address that is more user-friendly or readable than the user's original netID-based email address. The email address is referred to as an alias as it is adding an additional name to the account rather than changing the email account address.

For example: Ann Expert was assigned a netID of ae3245and her netID-based email address is ae3245@Princeton.edu. Ann can request the email alias ann.expert@princeton.edu (if it is available). After setup, mail sent to either ae3245@princeton.edu or ann.expert@princeton.edu will be delivered to Ann’s email inbox.

Prior to submitting a request it's best to read and understand the rest of this KB article. Remember that you may only have one alias and further changes will only be considered based on a legal name change.

Can I pick any name I want for my email alias?

Your email alias address:

• Must be based on your name as it appears in our records.
• Cannot contain Personally identifiable information (PII) such as your Date of Birth, Social Security Number, etc. 
• Cannot contain your initials only.
• The alias must also be available, that is not used by anyone else, which is checked when you submit the Email Alias request form (refer to "How do I request an email alias" at the end of this article). 

Can I change my email alias?

We only allow changes to email alias names due to a name change caused by marriage, divorce, or other legal name changes. Emails sent to an older alias address will still be delivered to your mailbox, but you will no longer be able to send from that email address; your replies will show the updated email alias address in the "From" section.

Does creating an email alias change my netID?

No, your netID will remain the same; an email alias only creates an email address that is more user-friendly or readable than your netID-based email address.

Will I need to know my netID after I create an email address?

Yes, your netID plus your password are required to log into various University systems. 

How do I use an email alias?

Logging in: You cannot use your email alias address to log into Princeton applications that prompt for an email address (e.g. email account) to log in. You will need to use your netID@princeton.edu address. 

Receiving email: Email sent to your email alias and your netID-based email address will be delivered to your email account inbox.

Sending email:

• Gmail: If you have a Princeton Gmail account, by default your netID@princeton.edu will be used as the From and Reply-to address when sending messages. You can change this by adding your Princeton email alias as a verified sender in your Princeton Gmail settings. Please refer to Send email from a different address or alias for more information.
• Outlook: If you have a Princeton Outlook account, you will no longer be able to send from your old netID-based email. When you send an email message, your new email alias will appear as the From and Reply-to address. If you configure your mail application to use your netID-based email address, the mail system will automatically convert that address to your new email alias address before attempting to deliver the message.

What if I used my netID-based email address to create an online account outside of Princeton?

You can continue to use your netID-based email address to log into accounts outside of Princeton (for example, Facebook or Amazon); your email alias will not have any impact on those accounts. Email from those external accounts that are addressed to your netID-based email address will continue to be delivered to your email inbox.

How can I find someone's netID-based or alias email address?

You can find the email addresses of Princeton University faculty, staff, students and some affiliates by accessing either the Search option on the Princeton University home page, the Advanced People Search or the Address Book within your email application.

Note: Students have the right to request, via the Office of the Registrar, that their address information be confidential. Students who select this option will not appear in the University Directory.

What if my netID-based email address is subscribed to a mailing list?

You will not be able to use your netID-based email address to send email to those mailing lists after your email alias is established. For example, it may be extremely difficult to unsubscribe from a mailing list as you will not be able to send an unsubscribe command from your old netID-based email address as required by many mailing list servers.

You should unsubscribe from any mailing lists prior to establishing your email alias and then re-subscribe to those mailing lists after your email alias has been established. If you need help updating your mailing list subscription, please contact the Service Desk.

What is the maximum length of an email alias?

Email aliases are limited to 15 characters not including "@princeton.edu".

How do I request an email alias?

Complete and submit the Email Alias Request Form.

Note: The request will be reviewed and if approved it may take up to 24-48 hours for the alias to become active. Updating an alias may take longer.