Mail arriving at your old Gmail address after a supported address change is normally expected. Google keeps that address as an alternate on the same account, so changing the primary address does not turn off the old mailbox identity.
Confirm that this was an account rename
Open Google Account Personal info → Email and inspect the primary and alternate addresses. If both belong to this same account following the change, receiving mail at either one is part of the feature.
If you instead created a completely separate account and now see both sets of messages, this explanation is insufficient. Check whether the app is displaying multiple inboxes together or whether forwarding was configured. Do not remove mail-routing settings until you know which arrangement you have.
Check the recipient before changing delivery
Open a representative message and expand its recipient details. A reply to an old conversation, a mailing list, or a service that still stores your previous contact address can continue using that address. Updating your Google Account does not edit every sender’s address book or another company’s customer database.
Use the service’s own account settings to change its contact email where necessary. For important financial or recovery messages, verify the replacement address before assuming the change is complete.
Organize old-address mail safely
If the messages are legitimate but distracting, label a small sample first and check that the rule selects what you expect. Avoid starting with automatic deletion: the old address may still receive account-recovery notices, order confirmations, and replies that you need.
Removing the old address from Gmail’s sending choices does not stop incoming delivery. Nor does a filter remove the address from the Google Account. These controls solve different problems.
When to investigate security instead
The presence of your own previous address is not itself evidence that someone has accessed the account. Unexpected sent messages, unfamiliar sign-ins, or forwarding you did not authorize are separate reasons to review account security. Preserve the relevant details and use Google’s security settings directly. Do not delete the old address or the whole account as a first response to mail that the rename feature is designed to receive.
Official references
Reviewed against Google’s official guidance on October 27, 2026. Available options and screen labels can vary by account, device, region, and organization policy.