How to change the email address your iMessages are sent from

iMessage lets you keep in touch with other iOS and Mac users, and it ties together your Apple ID with your preferred email address and your iPhone phone number.

If you’ve ever wondered how you can control what phone number or email address the other person you’re texting can see, then you may be interested in learning how to set the default email address your iMessages get sent from on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.

In this tutorial, we’ll cover just that, and we’ll also talk about some scenarios where doing this is very important.

Change the email address your new iMessages are sent from when you start a conversation

Why choose a default email address for iMessage

Some people use iMessage for one thing – to keep in touch with their friends and family. Others use iMessage for a wide array of things, such as answering Craigslist ads or doing work-related activities.

If either of the aforementioned scenarios sounds like you, then you should be considering choosing a default email address for where your iMessages will be sent from. After all, do you really want a random stranger from Craigslist or someone from work to have your personal phone number or email address? – It would be far better to give them one you can add or remove at any time.

How to choose a default email address for iMessage

On iPhone and iPad

If you’re interested in picking what email address or phone number these kinds of people see when you do end up sending them an iMessage, then you should consider choosing a default email address for iMessage on your iOS device. To do that, follow these steps:

  1. Launch the Settings app and open the Messages preferences pane.
  2. From the next page, tap Send & Receive.
  3. Here, you’ll see two sections; one that shows the phone numbers and email addresses you can be reached by, and those you’ll start conversations from. Focus on the section titled Start New Conversations From. Select the phone number or email address you wish to start iMessage conversations from.
Change iMessage email on iOS

That’s all there is to it! Now when you start a new iMessage with a stranger, they’re going to see the phone number or email that you’ve selected, and your other contact information will remain hidden from them.

This is perfect for answering any Craigslist ads or keeping personal information away from co-workers and other people with who you don’t want to have your main contact information. If you use iMessage on multiple devices, make sure you follow the above steps on each.

On Mac

  1. Open Messages and press the Command + Comma (,) keys to access its preferences.
  2. Go to the iMessage tab and select a different option under Start new conversations from.
Start new conversations from in iMessage settings on Mac

If Start new conversations from is grayed out, that means you have only enabled one email or phone number for iMessage which has to be your default. To fix this, enable another email or phone under You can be reached for messages at, and then you can select it in the Start new conversations from dropdown menu.

It’s not that difficult to change the default email address that your iMessages are sent from, and in practice, it’s a good idea to choose one so you don’t inadvertently give the wrong person your personal contact details.

If you found this tutorial useful, we’d appreciate you leaving a comment below.

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