If you have been around the Android block, you already know the importance of registering a Google account on your device. However, you may have gone through several iterations of Android-related gadgets by now. For example, you might have bought your first Android tablet or phone years ago, which prompted you to add a Google account during setup. After that, you may have created a new one you use more frequently. While you can add multiple accounts on one device, only one can primarily manage your Gmail, Calendar, and Drive accounts, among other services.
If you want to use different Google accounts, you may encounter issues. Introducing multiple profiles can cause problems with data synchronization and app permission settings. However, changing your default Google account requires removing the current one. If you add multiple accounts to your device, consider removing them before changing over. Here's why and how.
Can you change your default Google account?
You can change the default Google account on your device. It isn't a straightforward process, and it's different from switching profiles within Google apps and services.
Typically, Google allows you to switch between accounts within its Workspace apps and other services. This way, you can access them with different credentials simultaneously without affecting the data. For example, you might have two accounts in the Gmail app and switch between them when you need to send work or personal messages from different addresses.
Changing the default Google account on your device is a system-wide setting that affects your Google Play Store, contacts, emails, and others. For example, the Google Play Store automatically associates all future purchases, app downloads, and updates with the new account.
You must remove the current account and add the new one you want as your default account. Google chooses the first account you use to sign in to the device as your primary account. If you don't remember which one it is, or you added multiple accounts, remove all of them. Google automatically chooses the next account as the default one.
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You don't need to do that if only two accounts are on the device. When you remove the present default account, the second automatically becomes your primary profile. Since your account is your ticket to accessing all the apps and services, Google cuts you off from them until you reconnect an account. If you use the Chrome browser frequently, your device automatically signs out. Your browsing history, bookmarks, and saved passwords for the account may also disappear.
How to change the primary Google account on your Android phones and tablets
When you have multiple Google accounts, sign out of them from your device, except the one you want as the default account. If you haven't added your preferred account, remove the accounts before adding the new default one.
The action has consequences. You lose synced data, including Google Play Store access, messages, bookmarks, contacts, browsing history, calendar, and other data linked to the account. Locally saved data remains as it isn't tied to the removed accounts and exists on your device's internal storage.
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If you store important information on different accounts, sync them before removal. This way, the information is up-to-date, and you can access a consistent version across devices.
- Go to Settings > Accounts and backup > Manage accounts.
- Select your Google account from the list that appears, and tap Sync account.
- Turn on the toggle switches for your preferred apps and services. When activated, give synchronization time to go into effect, preferably a couple of hours.
Afterward, add your new primary account, followed by the secondary ones, to regain access to your backed-up data.
Now that you understand it, remove Google accounts from your device first. Then, follow the steps below to add them again.
Add a new default Google account on Android
- Go to Settings > Google.
- Tap Sign in to your Google Account.
- Enter your Google account's email address and tap Next.
- Enter the password and tap Next.
Add secondary Google accounts on Android
- Go to Settings > Google.
- Tap the arrow beside your default account's name and email address.
- Select Add another account from the pop-up window.
- Enter your Google account's email address and tap Next.
- Enter the password and tap Next.
- Agree to Google's Terms of Service.
If you set up 2FA (two-factor authentication), you may need to enter the code from your authenticator app or the text message. After a successful sign in, the account appears on your device.
Changing your default account is time-consuming but useful
A quick default account switcher would be nice, but Google hasn't provided one. Signing out of multiple profiles on your Android device is necessary to enjoy seamless emailing, word editing, cloud storage, and browser experience. But if you need to make a new account, whether for work purposes or less personalized reasons, consider looking into alternatives like Microsoft Outlook and OneDrive; it even brings the perks of reliably syncing your Google Calendar to Outlook.
