My email is hacked, I cannot recover , how can I change my GitHub email to my new email?

[im-Nitesh]

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Hi ,

My gmail is hacked, and I cannot recover , how can I change my GitHub email to my new email?

thanks in advance

[im-shubh]

Hey @im-Nitesh

If your Gmail is hacked and you're unable to recover it, here's how you can change your GitHub email to a new one:

1. Log into GitHub using your existing credentials.

2. Add a new email:
->Go to Settings > Emails.
->Under Add email address, enter your new email and click Add.

3. Verify your new email:
GitHub will send a verification link to your new email. Click on the link to verify it.

4. Set your new email as primary:
->After verifying the new email, go back to Settings > Emails.
->Next to your new email, click Make primary.

5. Remove your old email:
Once your new email is set as primary, you can remove the old (hacked) email from your account.

6. Enable 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication):
For added security, consider enabling two-factor authentication in Settings > Account security.

Let me know if you need further assistance.

Thanks!

[arslan578]

To change your GitHub email if you no longer have access to your Gmail account, follow these steps:

1. Log into GitHub using your username and password (if you're already logged in, skip this step).

2. Go to Settings:

   • Click on your profile picture in the upper-right corner.
   • Select Settings from the dropdown menu.

3. Update your email:

   • In the left sidebar, click on Emails.
   • Add your new email address by entering it in the "Add email address" field.
   • Click Add.

4. Verify your new email:

   • GitHub will send a verification email to your new address.
   • Open the email and follow the verification link.

5. Set the new email as primary:

   • Once verified, go back to Emails in the settings.
   • Set the new email as your primary email by clicking the "Set as primary" button next to your new email.

6. Remove the old email:

   • After updating, you can safely remove the hacked Gmail by clicking the Delete icon next to it.

This will update your GitHub account with your new email address. ✔️

[Anandakeylines]

after clicking add it send otp to my old email but I dont have access to old email

[Orangnoorshamsi]

I don't have access to my original and old Gmail because I forgot my password and the verification steps. Please help me activate my old Gmail.

[Orangnoorshamsi]

I don't have access to my original and old Gmail because I forgot my password and the verification steps. Please help me activate my old Gmail.

[naqvi110k]

I went through this nightmare last year when my old university email got deactivated. The standard "add a new email" flow everyone keeps posting does not work if you can't get the verification code sent to your hacked/dead email. I see a few people in the thread already hitting that wall.

The hard truth: GitHub's automated system is designed to protect accounts from hijacking. If you can't prove ownership of the old email, the self-service flow dead-ends. You need a human.

Here's the actual path that worked for me and two of my coworkers:

1. Go to GitHub Support (support.github.com) – not the community forum. The community is great but no one here can reset your account.

2. Select "Account" → "I can't sign in" → "I don't have access to my email" (paraphrasing, but you'll see the options).

3. In the ticket, include EVERYTHING you can prove:

   • Your GitHub username
   • Any previous emails associated with the account (even if hacked)
   • Approximate account creation date
   • Any known repository names, organization memberships, or past contribution dates
   • Crucially: Proof that you can still log in to GitHub (if you're still signed in on a device, mention that). Being logged in helps prove you have the password, just not the email.

4. If you have any payment method on file (GitHub Pro, Copilot, etc.), include the last 4 digits of the card or any billing email receipts. This is the single fastest way to verify ownership.

What to expect: Support will take 3-7 days. They will likely ask you to verify via a secondary method (like answering security questions about your repos or providing a screenshot of your logged-in session). It's slow, but they will eventually help you add a new email without needing the old one.

One warning: If you cannot log in at all (lost password AND hacked email), you're in a much harder spot. In that case, support will ask for things like old commit hashes, SSH key fingerprints, or a notarized identity verification. It's possible but painful.

Hang in there. This is fixable, but you have to go through the official support ticket system, not the community workarounds.