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My YouTube account, which I use actively (both for watching and posting videos), is currently associated with my old AOL address. When I sign in to YouTube, that's what I use in the "username" field.

mycruddyaddress@aol.com

I just got a new Google account, which I am trying to centralize everything around. It is associated with a single Gmail account.

MyFancyAddress@gmail.com

I'm trying to re-associate my YouTube account to this new address. However, trying to change it via the "Email Options" tab of the "Account Settings" page redirects me here. After submitting MyFancyAddress@gmail.com, it tells me that "a Gmail address isn't allowed to be the primary address of this account."

Is there any way around this, other than making a whole new YouTube account? I don't want to throw away all my favorites and subscriptions, and I don't want to lose any subscribers.

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4 Answers 4

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The only way to do this, is if your account was created before May 2009 via the unlink option, otherwise you will encounter the following message

Your account is permanently linked to a Google Account

So that is that, there are no tricks around this one as this "issue" has been around for years. I have tried deleting accounts and getting the unlink option to work. I have read most if not all forum posts. This is Google's stance (whether by design or choice) and it does not look like it will change anytime soon.

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Here are some links which you may find useful:

  1. Connecting a Google Account to your older YouTube account
  2. How do I sign up for a YouTube account with my Google Account?
  3. Linking my YouTube account to a Google Account
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Try signing in to your Gmail account and adding the aol email address as a secondary email to the gmail google account. You have two accounts now, and it may not be possible to merge them.

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  • No such luck; "there is already a Google account associated with this email address."
    – Maxpm
    May 9, 2011 at 5:48
  • Bummer. I think you're out of luck and just need to manually update your new account. Alternatively you could use an email not associated with any Google account and add it to the aol Google account.
    – Joel H
    May 11, 2011 at 3:56
  • True, but then I'd still have to log in with my old account. Oh, well.
    – Maxpm
    May 11, 2011 at 4:57
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I researched this recently. Assuming your account was created post May 2009, then your YouTube account is a Google Account, permanently, and will remain so.

Thus, you have two Google accounts. There is currently no way to merge Google accounts, but there is a feature called multiple sign-in. Log in to your main account, and enable it in account settings. Follow the steps and log in with your other account. At some point you will be asked which services you'd like to work with multiple sign-in next; choose YouTube! It isn't here yet, sadly, but I suspect it will be very soon.

Although you can't merge Google accounts, You can change the primary email address of one of them (but not to the address of a different Google account, yeah, sorry).

Two methods:

  1. Use this contact form.

  2. Add GMail under the account, which forces GMail to become primary. Add the email you desire as the only secondary address. Then, delete the GMail account - forcing the new secondary email address to be primary.

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