How does Gmail handle dots in email addresses and can it cause issues?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Marketer from Email Geeks clarifies that he was able to log in to Gmail with his email ID without a dot using his password, and concludes that the other user probably provided the wrong email ID to an organization, which resulted in him receiving their emails.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that Gmail ignores dots in email addresses and treats addresses with and without dots as the same. He suggests to rule out user error or input validation errors.
Email marketer from Reddit discusses password reset issues related to gmail dot convention. The user reports that other people are signing up for services with emails close to his own (with or without dots) and he's receiving their password reset emails. This allows them to access his account.
Email marketer from Reddit shares an anecdote about constantly receiving emails meant for someone with a similar email address (differing only in the presence of a dot). He reports receiving everything from flight tickets to medical records.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that using periods or the + sign after your email can help filter emails. You can sign up for services with youremail+service@gmail.com. All emails sent to that address will still come to your primary email but you can filter them better.
Email marketer from Stack Exchange explains that Gmail ignores dots in usernames for mail delivery. They state that `my.email@gmail.com` is treated the same as `myemail@gmail.com`. The user can tell websites and services to send mail to either of these addresses and will receive the mail in the same inbox.
Email marketer from Reddit highlights privacy concerns, mentioning that because Gmail ignores dots, someone could accidentally (or intentionally) sign up for services using a variation of someone else's email address. This can lead to the other person receiving sensitive information.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares his personal experience where two email IDs existed, one with a dot and one without. He states that he sometimes receives emails intended for the other person, and guesses that this might be because he created the email ID before Gmail introduced the rule of excluding dots.
Email marketer from Stack Overflow comments that a user can put dots wherever they like in their gmail address for email filtering. A user can create different accounts on different web pages by adding or removing dots, and filter based on this in gmail.
Email marketer from Better Allies states that most email systems, including Gmail, ignore periods. They tell a story of someone who signed up for a service with the wrong email, and both email addresses received the emails. They state that there are edge cases for security and user experience where this can be a real issue.
Email marketer from Quora shares his experience of getting someone else's emails (who has an address similar to his but without dots), and his worry about the dot-less email address also belonging to someone else, and both receiving the emails. He found no way to contact the 'other' Robert Graham.
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise explains how Gmail handles dots, stating that Gmail ignores periods in email addresses and treats them as the same address. This can be a problem, because other systems may treat them as different, which can cause issues for the email ecosystem as a whole.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests that there may have been a short period where something was screwy with Gmail's handling of dots in email addresses.
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help details that you can add email aliases to a user so they can receive mail sent to another address. This could theoretically cause issues where a dot and dot-less email address are used as aliases for the same user.
Documentation from Fastmail Help explains that Gmail's "dot convention" is not a standard email feature, and causes serious problems for users that switch to a different email provider. Some websites do not properly validate emails, and don't allow dots. Also, people may believe their email address is one thing, and it's actually something else.
Documentation from Google Help explains that Gmail doesn't recognize dots as characters within a Gmail address. It states that you can add or remove dots from your address and still receive email. For example, `johnsmith@gmail.com` is the same as `john.smith@gmail.com` or `j.o.h.n.s.m.i.t.h@gmail.com`.
Related resources3Resources
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