SendAs BridgeGmail “Send mail as” is ending. Here's what to do.
What Google is changing
Google's help article “Learn about changes to third-party email account support in Gmail” sets out the timeline:
- Now (second half of 2026): Gmail shows notices and may restrict new configurations. Some people already see “Send mail as” addresses fail with errors such as “You no longer have access to…”.
- January 2027: Gmail fully removes “Send as” for third-party accounts, Gmailify and POP fetching (“Check mail from other accounts”) — on the web and in the Gmail mobile apps.
“Third-party” means any address Google doesn't host: your own domain on Cloudflare Email Routing, ImprovMX, Namecheap or Porkbun forwarding, Zoho, Outlook.com, Yahoo and so on.
Who is affected
The common free setup for a personal or small-business domain is:
- Receive: forward you@yourdomain.com to your Gmail (Cloudflare Email Routing, ImprovMX, registrar forwarding).
- Send: add you@yourdomain.com under Gmail's Settings → Accounts → Send mail as, using an SMTP server (often Brevo, SMTP2GO, Amazon SES or your host's SMTP).
Step 1 keeps working. Step 2 is what Gmail removes. Hosted bridges that rely on Gmail's own “Send mail as” (SMTP relays you plug into Gmail) lose their sending path for the same reason.
What keeps working
- Forwarding into Gmail — your mail still arrives.
- “Send as” for Google-hosted addresses — other Gmail addresses and Google Workspace aliases.
- IMAP/POP/Gmail API for other apps — you can still use Gmail from Thunderbird, Apple Mail or Outlook.
Your options
| Option | Cost | Keep using Gmail? | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace for your domain | From about $7/user/month | Yes (as a new account) | Move mail, change MX |
| Move to another mailbox (Fastmail, Zoho, Proton, Purelymail) | Free to ~$5/month | No | Change MX, new app |
| Desktop mail app with SMTP (Thunderbird, Apple Mail) | Free | Partly (read in Gmail, send from the app) | Two apps |
| SendAs Bridge + a free email provider | Free for one address, $19 once for Pro | Yes, same inbox | About 10 minutes |
Keep using Gmail with SendAs Bridge
SendAs Bridge is a Chrome and Edge extension that brings the sending half back. It adds a From row to every Gmail compose window. When you pick your own address, the email you wrote in Gmail is sent through your own email provider's API instead of Gmail — attachments, pasted images and reply threading included — and a copy is Bcc'd back to your Gmail so the conversation stays complete.
- Install SendAs Bridge (Chrome) or for Edge.
- Pick an email provider. If you used Brevo, SMTP2GO or Amazon SES for Gmail's SMTP before, you already have one — just create an API key. Otherwise Resend takes about 10 minutes.
- Add your address, run the domain check and send yourself a test.
- In Gmail, pick your address in the From row and click Send.
Using Cloudflare Email Routing? Read the Cloudflare guide. Using ImprovMX? Read the ImprovMX guide.