Gmail's handling of dots in email addresses is a feature that often causes confusion among users and businesses alike. While Google explicitly states that dots do not matter in the local part of an email address, the practical implications can lead to situations where users receive emails intended for others or where marketers face challenges with data hygiene and customer support.
Key findings
Dots ignored: Gmail treats all dot variations of a local part (the part before the '@' symbol) of an email address as the same. For example, johnsmith@gmail.com and john.smith@gmail.com refer to the identical inbox.
User confusion: This policy frequently leads to users mistakenly providing or expecting different email addresses based on dot placement, resulting in accidental sign-ups or receipt of other people's communications.
Not a bug: While some perceive this as a flaw, it is an intentional design choice by Gmail, implemented very early on, even pre-beta, to simplify address management.
No separate accounts: Despite anecdotal reports, there is no verified instance of two distinct Gmail accounts existing where one is a dot variation of the other.
Phishing vector: This feature can be exploited in phishing scams, where an attacker might intentionally register with a dot variation of a victim's email address on a third-party service, causing the victim to receive legitimate emails that appear to be for someone else.
Key considerations
Robust signup processes: Implement strong email validation and verification methods, such as double opt-in, to confirm user intent and prevent misdeliveries or data contamination.
Educate customers: When customers inquire about receiving emails for others, calmly explain Gmail's dot policy. Referencing Google's official statement can be helpful (dots don't matter in Gmail addresses).
Address variations: Remember that while dots are ignored, plus aliases (example+alias@gmail.com) are also handled uniquely by Gmail, allowing users to filter incoming mail. Be aware of other valid email address variations.
What email marketers say
Email marketers often find themselves on the front lines of customer confusion due to Gmail's dot handling. They frequently encounter scenarios where customers receive unwanted emails, or conversely, where valid customers claim not to have received communications. These situations underscore the importance of robust data capture and clear communication about email address nuances.
Key opinions
User error is common: Many marketers attribute issues to users simply misunderstanding their own Gmail address or incorrectly entering it during signup.
Confirmation via Google support: The official Google support documentation is a frequently cited resource to explain the 'dots don't matter' rule to confused customers.
Personal experience: Some marketers share personal anecdotes of having multiple Chris Byrnes or Mike Hillyers receiving mail due to this rule.
Legacy accounts: A few express a belief that very old Gmail accounts might somehow bypass this rule, though this is generally debunked by experts.
Verification is key: The most common advice from marketers to prevent these issues is to implement a click-to-verify (double opt-in) system at email signup.
Key considerations
Duplicate management: Marketers should develop strategies for handling potential duplicates that arise from users entering dot variations, possibly by normalizing Gmail addresses in their databases.
Customer service training: Equip customer service teams with accurate information about Gmail's dot rules to efficiently resolve user complaints about misdirected emails.
Impact on segmentation: While not affecting delivery, recognizing that dot variants point to the same user is crucial for accurate subscriber segmentation and personalization.
Marketer from Email Geeks describes a strange scenario where a customer ordered with customer.name@gmail.com, but another person using customername@gmail.com claimed to receive the order confirmation, despite not being the same person. Their system only registered the dot variant of the email.
18 May 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks notes that Gmail indeed ignores dots and treats dot variations as the same address. They suggest investigating user error or input validation issues as the primary cause for discrepancies.
18 May 2022 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
Experts in email deliverability and technology largely confirm Gmail's official policy regarding dots. However, they also delve into the implications of this feature, particularly concerning user perception, data hygiene, and potential security vulnerabilities like phishing. While the technical behavior is clear, managing user expectations and preventing abuse remains a key discussion point.
Key opinions
Official policy stands: Experts consistently affirm that Gmail's long-standing rule is to ignore dots in the username part of an email address.
User misconception: Discrepancies where users receive unintended emails are almost always attributed to the other user being confused about their actual email address, rather than two separate accounts existing.
Lack of proof for separate accounts: Despite recurring anecdotes, no absolute proof has been observed by experts for two distinct Gmail addresses (one with a dot, one without) existing as separate accounts.
Potential misfeature: Some argue that this feature, intended to be helpful, can ironically be leveraged to enable new forms of phishing scams, making it a bug rather than a feature.
Domain confusion: Sometimes, issues arise from users confusing the domain part of their email address (e.g., @googlemail.com vs. @gmail.com) rather than dot variations in the username.
Key considerations
Mitigating phishing risks: Businesses must be aware of how the dots don't matter feature can be exploited and implement strong security practices, such as multi-factor authentication, to protect user accounts.
Data quality: While Gmail handles dots, other systems may not. It's crucial for businesses to properly validate and normalize email addresses to maintain clean subscriber lists and prevent accidental sign-ups for another person.
System compatibility: Ensure that internal systems and third-party integrations can handle Gmail addresses with and without dots consistently to avoid data mismatches or errors in customer records.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks asserts that claims of two separate Gmail IDs existing—one with a dot and one without—are simply cases of people being confused about their actual email address. They emphasize that the dot-ignoring rule was a very early decision by Gmail, dating back to pre-beta days.
18 May 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Medium explains that while dots typically don't matter for sending/receiving, they can impact Google Workspace investigations. For internal Google systems, variations with dots might be treated differently for specific audit or logging purposes, which can be critical in cybersecurity forensics.
10 Aug 2023 - Medium
What the documentation says
Official documentation from Google clearly defines its policy on dots in Gmail addresses. This stance is foundational for understanding how Gmail processes incoming mail and for developing applications or services that interact with Gmail users. Despite the clarity in documentation, the unique behavior often requires reiteration due to persistent user misconceptions.
Key findings
Official Google statement: Google's help documentation explicitly states, "If someone accidentally adds dots to your address when emailing you, you'll still get that email."
All dot versions are owned: For any given Gmail address, the user owns all possible dot variations of the username.
Plus aliases are different: While dots are ignored, anything after a plus sign (+alias) is not ignored and allows for unique filtering.
Consistency: This policy ensures that a single Gmail account remains accessible even if senders mistakenly include or omit dots.
Key considerations
Referencing official sources: Always refer to and cite Google's official support documentation when explaining the dot rule to ensure accuracy and authority.
API interactions: When building integrations or tools that interact with Gmail, ensure your logic correctly handles email addresses according to Google's documented behavior.
User experience design: Design user interfaces for email entry with this rule in mind, perhaps by offering suggestions or confirmations that account for dot variations, reducing friction and customer support load. This is especially true when thinking about validity of email addresses.
Understanding limitations: While documented, this behavior is specific to Gmail. Other email providers (ESPs) may handle dots differently, which affects broader email deliverability strategies.
Technical article
Google's official documentation states that if someone accidentally adds dots to your address when emailing you, you will still receive that email. This confirms that dots are treated as insignificant by Gmail for delivery purposes.
18 May 2022 - support.google.com
Technical article
The Google help page clarifies that if your email is johnsmith@gmail.com, you own all dotted versions of your address, such as john.smith@gmail.com or j.o.h.n.s.m.i.t.h@gmail.com. All these variations deliver to the same inbox.