Free tool

Is my email going away?

Probably not. Most old addresses still work. A few internet providers have handed their email to Yahoo, and the address comes along. Type yours to see where it stands.

Updated October 2026

comcast.netrun by ComcastYahoo Mailruns it nowNext?not your callgrace@smiths.familyYours, wherever you move

Checked in your browser against our list. Your address isn't saved or sent anywhere.

Short answer

Most old email addresses still work. Comcast is moving comcast.net mailboxes to Yahoo Mail, Cox is doing the same with cox.net, and verizon.net mail has run on AOL since 2017. In each case you keep the address. AOL Mail is still running: what ended in 2025 was AOL dial-up, not AOL email. The one address on our list that did stop working is CenturyLink's q.com, now myctl.net. The quieter risk is the fine print: many providers delete a mailbox nobody opens for a while, or one whose internet service was cancelled.

Every provider at a glance

Each status comes from the provider's own help pages or announcements, linked in its section below. A provider we couldn't confirm that way isn't listed.

Comcast / Xfinity

Addresses
comcast.net
Status
Being moved
Run by
Yahoo, once you accept the move

AOL

Addresses
aol.com
Status
Still running
Run by
AOL, owned by Bending Spoons

Verizon

Addresses
verizon.net
Status
Moved, still works
Run by
AOL

Cox

Addresses
cox.net
Status
Being moved
Run by
Yahoo

AT&T and SBCGlobal

Addresses
att.net, sbcglobal.net, bellsouth.net, pacbell.net and 8 more
Status
Still running
Run by
AT&T

Spectrum (Charter, Roadrunner)

Addresses
charter.net, spectrum.net, rr.com, twc.com and 2 more
Status
Still running
Run by
Spectrum

CenturyLink

Addresses
centurylink.net
Status
Still running
Run by
CenturyLink

Q.com (CenturyLink)

Addresses
q.com
Status
Shut down
Run by
CenturyLink, as myctl.net

Windstream (Kinetic)

Addresses
windstream.net, alltel.net, ctc.net, valornet.com
Status
Still running
Run by
Kinetic by Windstream

Optimum (Optonline)

Addresses
optonline.net, optimum.net
Status
Still running
Run by
Optimum

EarthLink

Addresses
earthlink.net, mindspring.com, ix.netcom.com
Status
Still running
Run by
EarthLink

Juno

Addresses
juno.com
Status
Still running
Run by
Juno (United Online)

NetZero

Addresses
netzero.net, netzero.com
Status
Still running
Run by
NetZero (United Online)

iCloud Mail

Addresses
icloud.com, me.com, mac.com
Status
Still running
Run by
Apple

Outlook.com (Hotmail, Live, MSN)

Addresses
outlook.com, hotmail.com, live.com, msn.com
Status
Still running
Run by
Microsoft

Yahoo Mail

Addresses
yahoo.com, ymail.com, rocketmail.com
Status
Still running
Run by
Yahoo

Gmail

Addresses
gmail.com, googlemail.com
Status
Changes coming
Run by
Google

Is Comcast email going away?

Being moved

No, but it's moving to Yahoo Mail. Xfinity has been inviting comcast.net customers to move since June 2025, in waves through 2026. You keep your comcast.net address, your messages, folders and contacts. Once you accept Yahoo's terms, Yahoo runs your mailbox.

Run by
Yahoo, once you accept the move
Since
June 2025, invitations through 2026
Do you have to move?
Xfinity calls it "an upgrade we are offering customers at no cost". Yahoo says that if you don't want to move, you can export your mail and close the account.
Deadline
None announced

What carries over

  • Your comcast.net address
  • Your messages, folders and contacts
  • Former Xfinity customers can move too, if they used the mailbox in the last two years

What doesn't

  • Messages with attachments over 25 MB. Xfinity says you have 30 days to download them.
  • Folders beyond the first 4,100, and contacts beyond the first 10,000
  • Contact groups
  • Filters and forwarding. Forwarding stops, so set it up again in Yahoo.

What to do now

  • Wait for the invitation. Xfinity says real notices come only from xfinity@updates.xfinity.com.
  • If you use Apple Mail, Outlook or another app, add the account again with Yahoo's settings after the move.
  • Write down your filters and forwarding rules before you move, so you can set them up again.

Sources: Xfinity: Yahoo Mail migration, Yahoo: Comcast email move

Last checked October 10, 2026

Is AOL email going away?

Still running

No. AOL Mail still works, and aol.com addresses still send and receive mail. What ended on September 30, 2025 was AOL's dial-up internet and its dialer software. AOL said nothing else in its plans changed. AOL has belonged to Bending Spoons since January 2, 2026.

Run by
AOL, owned by Bending Spoons

What to do now

  • Nothing is required. Keep using your AOL address.
  • With a new owner, it's a sensible time to save a copy of the mail that matters to you.

Sources: AOL: dial-up discontinued, Bending Spoons SEC filing (AOL acquisition)

Last checked October 10, 2026

Does verizon.net email still work?

Moved, still works

Yes, on AOL. Verizon stopped running its own email in 2017 and moved verizon.net mailboxes to AOL Mail, keeping the address. Mailboxes that weren't moved by December 5, 2017 were deleted. If your verizon.net mail works today, it's already on AOL.

Run by
AOL
Since
2017
Deadline
December 5, 2017. The move is finished.

What to do now

  • Nothing is required. Sign in through AOL Mail.
  • In a mail app, AOL's settings apply: incoming mail from imap.aol.com, with your full verizon.net address.

Sources: Verizon: email policy, AOL: verizon.net settings

Last checked October 10, 2026

Is Cox email moving to Yahoo?

Being moved

Yes. Cox announced at the end of 2023 that it was ending its own webmail and moving cox.net users to Yahoo Mail, keeping their addresses. Yahoo's help pages now cover cox.net mailboxes that have moved. Cox stopped giving new customers cox.net addresses in 2019.

Run by
Yahoo
Since
Announced December 2023

What carries over

  • Your cox.net address

What to do now

  • Read your mail at Yahoo Mail.
  • In Apple Mail, Outlook or another app, Yahoo asks you to create an app password and use Yahoo's settings.

Sources: Yahoo: cox.net settings, AZFamily, December 2023 (news report)

Last checked October 10, 2026

Is AT&T or SBCGlobal email going away?

Still running

No. AT&T email still works for att.net, sbcglobal.net and the older AT&T addresses like bellsouth.net, pacbell.net and swbell.net. AT&T hasn't announced a shutdown. A mailbox that isn't used for 12 months is treated as inactive and its mail is deleted.

Run by
AT&T

What to do now

  • Use the mailbox at least once a year, so it isn't marked inactive.
  • Apple Mail, Outlook and other apps need a secure mail key from AT&T instead of your normal password.

Sources: AT&T: email settings and domains, AT&T: inactive mailboxes

Last checked October 10, 2026

Is Spectrum, Charter or Roadrunner email going away?

Still running

No shutdown is announced. Spectrum still runs charter.net, Roadrunner (rr.com), twc.com and brighthouse.com addresses. The address is tied to your Spectrum internet: once you cancel, you can reach the mailbox for 60 days, and then it's gone. A mailbox with no activity for six months is locked until you unlock it at Spectrum.net.

Run by
Spectrum

What doesn't

  • Everything, 60 days after you cancel Spectrum internet

What to do now

  • If you're thinking of switching internet providers, move your mail and contacts first.
  • Sign in at least every six months, so new mail keeps arriving.

Sources: Spectrum: after disconnecting, Spectrum: email quick reference, Spectrum: email settings

Last checked October 10, 2026

What happened to q.com email?

Shut down

Q.com addresses no longer work. CenturyLink moved every q.com mailbox to myctl.net starting October 21, 2025, and forwarding from the old address ended on December 31, 2025. Your mail and password moved with you: only the part after the @ changed.

Run by
CenturyLink, as myctl.net
Since
October 21, 2025
Do you have to move?
Yes. CenturyLink said the change was required for all q.com users.
Deadline
December 31, 2025. The move is finished.

What carries over

  • Your messages
  • Your password
  • The name before the @, now at myctl.net

What doesn't

  • The q.com address itself. Mail sent to it no longer reaches you.

What to do now

  • Sign in with your myctl.net address.
  • Tell anyone who still writes to your q.com address about the new one.

Sources: CenturyLink: q.com to myctl.net FAQ, CenturyLink: q.com retired

Last checked October 10, 2026

Does Windstream email still work?

Still running

Yes. Kinetic still runs windstream.net addresses, and the older alltel.net, ctc.net and valornet.com ones. A mailbox with no activity for 180 days becomes inactive and can't be reached until you contact Kinetic.

Run by
Kinetic by Windstream

What to do now

  • Check your mail, in webmail or an app, at least every 180 days.

Sources: Kinetic: email password and inactive accounts, Kinetic: which address to sign in with

Last checked October 10, 2026

Is Optimum email going away?

Still running

No shutdown is announced, but Optimum stopped creating new email accounts in May 2021, and its deletion rules are strict: 90 days without using the mailbox, or 90 days after you cancel Optimum internet, and the inbox and everything in it are deleted.

Run by
Optimum

What doesn't

  • Everything, 90 days after you cancel Optimum internet

What to do now

  • Use the mailbox at least every 90 days.
  • If you might switch internet providers, move your mail and contacts before you cancel.

Sources: Optimum: email account FAQ

Last checked October 10, 2026

Does Juno email still work?

Still running

Yes. Juno still offers free and paid email. A free account has to be checked at least once every 60 days, or it stops accepting mail and the stored mail is deleted.

Run by
Juno (United Online)

What to do now

  • Check your Juno mail at least once every 60 days if you're on the free plan.
  • Forwarding is a paid feature, so if you plan to leave, move your mail by hand.

Sources: Juno: inactive accounts, Juno home page

Last checked October 10, 2026

Does NetZero email still work?

Still running

Yes. NetZero still runs its email. The rules match Juno's: a free account has to be checked at least once every 60 days, or it stops accepting mail and the stored mail is deleted. Logging on to NetZero internet alone doesn't count.

Run by
NetZero (United Online)

What to do now

  • Open your NetZero mailbox at least once every 60 days if you're on the free plan.

Sources: NetZero: inactive accounts, NetZero home page

Last checked October 10, 2026

Do me.com and mac.com addresses still work?

Still running

Yes. Older me.com and mac.com addresses still work as part of iCloud Mail, alongside icloud.com. One thing to know: if you delete a me.com or mac.com address from your iCloud account, Apple can't add it back.

Run by
Apple

What to do now

  • Nothing to do. Just don't remove an old me.com or mac.com address you still use.

Sources: Apple: about iCloud email addresses

Last checked October 10, 2026

Do Hotmail, Live and MSN addresses still work?

Still running

Yes. Hotmail, Live and MSN addresses all run on Outlook.com. Microsoft closes an Outlook.com inbox that nobody signs into for a year, and the whole Microsoft account after two years.

Run by
Microsoft

What to do now

  • Sign in to the inbox at least once a year, including old addresses you keep for one purpose.
  • If you used the Outlook Lite app on Android, it stopped working on May 25, 2026. Microsoft recommends the regular Outlook app.

Sources: Microsoft Services Agreement, Microsoft account activity policy, Microsoft: Outlook Lite

Last checked October 10, 2026

Is Yahoo Mail going away?

Still running

No. Yahoo Mail is running, and it's where Comcast and Cox mail now lives too. A mailbox nobody opens for 12 months is deleted for good, with its folders and contacts. Signing in to another Yahoo service doesn't count: you have to open the mailbox.

Run by
Yahoo

What to do now

  • Open the mailbox itself at least once a year. Yahoo sends reminders 90, 60 and 30 days before.
  • Automatic forwarding needs the paid Yahoo Mail Plus.

Sources: Yahoo: inactive mailboxes, Yahoo: forwarding

Last checked October 10, 2026

Is Gmail changing?

Changes coming

Gmail itself is staying. What's going away is Gmail pulling in mail from your other addresses, like an old AOL or Comcast account, through "Check mail from other accounts" and Gmailify. Nobody new can set it up after the first quarter of 2026, and setups that already exist keep working until January 2027.

Run by
Google
Deadline
January 2027, for setups that already exist

What carries over

  • Mail Gmail already pulled in from your other accounts stays in Gmail.

What doesn't

  • Gmail stops collecting new mail from your other addresses.
  • Gmail's spam filtering and inbox tabs no longer apply to those other addresses.

What to do now

  • Set up forwarding at your other provider, which is what Google recommends. Yahoo and Juno charge for it.
  • Or add the other address to the Gmail app on your phone, which still reads it directly.

Sources: Google: changes to Gmailify and POP

Last checked October 10, 2026

How to keep your old mail when you switch

Whatever you choose next, your old mail can come with you. The simplest way needs nothing but a mail app:

  • Keep the old address open until you're done. There's no rush to close it.
  • Add both accounts to Apple Mail or Thunderbird, the old one and the new one.
  • Drag the folders across from the old account to the new one, and let the app copy them.
  • Tell the important senders first: bank, doctor, school, pharmacy. Then the rest as mail arrives at the old address.

Want to see the options side by side? Read the comparison. Thinking about an address on your own name? Try the family email address generator.

Move once, to an address no provider can take away

Your family's own domain and up to six mailboxes, for $19 a month. If you ever change providers, the address comes with you.

Find your family's domain