How to transfer my phone number to another carrier

  • This information applies only to personal Google Voice accounts.
  • If you have a Google Voice for Google Workspace account managed by your work or school, contact your administrator to port your number.
  • If you're a Google Workspace administrator who wants to port your organization's phone numbers, go to Port business numbers to Voice for Google Workspace. 

Port your mobile number to a personal Google Voice account

Note: You can't port your mobile number to a Google Voice account managed by your work or school.

Important: Not all mobile numbers can be ported into Google Voice.

  • Google Voice charges a $20 USD fee to port your mobile number from another carrier, such as Verizon or AT&T, to Google Voice. To transfer a Google Fi number, read Transfer your Google Voice number to Google Fi.
  • Do not cancel your phone plan until Google Voice notifies you the port is complete. To verify the port, we send you a text message with a code. If you prefer, we can call you with the code. 
  • After the port is complete, your service provider cancels your phone service. If you have multiple numbers on the account, check with the service provider first to find out about their policies. If you want to keep the plan and get a new mobile number, confirm the plan with the service provider.

Before you begin

Find your billing account information from your current service provider, such as your account number and PIN for number porting. You need this information to complete your port request.

Port your number

  1. On your computer, open Google Voice.
    • If you haven't used Google Voice on your account before, set up Voice. You must pick a new number. Your ported number replaces the new number, so it won’t matter what the new number is.
  2. At the top right, click Settings
    How to transfer my phone number to another carrier
    Settings.
  3. Go to the “Account” section.
  4. Under “Port a number to Google Voice,” click Port a number.
  5. Click Get Started.
  6. Enter the phone number you want to port. Google Voice sends you a text message with a 6-digit code. If you prefer, you can choose to receive the code by call.
  7. Enter the code you receive.
  8. If your number can be ported, you'll be prompted to enter your carrier account information. You can check your bill or carrier’s website for the account information.
  9. Review the porting request. To proceed with payment through Google Pay, click Next.
    • If all steps are successful, we email you a detailed receipt.

Phone numbers can take up to 48 hours to port. Text messages can take up to 3 business days to transfer to your Voice number.

If the port gets stuck or delayed and you need help, contact Google Voice Support.

Track the porting progress

Get calls on your phone after you port the number

After your number is ported, it's automatically removed from your carrier, and your plan may be canceled. Google Voice doesn’t offer mobile service plans. You need to contact your carrier to get a new number to keep your plan active or start a new one.

To get Google Voice calls on your phone again:

  1. Set up a new phone plan and get a new number.
  2. Add the new number from your phone service plan to your Google Voice account as a linked number.

Any of these actions can cause fees or start new contract agreements with another carrier. Check with them first.

Keep your original Google Voice number

Your Google Voice account comes with an initial phone number. Within 90 days after you port your personal phone number, you can:

  • Opt to keep your original Google Voice number as a secondary number to the phone number you ported in. Otherwise, the original Google Voice number is removed.
  • Get calls and text messages on either number. After you make your secondary number persistent, you can choose which number to make calls and send messages from.

After you port your Google Voice number:

  • For 90 days, incoming calls and messages to your old number are forwarded to your Google Voice account.
  • After 90 days, a list of people who call your old Google Voice number is emailed to you.

  1. On your computer, open Google Voice.
  2. Sign in with the Google Account you used to register your number.
  3. At the top right, click Settings .
  4. On the left, click Calls.
  5. Under “Outbound caller ID,” choose the phone number you want to make calls and send messages from.

Cancel a number port

If the port process gets stuck or delayed, you might be able to cancel the process. If you cancel, you get your $20 USD fee back.

  1. If there’s a problem, the Google Voice team emails you to let you know there’s a problem.
  2. From the email, click Login to Google Voice.
  3. At the top right, click Settings
    How to transfer my phone number to another carrier
    Settings.
  4. Under the “Account” section, click Track your progress.
  5. Select Cancel my porting request.
    • If the request is eligible to cancel, you get a confirmation message. To confirm your cancellation request, click Yes.
    • If it’s not possible to cancel the request, it shows a message stating so. After the number ports to Voice, you can unlock and port out the number to another service provider.

If you have any other problems, contact Google Voice Support.

Port your Google Voice number out to another carrier

To port your number out of Google Voice, first you need to unlock the number. Then, let your carrier know you want to port a number to their service. Work with them until the porting process is complete.

When you unlock your Google Voice number, it costs $3 USD. But if your number was originally ported in from another carrier, there’s no charge.

  1. On your computer, open Google Voice.
  2. At the top right, click Settings
    How to transfer my phone number to another carrier
    Settings.
  3. Go to the “Account” section.
  4. Under the Google Voice number you wish to port out, click Unlock.
  5. Complete the payment with your Google Account.
  6. Ask your carrier to port your number to their service.
  7. If successful, at the bottom left, it displays “Number unlocked.”

Tips:

  • If your carrier asks for your account number and PIN, provide your 10-digit Google Voice phone number and the PIN you use to access your Google Voice voicemail.
  • Some third-party services may not accept phone numbers which originated from Google Voice, including after they have been ported to Google Fi. We recommend contacting any affected third-party service providers should this issue arise.

Lock your number again

If you decide not to port your Google Voice number, you can lock it again.

  1. On your computer, open Google Voice.
  2. At the top right, click Settings
    How to transfer my phone number to another carrier
    Settings.
  3. Under the “Account" section, find the Google Voice number you want to relock.
  4. Click Lock
    How to transfer my phone number to another carrier
    Yes.
  5. If successful, it displays “Number locked” in the bottom left.

You can always unlock your number again for no charge.

"Can't relock your number" error

If a service provider, like Verizon or AT&T, has already let us know about the port you asked for, you can't relock your phone number.

If porting your number isn’t working

If you have problems porting your number to Google Voice, use this information to help troubleshoot your particular issue.

"Couldn't transfer your number" error

If your number port doesn't go through, you get an email from Google that explains what to do.

"Carrier info doesn't match" notification

The account information you enter when you start your number port needs to be completely accurate.

If a number port doesn’t go through, it’s often because of incorrect account information. Your port won’t work with a misspelled name, an incorrect billing address, or an incorrect PIN, for example.

You have the chance to enter your information and try again. Here are some things to check:

  • Make sure there aren't any typos.
  • Account numbers are hard to find and it’s easy to forget your PIN number. Contact your previous carrier. They should be able to provide this information.
  • Try entering your account number without any dashes.
  • You usually need to provide the account owner’s information. If you’re on a family plan, find out who is listed as the account owner.

Information required by service providers

Verizon

  • The Verizon number you want to port.
  • The account holder’s name.
  • Your Verizon account number.
    • Usually a 10 or 14-digit number formatted as 000000000-00000.
    • When you enter your account number, don't include the dash.

In some cases, you may:

  • Be asked for your account PIN. This is usually a 4-digit number.
  • Need a transfer PIN. This is a 6-digit number.

If you can’t find this information, check a recent billing statement or contact Verizon support.

    AT&T

    • The AT&T number you want to port.
    • The account holder’s name.
    • Your AT&T wireless account number. Valid account numbers are 8, 9, 10, 12, or 15 digits. The most common are 9 or 12 digits.
    • In some cases, you may be asked for your AT&T account PIN.
    • If you have a prepaid or GoPhone account, to get your wireless account number, contact AT&T support.

    If you can’t find this information, check a recent billing statement or contact AT&T support.

    T-Mobile

    • The T-Mobile number you'd like to port.
    • The account holder’s name.
    • Your T-Mobile account number.
    • A postpaid account number is usually a 9 digit number but can be 9, 11, 12 or 15 digits.
    • A prepaid account number is your 11-digit phone number (1+ area code + number).

    If you have trouble finding this information, check a recent billing statement or contact T-Mobile support.

    Sprint

    • The Sprint number you'd like to port.
    • The account holder’s name.
    • Your Sprint account number (usually a 9-digit number).
    • Your Sprint PIN/passcode (usually a 6- to 10-digit number).

    If you have trouble finding this information, check a recent billing statement or contact Sprint support.

    U.S. Cellular

    Your US Cellular account number, which is either the account number or customer ID on your bill. If you have trouble finding this information, contact US Cellular support.

    Other carriers

    Republic Wireless, Cricket, Metro PCS, and other carriers require different information to port your number. In most cases you can find that information on your bill. 

    You need the:

    • Phone number you want to port.
    • Account owner’s name.
    • Account number from your current carrier.
    • Account PIN or passcode. Some carriers require this information to verify you own the number. Google uses this information for the port only. Google won’t store or use this information for any other purpose.
    • The account owner’s business address.

    Get more help

    You can discuss your questions with Google Voice experts in the Google Voice Community Help Forum.

    • Transfer your Google Voice number to Google Fi

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