How do I handle contacts who have more than one email address?

Open the contact’s details and edit that record rather than creating a second contact just to store another address. Add the second address in a separate email field, and label the fields “Work” and “Personal” if your contact app offers labels. That makes the purpose of each address easier to spot later. In Google Contacts on Android, you can edit contact details and add fields for email addresses. [S1]

Before saving, check that each complete address is in its own field and that neither one has been accidentally replaced. The cited Google Contacts instructions establish that addresses can be stored and edited there; they do not specify a maximum number of addresses, and the steps may look different in other apps.

If your contact app offers a default or preferred address setting, use it for the address you are most likely to need. For a Google Contacts record with multiple addresses on Android, touch and hold the address and choose “Set default.” Google documents that this default is the address used when the contact is added to a label group. [S2]

Treat that setting as a preference in Contacts, not a guarantee about every email app. The available source does not establish that every compose screen will automatically select the default address. If you do not see a default-setting option in your app, keep the addresses clearly labeled and select the intended one when you address a message.

After selecting the contact, inspect the actual address shown in the recipient field—not just the displayed name. Check the full address in To, Cc, or Bcc, and change the selected address if it is not the intended one. Gmail for Android supports adding recipients in those fields, but its cited help does not explain how Gmail chooses between multiple addresses stored on a contact. [S3] That is why checking the address shown in your own compose screen is a useful final step.

For example, suppose a contact has [name]@work.example labeled “Work” and [name]@personal.example labeled “Personal.” If you are sending a work-related message, choose the work-labeled entry if it appears, then verify the complete recipient address before sending. These are fictional placeholders, not real contact details.

Use this short routine:

1. Open the existing contact and add any missing addresses in separate email fields.
2. Label each address by purpose where your app supports it; otherwise, use a clear note if available.
3. Set a default address if the contact app provides that option, and remember that another email app may not follow it.
4. When addressing a message, select the intended address and inspect the full address in the recipient field.
5. If the displayed address is unclear or unexpected, pause and select the correct entry before sending.

The goal is to keep one recognizable contact record while making the address choice explicit each time. App layouts and selection behavior vary, so rely on the address displayed in the compose screen rather than the contact’s name alone.