A knowledge base article about What is a Recovery Email Address? How do I add one to my CalNet account? provided by the UC Berkeley IT Service Hub - Knowledge Portal
A Recovery Email Address is a personal email address (like Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook) that is not your "berkeley.edu" account.
You need to have one listed on your CalNet record. Without it, you won't be able to use the mycalnet.berkeley.edu to change your passphrase or reset it if you forget it. Setting this up now will save you a lot of time and headache later!
1. Log in to CalNet Account Manager
2. Click Change My Recovery Email Address
3. Enter your non-berkeley.edu email address in the New recovery Email Address field
4. Press Change
5. Navigate to the inbox of the email account listed in step 3
6. Find the email from CalNet, "Confirm external email address change," and open it
7. Click the Confirm email address button within three days, or the button will expire
Log in to CalNet Account Manager and look for d. If you have a Recovery Email Address, it will be listed there.
Send an email to calnet@berkeley.edu with your Student, Alumni, UCPath or CalNet ID and a request to set your Recovery Email Address. You will be required to provide additional information to verify your identity before the request will be completed.