diff --git a/Documentation/rest-api-accounts.txt b/Documentation/rest-api-accounts.txt
index 71115bdc67..1e403ac45e 100644
--- a/Documentation/rest-api-accounts.txt
+++ b/Documentation/rest-api-accounts.txt
@@ -583,7 +583,8 @@ the link:#capability-info[CapabilityInfo] entity.
 [[email-id]]
 \{email-id\}
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-An email address.
+An email address, or `preferred` for the preferred email address of the
+user.
 
 [[username]]
 \{username\}
diff --git a/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/account/Emails.java b/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/account/Emails.java
index 583e539800..59f04ac406 100644
--- a/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/account/Emails.java
+++ b/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/account/Emails.java
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 
 package com.google.gerrit.server.account;
 
+import com.google.common.base.Strings;
 import com.google.gerrit.extensions.registration.DynamicMap;
 import com.google.gerrit.extensions.restapi.AuthException;
 import com.google.gerrit.extensions.restapi.ChildCollection;
@@ -52,6 +53,14 @@ public class Emails implements
   @Override
   public AccountResource.Email parse(AccountResource parent, IdString id)
       throws AuthException, ResourceNotFoundException {
+    if ("preferred".equals(id.get())) {
+      String preferredEmail = parent.getUser().getAccount().getPreferredEmail();
+      if (!Strings.isNullOrEmpty(preferredEmail)) {
+        return new AccountResource.Email(parent.getUser(), preferredEmail);
+      }
+      throw new ResourceNotFoundException();
+    }
+
     if (!(self.get() instanceof IdentifiedUser)) {
       throw new AuthException("Authentication required");
     }