Gmail users can now change their email address. Here’s how

SAN FRANCISCO — Google announced Tuesday it is rolling out the ability for U.S. users to change their Gmail username for the first time in the platform’s 22-year history, ending a frustrating limitation that forced users to either live with outdated email addresses or start entirely from scratch.

The move closes the book on a problem familiar to millions: embarrassing email addresses chosen in youth that have followed professionals into their careers, or left users juggling multiple active email accounts. The tech giant began a test rollout in some markets late last year. 

Google says all emails and other account data and history are preserved when users make the switch. 

Rather than simply deleting the old address, Google has designed the transition so that the old address doesn’t disappear — it becomes an alternate address. Emails sent to it still land in the inbox, users can still send from it, and it can still be used to sign in.

According to Google, the old address will still appear in some cases and “won’t be immediately reflected in older instances” such as events on Google Calendar created before the change.

Previously, users seeking a new Gmail address had to create a new account and transfer their data manually through a complicated process that could disrupt integrations with third-party apps.

Users can change their Gmail address three times — four usernames total, counting their original. One swap per year is the maximum. Reverting to a previous username triggers a 30-day cooldown before a new one can be selected again.

Users can change back to the old address at any time, but can only create one new Google Account username every 12 months and cannot delete the new one after it’s created.

The process is straightforward for accounts where the feature has been enabled. Here’s what to do:

1. While logged into your Gmail account, look to the right side of the screen for your profile picture. Click it, and you should see a menu with “Manage your Google Account” at the top.
2. From there, click “Personal info” in the left-hand menu, then select “Email.”
3. Under the “Google Account email” option, tap the “Change Google Account email” button to start the process of changing your username. If the rename feature is enabled for your account, you will see a pencil (edit) icon next to your Gmail address.
4. Enter your account password and complete any two-step verification prompts to continue.
5. Type in your desired new username. Google will check availability in real time.
6. Save your new address. The update is applied instantly across Gmail and all connected Google services. Once completed, your old Gmail address automatically becomes an alias, and your account continues to function exactly as before.