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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- You can now change your Gmail address while keeping your data.
- You’ll get messages sent to both your new and old addresses.
- Gmail limits you to one change per year.
If you’ve been using your old Gmail account that you created before you knew your username would matter, or with a name you want to forget, your day is here.
Google has announced that you can finally change your Google Account username — the part before @gmail.com in your email — without losing any of your account data. Evidence of the ability to do this started surfacing several months ago, but the option is now here for everyone.
If you’re stuck with a regrettable email, you understand what a big deal this is and why people have wanted it for years. Not only is your username what you use to sign in to Google apps and services like Gmail, Photos, and Drive, it’s what you give to doctors’ offices, your mechanic, your dog groomer, and more.
Also: New Google email scams are alarmingly convincing – how to spot them
When you make the change, your old Gmail address will become an alternate, Google says. It will still technically exist, and messages to both your old and new addresses will come to your new one. You can even choose to send from your old address if you want. This means you don’t need to change every subscription or account, and most importantly, it means anything saved in your account, like photos, messages, and emails, will remain.
Prior to today, if you wanted to shed your old username, your only option was to make a whole new account.
How to change your Gmail address
The process for updating your Gmail address is the same across all platforms. Whether you’re on a desktop browser, or an Android or iOS device, here’s how to change your Gmail handle:
- Head to myaccount.google.com/google-account-email and sign in.
- Click “Personal info” and then “Change Google Account email.”
- Choose your new username (you can see while you type whether what you want is available).
Also: Your Gmail is getting an AI makeover – here’s what to expect and when
Google warns that you can switch back to your alternate Gmail address at any time, but make sure your new name is one you want to stick with because you can only create one new account per year, and you can only change it three times total (for a total of four addresses tied to the same account).
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