San Francisco: Google has started rolling out a long‑awaited feature that allows users in the United States to change their Gmail address. Until now, Gmail users had to create an entirely new account to get a new email name.
With this update, users can now change the part of their address that comes before “@gmail.com” without losing emails or data. Google says this makes it easier for accounts to grow and change over time.
The feature is being released gradually, so not all users will see it right away. If the option is available, users will find it in their Google Account settings under Personal info and Email.
To start the process, users need to tap on the option called “Change Google Account email”. From there, they can choose a new and unused Gmail address name. However, there are some limits to keep in mind. Google allows users to change their Gmail address only once every 12 months. And during that time, the new address cannot be deleted.
Google has confirmed that existing emails are not affected by the change. All past emails, messages, files, and account data remain exactly as they were before. The original Gmail address does not disappear either. It remains active as an alternate email address, that is to say, emails sent to the old address will still reach the inbox.
Users can also sign in to Google services using either the old or the new email address. This applies to Gmail, Drive, YouTube, Photos, Calendar, and other Google products.
This change is expected to be especially helpful for long‑time Gmail users who may want to move away from their older or unprofessional email names. Until now, changing a Gmail address often meant making multiple accounts.
Google’s move makes Gmail somewhat similar to other email services that already let users update or manage multiple email names under one account. It acts as a major shift after more than two decades of fixed Gmail usernames.
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