Nearly 20 years after users first signed up, Google is finally letting people ditch their embarrassing Gmail usernames. In a blog post on Tuesday, the tech giant announced that the long-awaited feature, in the works since last year, is now available to all users in the US. Google CEO Sundar Pichai tweeted that users no longer need to stick with email addresses “stuck in time,” giving everyone the chance to update their Gmail and grow their accounts with them.
Google parent Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai talked about the feature in a post on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “2004 was a good year, but your Gmail address doesn't need to be stuck in it.”
Google’s latest update gives users long-awaited control over their Gmail addresses, allowing them to change the portion of their email before @gmail.com while keeping their full account history intact. This means all messages, photos, and other data linked to the account remain unaffected.
The previous email automatically becomes an alternative address, so users continue to receive messages sent to both the old and new addresses in the same inbox. Sign-ins to Google services such as Gmail, YouTube, Maps, Google Play, and Drive can be done using either email address, making the transition seamless.
How to Change Your Gmail Username:
Go to Google Account settings → Personal info tab
Click Email → Google Account email
If eligible, select Change Google Account email
Enter a new username (must be unique and unused before)
However, Google has set limits: each user can change their email once every 12 months, for a maximum of three times, and they also have the flexibility to revert to their old email at any time. This update aims to help users keep their accounts relevant as their personal or professional needs evolve, while ensuring continuity across all Google services.