In a landmark update for its billions of users, Google has begun rolling out a long-awaited feature that allows Gmail users to change their email addresses without creating a brand-new account. The update, which is gradually appearing in account settings globally, finally offers a solution for millions of people stuck with embarrassing, outdated, or unprofessional usernames created years ago.
For nearly two decades, a Gmail address was a permanent identifier. If a user wanted to shed a handle like “sk8erboi2005” or “princess.sparkle,” their only option was to create an entirely new account, a process that involved the painstaking task of migrating contacts, forwarding emails, and losing access to purchased apps or YouTube histories.
Under the new system, users can replace their existing @gmail.com address with a new one while preserving all their data. According to updated support documentation, the process converts the old email address into a permanent “alias.” This means that emails sent to the old address will continue to arrive in the same inbox, and users can sign in with either their old or new credentials. Crucially, all Google Drive files, Google Photos, calendar events, and purchase histories remain intact and linked to the account.
“This is a quality-of-life update that acknowledges our digital identities evolve,” a tech analyst noted. “Your email is your digital passport. Allowing people to update it without wiping their digital existence is a massive shift in Google’s architecture.”
However, Google has implemented strict guardrails to prevent abuse of the feature. Users are limited to changing their email address once every 12 months, with a lifetime cap of three changes per account (allowing for a total of four addresses over the account’s lifespan). Additionally, once a change is made, the new address cannot be deleted or altered again for a full year, and the old address cannot be claimed by a new user, preventing identity impersonation.
The feature was first spotted on Google’s support pages in India before confirmed reports of its rollout in other regions surfaced late this week. To check for eligibility, users can navigate to “Manage your Google Account,” select “Personal Info,” and look for the edit icon next to their email address. While the rollout is gradual, it signals the end of an era where a teenage choice defined a professional digital life forever.
