Google first unveiled Gmail to the public on April 1, 2004. Now, 22 years later, Google is finally letting some Gmail users change their account’s username while retaining everything else in their account.
The ability for Gmail users to change their username was first teased by Google late last year. And now, as of Tuesday, every Gmail user in the U.S. can officially change their username — that’s the part that comes before the “@gmail.com” – to whatever they want, as long as the new username is available.
Aside from the username, everything else with the account remains the same. All emails and files associated with the old username will continue to exist in the account for the new username.
What happens to your old Gmail address? Google says it will retain that username for the user so that emails sent to that old address continue to arrive to the new username’s inbox.
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So, are you ready to change that Gmail username you created while you were still in high school? Here’s how to do it.
How to change your Gmail username
If you’re a Gmail user in the U.S., the option to change your Gmail username while retaining the same account is now open to you.
To change your username, simply go to your Settings while signed into your Google account. Next, go to Personal info, followed by Email, and then Google Account email.
Eligible accounts will then see a button labeled “Change Google Account email” on this page. Tap that button and then pick a new username.
Please note, Gmail users can only change their username once every 12 months. So, once you pick a new username, you’re stuck with it for at least a year. But that might sound like a pretty short timeframe if you were one of the unfortunate users stuck with your previous Gmail username for 22 years.
