The days of being haunted by a cringeworthy email address created a decade ago are finally coming to an end. For years, the conventional wisdom was that once you picked a Gmail handle, you were stuck with it for life or forced to start over from scratch with a brand-new account. However, a major shift in how Google manages identities now allows you to refresh your primary username without losing years of archived messages and linked services.
This feature has been anticipated for a long time, and we’ve known it’s been in the works for months now. Now, according to Google, anyone using a Google Account in the US should soon have the ability to change their username — and you might be able to do it now.
If you’re itching to change your email address, though, there are a few things you need to know. Most of your data and Google features will carry over, but there may be some hiccups along the way.
When you change your Gmail, it adds the old username as an alternate address. That should ensure that even though your account displays the new username, you’ll still receive all emails sent to the previous address.
Data saved to your Google Account will also be unaffected by the new Gmail username. You’ll have uninterrupted access to emails, photos and messages sent to you as well as anything saved to your Google Drive. You can also use the new email address to continue signing into Google services like Gmail, Maps, YouTube, Google Play or Google Drive.
Though most of the kinks were ironed out before launch, you might still hit a few snags when you change your Google username.
If you’re a Chromebook user, you’ll need to take special steps. Since your Gmail is linked to your device sign-in, third-party sign-ins that use their Google Account will still only recognize the old account username, and Chrome Remote Desktop connections may not immediately work with a new Gmail address.
A Google representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
How to change your Google Account username
The first thing you’ll need to do is access the Personal Info tab in your Google Account settings. From here, you’ll find an Email button — this button can be used to access your Google Account email settings.
After you navigate those menus, you should see a bright blue “Change Google Account email” button. You can choose a new username directly after clicking that button — just make sure it’s a good one, since you can only change your username once a year.
If you follow Google’s instructions but see a message saying the option to change your username isn’t available for your account, don’t panic. The tech giant has made it clear that this feature is being rolled out gradually, so you’ll just have to wait a little longer.
As someone who has carried my childhood username into early adulthood, I’m thrilled to slip out of this ball and chain without having to move my login details to a new email address.
Here’s to a new era of Gmail, where our email addresses grow up and mature alongside us.