Google finally lets you change your Gmail name, but here’s the catch

Google account owners got the ability to change the “username” in their email address—the part right before the @gmail.com. The feature works without creating a new account and without losing emails, Google Drive files, or purchases from the Play Store.

The old address doesn’t get deleted; it becomes an “alternative” address. Emails sent there still come through as usual, and you can even send messages from it if needed. The actual Google account itself keeps on going, now under the new name. The change is made in the account settings—you just head to the “Personal info” section, select “Email,” then “Google Account email,” and follow the prompts. The whole process takes a couple of minutes.

You can only change your name once every 12 months, and over the entire lifespan of an account, you’re limited to no more than three new addresses. If you switch back to an old name, you’ll have to wait 30 days before making another change. For now, the feature is officially only available to users in the US. Google hasn’t shared a timeline for expanding it to other countries, but some users in India are reporting that the option has shown up for them too—so it might be a test or a gradual rollout. Rumors about a feature like this first popped up late last year, but when it’ll actually be available to everyone is still up in the air.

It’s important to note that it’s just the username that changes, not the domain. So you can turn “ivan.ivanov.1990” into “i.ivanov” or something along those lines, but switching to a different email service (like @yandex.ru, for example) still isn’t an option. Google also keeps the old address as a login method—meaning you can sign into the account using either the new or the old name, which is handy if the old address is still being used as a login somewhere.

What the feature doesn’t do, though, is let you move your conversation history from the old address to the new one (it all stays in the same account, just tied to a different name). And you can’t let someone else use the old name either—it stays linked to the owner as an alternative address. While adding new features, Google is also phasing out some classic ones.

So, what email address would you pick if you could change yours right now? Or maybe you’ve already got a story about a regrettable username that’s followed you around for years? Drop it in the comments.