Soon it will be possible to change your Gmail address: Google is preparing to introduce a feature that many users have been waiting for for a long time, namely the possibility of modify your own Gmail address keeping data, messages, contacts and access to connected services intact.
The operation is apparently trivial, but up to now it has been in fact impossible or at least very complex. Which has forced millions of people to live with addresses created in adolescence, unprofessional or simply no longer suited to their digital identity.
Google welcomes email change in Gmail
Until now, changing your Gmail address often meant having to start from scratch. The Google account is tied to a primary email address and, in the case of the majority of users, it is the same address @gmail.com.
The official alternatives involve replacing it with a third-party email or creating a new account, with forwarding, manual migrations, and a long list of complications that discourage even the most experienced users. In other words, a technological and design block that has given many users more than a stomach ache.
The new function emerged from an update to the support documentation in Hindi and promises to resolve the inconvenience: Google plans to allow the choice of a new Gmail address while keeping the entire ecosystem connected to the account unchanged.
The old address will not be deleted, but will be converted to alias: it will therefore be possible to receive emails on both addresses, continue to log in with the old or new one and maintain access to photos, documents, history and settings. It is, essentially, a change of formal identity but without a definitive break.
Mountain Viewhowever, introduces some stringent limits: the change can be made once every 12 months e no more than three times in the life of the account. The aim is to prevent the system from being used for spam, phishing, evasion of blocks or deletion of one’s digital traces. But also to make users responsible.
The feature is not yet active for all users worldwide and the change it will be in step gradualaccording to the usual progressive distribution model adopted by Google for innovations. The global timing and geographical coverage remain uncertain, as does the possible impact of European regulations on privacy and competition, from the GDPR to the Digital Markets Act, which in some contexts could influence the methods and timing of implementation.
For millions of users it means the possibility of realigning their digital identity with personal and professional paths developed over time. Goodbye, therefore, to usernames like “stellina9999″ and welcome usernames like ” ufficio.maria.rossi “.
How to change your Google account address
Before making any changes, you need to check that your Google account actually allows you to change your email address. To do this:
- visit myaccount.google.com/google-account-email;
- in the menu at the top left enter the “Personal information” section;
- select email > Google account email.
Now check if the “Change your Google Account email” option appears. If this item is not available, it means that the change is not allowed at the moment. Please try again later.
If the option is available, proceed as follows:
- enter the new Gmail address you want to use (it must be a free address, i.e. not in use by another Google account or already used in the past and then deleted);
- click on “Change email” and then confirm by selecting “Yes, change email address”.
Follow the instructions that will be shown during the procedure.
Once the operation is completed, the new address will become the main one of the Google account, while the previous address will remain registered as an alternative email and will continue to be associated with your profile.
What happens to Google Workspace accounts
One question currently remains open: the function will also arrive in accounts Google Workspace corporate? In this context the logics are different, linked to customized domains and more complex IT policies. For now, there is no official indication from Google.
