Google finally lets you ditch that embarrassing old Gmail username, here's how to do it

We all have that one email address with an embarrassing username. The username was very funny when you created it a decade ago, and you’ve gotten quite a giggle out of plugging it into various email fields over the years. But now you’re in too deep, and most of your digital identity is tied to a username that started off as a joke. Most of us have quietly endured the shame of our past choices, but Google is now finally letting some of us right our wrongs, as it widely rolls out the ability to change your Google account username.

Google has announced that all Google Account users in the US can now change their Google Account username (i.e., the part before “@gmail.com”). The company began rolling out this feature last year, and it’s now widely available in the region.

Users in the US can go to their Google Account settings (navigate to any Google website or app like Gmail, tap the profile photo in the top-right corner, then tap Manage your Google account), then tap Personal Info > Email > Google Account email > Change Google Account email, and follow the on-screen prompts.

Google notes that when you change your username, your previous email address will be saved as an alternate email address, which can be used to sign in to your account or to reach you if you get locked out. Even with your newer email, you will still (thankfully) receive emails sent to your previous email address, and even send emails from your previous address.

Google’s support video states that you can create a new address only once every 12 months. You can also revert your Google Account email to a previous username, but you won’t be able to create a new one for 30 days, as shown in the screenshots. Note that you can create only up to three new email addresses for your Google Account (for a total of four email addresses).

Google hasn’t yet shared anything about international availability for this change, but my colleague Tushar Mehta has the ability to change the username available to him in India. Still, a confirmed wide rollout in the US is great news. Cheers to everyone fixing past mistakes and creating a new Gmail address without starting over!