Google lets users ditch their cringey old Gmail address
Drawing sighs of relief from those who have been stuck with cringey old Gmail handles for years, Google will now allow users to update their Gmail addresses.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced on X that those who had created their handles a long time ago, when they were perhaps less wise and more creative with their naming conventions, will finally have the opportunity to update their email address to something more modern and less cringeworthy.
“2004 was a good year, but your Gmail address doesn’t need to be stuck in it,” Pichai said.
“To say goodbye to [email protected] or [email protected] (or whatever you were into at the time), go to your Google Account settings and choose any name available.”
Once a user changes their email address, they will still keep their old username, and they will be able to sign in with both going forward.
The ability for users to change their Google Account email is gradually rolling out, and it is not yet be available in all regions.
Once an email address is changed, the user’s old Gmail address will become an alternate email, and they will receive emails sent to both their old and new addresses.
The data saved in their account, including their photos and messages, will not be affected by the change, and they will still be able to sign in with either email address to Google Services.
Users who change their email address will be able to change back to their previous email at any time, but they cannot create a new Gmail address for the next 12 months or delete their new email address.
To learn more about this change and check if you are able to change your Google Account email, head to the Google Support page on this topic.
