You're here because you're looking for a simple answer on how to change an email address on Gmail. You may want to change your Gmail address after marriage or because you are no longer comfortable with the name you chose many years ago.
But the answer to this question might still seem hard to find, and here's why.
When people say "I want to change my Gmail address," they usually mean: "I want to change my Gmail address, but keep all of my Google account data, too."
Or: "I don't want to be [email protected] anymore. I want to be [email protected] but keep all of my emails, contacts, Drive files, and calendars from [email protected]"
Currently, this option may only be available for Gmail addresses that are provided by schools, work organizations, and other groups. That means that in many cases, it is not possible to change the email address associated with a Google account or edit your Gmail account. But the good news is that you can get a new Gmail address name without losing any of the old emails.
In this article, we will explain how this can be achieved and will offer some alternative solutions to moving to a new Gmail address. Additionally, we will provide recommendations for what you can do after you've changed your Google address.
- The quick and simple way to change a Gmail address
- How to change your Google ID manually
- How to export Gmail emails manually
- How to import Gmail emails manually
- Alternative solutions for changing your Gmail address
- Change How Your Name is Displayed to Others
- Use "Send mail as"
- After you've changed your Gmail address
- Frequent questions about changing a Gmail address
- Conclusion
Since Google does not offer users the ability to replace an older email address with a new one, you would need to create a new Google account and copy everything from your old account into the new one. So while you will change from one Gmail address to another, you'll be able to keep your old email history.
The easy way to copy your Gmail account data from A to Z is with VaultMe — a simple automated online app that creates a copy of everything stored in your old account and puts it into your new account.
Here are some of VaultMe's advantages:
- It can copy not only your emails, but also Drive files, contacts, and calendars
- It's quick and easy to use
- It preserves label organization, correct dates, attachments, read/unread status
- It works automagically in the cloud so that you can close your browser and relax while VaultMe does its job
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If you have any questions about VaultMe, feel free to email us at [email protected].
How to change your Google ID manually
As with the automatic option above, to copy things manually, first you'll need to create a new Google account with a new Gmail address. Then you'll need to export your content from the old Google account and import it into the new one.
How to export Gmail emails manually
If you wish to export your Gmail emails, you would need to use Google Takeout, Google's service for downloading the content from your account.
To export Gmail emails:
- Sign in to your old Google account.
- Go to Google Takeout.
- Export the data from the apps you would like to import into your new Gmail account.
- Wait for your Google Takeout archive link to be sent to you (could take hours or days depending on the amount of data).
- Download your Google Takeout archive.
How to import Gmail emails into the new account
In order to back up Gmail and use it, you'll need to go back to your Google Takeout folder, unzip the Google Takeout archive, and open your Mail subfolder.
You'll notice that all of your mail from your old account has been compressed into an .mbox file. That's your Gmail backup.
In order to access the information inside your .mbox Gmail backup, you will need the help of a third-party application such as Thunderbird.
Here's how you can set up your new Google account with Thunderbird:
- Download and install Mozilla Thunderbird.
- Set up your account by typing in your email and password and click Continue.
- Select IMAP, then select "Keep your folders and emails synced on your server" and click Done.
Your new Google mail account will appear on the left.
Next, install Thunderbird's ImportExportTools add-on:
- First, download the "ImportExportTools" add-on for Thunderbird here: ImportExportTools. Alternatively, you can search for the add-on in the Add-ons menu in Thunderbird.
- Click Download Now.
- Save ImportExportTools.xpi file to your Desktop.
- Open Thunderbird and at the top go to Tools and select Add-Ons.
- Click the Settings icon and then select Install Add-on From File.
- Navigate to your Desktop and select the ImportExportTools.xpi file.
- Click Install Now.
- Restart Thunderbird.
- In Thunderbird, on the left, right click Local Folders → highlight ImportExportTools → select Import mbox file.
- Email client Thunderbird Import mbox file dialog.
- Select Import directly one or more mbox files and click Ok.
- Navigate to and select your .mbox file in your Google Takeout export folder.
- Your emails will start importing and they will be located under your Local Folders. (Give it time, because it may take a while.)
Next, import your MBOX files:
Lastly, move your newly imported labels into your new Google mail account on the left:
- In Thunderbird, expand Local Folders on the left.
- Select the folder with the imported emails.
- Select all emails and right-click to open the context menu.
- Highlight your new Gmail account and select the folder you want to import these emails into.
- Done!
But if all of that seems to be too complicated, that's because it really is. VaultMe has been created to make the painful copying process simple.
How simple? Here's VaultMe's easy 3-step process:
- Sign in to your first account.
- Sign into your second account.
- Start your copy.
VaultMe saves you a lot of time and hassle:
- It moves over all of your organization, folders, and labeling!
- It keeps your file types the same!
- It works offline so you can switch off your computer once it starts!
- It can copy Google Drive files, contacts, and calendars, too!
VaultMe migrates Gmail, Drive, Contacts, and Calendars
And it only takes one minute to set up!
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If you have any questions about VaultMe, please contact us at [email protected]. We'd be happy to help!
If moving to a new account is too radical for you, you could consider some of these alternatives:
Change your Gmail name (or change how your name is displayed to others)
Use the "Send mail as" option
We are providing detailed step-by-step instructions for both of these options below.
Change Your Gmail Name (or Change How Your Name Is Displayed to Others)
"I want to learn how to change my Gmail address so that people can see my new display name when I send an email."
Example: "I want to switch the name John <[email protected]> to Jonathan <[email protected]>."
This means that you simply want to change the name that is displayed in the "From" field.
Here's how to change the Gmail name that is displayed to other people:
- Sign in to your Gmail account.
- Go to Change your Gmail username.
- In the top right, click the "Settings" gear icon.
- In the "Send mail as" section, click "Edit info".
- Add the name you want to show when you send messages.
- At the bottom click "Save Changes".
Use "Send mail as"
"I want to learn how to change my Gmail address so that I can send mail as another email address from my main account."
Example: "I want to be able to sign into my Gmail account [email protected], but send mail as [email protected] from [email protected]."
This option only lets you send mail as another account. You will not be able to receive emails that the second account gets (or use data from your first account when signed into the second account).
Here's how to change your Gmail address to send mail as another Gmail ID:
- Create a new Gmail account (your equivalent for [email protected]).
- Sign in to your first Gmail account (your equivalent for [email protected]).
- Go to Change your Gmail username.
- In the top right, click the "Settings" gear icon.
- Click the "Accounts and Import" tab.
- In the "Send mail as" section, click "Add another email address".
- Add the name you want to show and the new email address you've created.
- Click "Send verification to the second account".
- Sign into the second Gmail account.
- Click the verification email link to verify your email or enter the confirmation code.
- Once confirmed, go back to the "Accounts and Import" tab.
- You can select if you'd like to "Reply from the same address the message was sent to" or make your second account the default.
After you've changed your Gmail address
Here are some of the things that you can do after you've changed your Gmail address:
- Let all your contacts know that you are now using a different email address. You can do that by sending an email to them from your old account.
- Update your email address in various services that you may be using (such as social media, online stores, work applications, etc.).
Since Google doesn't offer users the option of updating the email address associated with a Google account, it doesn't automatically register your new Google account as your primary one. Because of that, you will need to replace your old Gmail address with your new one in all services that are registered to your old email address.
- Set up automatic forwarding from your old account to the new one if you want to keep the old account for a while. This way, any emails received in the old account will automatically be forwarded to the new account.
Remember that forwarding rules will stop working if you delete the old account.
- Delete your old Google account.
- Can I rename my Gmail address?
It might be possible if your account is provided by school, work, or other group. However, if you have a personal account and your account's email address ends in @gmail.com, usually it is not possible to rename it.
- How can I edit my Gmail account?
Renaming or editing a Gmail account is only possible if your account is provided by work, school, or other organizations that use Google Workspace. To edit your Gmail account, go to Account > Personal info > Contact info > Email > Google Account email. If you don't see the “Edit” button next to your Google Account email, but your account is provided by an organization, reach out to your administrator and ask them to edit your Gmail email address for you.
- Can I change my Google account email?
You cannot change your Google account email address unless your account is provided by school or work. In the case of all personal accounts (i.e. non-Google Workspace accounts), you can't change your username or edit it. If you've made a mistake in the username when creating an account, you'll have to delete this account and make a new one.
- Can I change a Gmail email address without creating a new account?
Google does not yet offer the ability to update the email address linked to a Google account unless the email address is provided by a work organization, school, or other group. That means that in many cases the only way to start using a new Gmail address without losing old emails is to create a new Gmail account and move all old emails there.
- Can I change my Gmail address when I get married?
Just like in the two cases above, it might not be possible to change your Gmail account username (the part before @gmail.com) when your last name changes. Check if this option is available to you by following Gmail's instructions. If it is unavailable, you'll have to create a new Gmail account and transfer the emails from the old account to the new one. The easiest way to do that is to use VaultMe since the app will be able to do the work quickly and will provide accurate results.
- Can I transfer my Gmail emails to another Gmail account?
Yes. This can be done automatically and manually. The easy way is to use VaultMe and copy your Google emails automatically, but there are manual options that you can explore, too.
- Can I merge 2 Gmail accounts?
Google has yet to offer this functionality, but there is a workaround. You can simply transfer the content from one Gmail account to the other and delete the account that you no longer need.
- How do I get a new Gmail address?
Simply sign up for a new Google account. You can have an unlimited number of Gmail accounts, but the more accounts you have, the harder it is to manage them all. To avoid having to track multiple accounts, you can copy the emails from the accounts you are no longer using to your new primary Gmail.
Conclusion
"Can I change my Gmail email address?" is the question people have been asking for as long as Gmail has existed. Changing your Gmail address in 2024 can be a challenging task, especially if you want to retain all your Google account data, including emails, contacts, Drive files, and calendars. While Google has yet to offer a way to change your Gmail address name while keeping your data intact, there are viable solutions available.
One option is to create a new Google account with your desired Gmail address and then manually transfer your data from the old account to the new one. This involves using Google Takeout to export and import your Gmail emails and utilizing third-party email clients like Thunderbird for the process. However, this manual approach can be complex and time-consuming.
Alternatively, you can use a tool like VaultMe, which simplifies the process by automating the transfer of your emails and label organization from your old Gmail account to the new one, making it a quick and hassle-free solution.
If creating a new account is not your preferred choice, you can explore alternatives like changing your Gmail display name or using the "Send mail as" feature to send emails from another email address while still using your primary Google account.
In summary, changing a Gmail address while preserving your data requires careful planning and execution. Whether you choose to do it manually or opt for automated solutions like VaultMe, with the right approach, you can successfully transition to a new Gmail address without losing your valuable data.
