If you use the internet in 2026, chances are you have a Gmail email address.For better or worse, Google’s free email service is very widely used all over the world, outstripping the popularity of rivals since its launch in 2004.22 years is a long time, and you might be ever so slightly embarrassed of your Gmail address if you lived by social norms at the time and created an account with an odd name rather than just, you know, your actual name.Google has never let you change your email address before, but that could soon be about to change.
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Read our Privacy PolicyGet More of Our News on GoogleSet Daily Express as a 'Preferred Source' to get quicker access to the news you value.As spotted by 9to5Google, a Google support page that is currently only accessible in Hindi says the firm is rolling out a new option to let you change the @gmail.com email address associated with your Google account.This would mean all your Google services would stay in the same place, but your email address can finally be changed.Under the header ‘Change your Google Account email address’, Google says “The ability to change your Google Account email address is gradually rolling out to all users, so this option may not be available to you right now.”When I checked my Google account settings, it was indeed not available for me.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENTIf you think this sounds like something you’d want to do, it gets even better.Google has thankfully thought about what happens to your old email address, and the fact many people and services are likely to still send emails to that address.Article continues below ADVERTISEMENTGoogle shares the evolution of their Gmail app “The old email address in your Google Account that ends with gmail.com will be set as an alias,” Google says (translated from Hindi).
“You will receive emails at both your old and new email addresses.”That means you don’t have to necessarily let anyone know you’ve changed email addresses, but can start to hand out your new one or use it when signing up to new services.It means you won’t have to go back and change any logins or payment methods, etc.Lovely stuff.Google even says you will be able to sign in to Google services such as Gmail, Maps and Drive with your old or new address, but that you won’t be able to create a new email address for your Google account for 12 months after you create your new address.This all sounds great, but Google is probably rolling this new feature out slowly to see what problems could occur.Google services run quite smoothly, but something like this is surely tempting digital gremlins to pop up.The tech giant does note that changing your Gmail address “may cause some issues using Google services and features.
Google foresees issues arising related to Chromebook sign ins and if you are signed into a third party service using your Google account.
