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Google is launching an important update that will enable users to modify their primary @gmail.com email addresses without the need to create a new account. This highly requested feature was first added in Google support documents in late December 2025 and is expected to become available to more users in early January 2026.
With the new policy, users have the option to change their current email address to a new one while retaining all their existing data, such as photos, messages, and files. To prevent losing messages, Google will automatically redirect emails sent to the previous address to the new inbox. Users may continue to sign into Google services with either the old or the new address.
The rollout has been noticed in specific areas, such as India, with the official guidelines first showing up on support pages in Hindi. The feature is expected to roll out internationally to all personal accounts in the upcoming weeks. Nonetheless, Google has imposed clear restrictions: users are permitted to update their address only once per year, with a maximum of three lifetime changes.
Users can check if the feature is available by going to the Google Account settings in the Personal Info section. If you qualify, an option to modify the Google Account email will appear. This update applies solely to personal Gmail accounts and is not currently available for Google Workspace accounts managed by institutions or organisations.
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Reactions to Google’s Updated Gmail Address Policy
Gmail users widely celebrated the update on social platforms. Here are several reactions from X, recorded by Techpolyp:
“I won’t change my username, it will stay the same forever!” stated one user on X.
“This feature was expected since 2025, but came in 2025; twenty painful years of waiting,” a user commented on X.
“So all those years of ‘cool’ usernames and awkward emails can be wiped… too bad it can’t remove the memories tied to them,” another X user shared.
Rival services, such as Microsoft Outlook, have always allowed users to change their address by adding an alias.
Google permits modifications solely for accounts that end with @gmail.com, and the new address must similarly end with @gmail.com.
Users may reuse their previous Google Account email address. Still, after a period, but after changing it, they cannot register a different email address for the same account for a period of 12 months.
Users can check if the feature is accessible by going to the Google Account settings in Personal Info. If qualified, a choice to modify the Google Account email will be displayed. This update is intended solely for personal Gmail accounts and is not currently available for Google Workspace accounts managed by institutions or organisations.
