When you created your Gmail account , you may have chosen a name that no longer represents you or is too serious. And canceling your account can be a hassle, since everyone already has your new address. Fortunately, you won’t have to carry your old account forever. There are options that can help you get a new email address without too much hassle.
- Is it possible to change the email address on your Gmail account?
- How to create a new Gmail account
- Set up email forwarding from the old account to the new one
- Transfer old emails to your new account
- Export your contacts
Is it possible to change the email address on your Gmail account?
Google doesn’t allow you to directly change the email address of an existing account. This means that if you want to use a new address, you’ll need to create a completely new account. However, you do have the option to sync two accounts or transfer information from one to the other, so you can have your old messages and data in an address with a new name.
The reason Google doesn’t allow us to change our address is that the name we choose will be the one the system uses to identify us . Each email address is unique and linked to a specific account, ensuring security and avoiding confusion.
How to create a new Gmail account
To change your email address you have to create a new Gmail account.
Since we can’t change our email address, the only option we have is to create a new account and then transfer all our data. To do this, follow these steps:
- Access Gmail : Open your browser and go to Gmail.
- Click Create Account : You’ll find this option on the home screen. Select whether the account is for personal or professional use.
- Complete the form : Enter your new desired email address, a secure password, and other required information such as your name and date of birth.
- Accept the terms and conditions : Read and accept Google’s privacy policies to complete the process.
Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll be able to link your new account to your old one without needing to get the blue check mark from Gmail or do anything special.
Set up email forwarding from the old account to the new one
You can set up your old Gmail account to have emails forwarded to the new one.
If you don’t want emails sent to your old account to be lost, you can schedule them to be automatically forwarded to your new account. It’s a fairly simple process, and you’ll only need to follow these steps:
- Access the old account : Sign in to your current Gmail account.
- Go to Settings : Click the gear icon in the top right and select See all settings.
- Go to the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab : Here you will find the option to add a forwarding address.
- Enter your new address : Enter the Gmail address you just created and confirm using the link you’ll receive in your new account.
- Turn on forwarding : Once confirmed, select Forward a copy of incoming emails to… and save the changes.
From this moment on, all emails arriving in your old account will be automatically forwarded to your new one . This way, you won’t have any issues during the transition until you’ve given everyone your new email address.
Transfer old emails to your new account
You can transfer your emails from the old account to the new account
If you’re permanently leaving your old account and don’t have to worry about recovering your password if you forget it, you can transfer all your emails to the new account so they don’t get lost by following these steps:
- Access the new account : Sign in to the new Gmail account.
- Go to Settings : Click the gear icon and select See all settings.
- Select the Accounts and Import tab : Look for the Import emails and contacts option.
- Enter your old account information : Follow the instructions to connect both accounts. This may take several hours, depending on the volume of emails.
When this process is complete, all the emails you had in your old account will have been transferred directly to the new one, so you won’t need to log into your old account at all .
Export your contacts
The only thing left to do to get a new email address is to have all your contacts . To transfer them from your old account, follow these steps:
- Open Google Contacts : Go to Google Contacts from your browser.
- Select Export : Click this option in the left menu. Choose Google CSV format to ensure it’s compatible.
- Save the file : Download the CSV file to your device.
- Import contacts to the new account : Sign in to your new Gmail account, go to Google Contacts, and select Import. Upload the CSV file and confirm.
Once you’ve completed this procedure, your new email account will contain your old emails, any emails that continue to arrive in your old account, and all the contacts you had there. So, although it’s a somewhat laborious process, you’ve successfully changed your Gmail address, even though the system initially didn’t allow it.
