You cannot change the address itself, but you can create a new Gmail account and transfer your data

Gmail does not have a feature to edit your email address after you create it. Once you pick an address like yourname@gmail.com, that address is locked to that account. If you want a different Gmail address, you must create a new account with the new address you want, then move your emails, contacts, and settings from the old account to the new one.

The process takes about an hour of active work, spread across a few days while Gmail transfers your data in the background. You will need access to both your old Gmail account and a recovery email address (which can be another Gmail account, or any email you control). Most people keep both accounts open for a few weeks during the transition so they can catch messages still arriving at the old address.

Key Takeaways

  • Gmail addresses cannot be edited once created; you must create a new account with your preferred address.
  • You can transfer emails, contacts, calendar events, and Drive files from your old account to your new one using Google's built-in tools.
  • Set up forwarding on your old account so messages sent to the old address automatically arrive at the new one.
  • Tell your important contacts, banks, and services about your new address before you stop checking the old one.
  • Keep your old account open for at least a month to catch messages that arrive late or from people who did not see your announcement.

Create your new Gmail account with the address you want

Go to accounts.google.com/signup and fill in the form. When you reach the "Create your Google Account" page, you will see a field labeled "Username" — this is where you enter the new Gmail address you want. Type the name without @gmail.com; Google adds that part automatically. If the address is taken, Gmail will suggest alternatives with numbers or periods added.

Choose a recovery email address (the email Google will use to help you regain access if you forget your password). This can be your old Gmail address, another Gmail account, or any email you control. You will also set a password and provide a phone number for account recovery. Finish the signup process and verify your phone number when Google asks.

Do not add any emails, contacts, or calendar events to this new account yet. You will import them from your old account in the next steps.

Export your emails from the old account

Sign into your old Gmail account. Go to takeout.google.com (this is Google's data export tool). Click "Select None" first to deselect everything, then scroll down and check only the box next to "Mail". Click "Next Step".

Choose your file format — the default "All Mail" as a .mbox file works well for most people. Select how often you want the export (one-time is fine), then click "Create Export". Google will prepare a compressed file containing all your emails. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours depending on how many emails you have. Google will email you a read link when it is ready.

read the file and save it somewhere you can find it. You will upload this into your new account.

Import your emails into the new account

Sign into your new Gmail account. Click the gear icon in the top right, then select "See all settings". Go to the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab. Under "Import mail & contacts", click "Import mail and contacts".

Click "Select file" and choose the .mbox file you downloaded from your old account. Gmail will ask which labels you want to create for these imported emails — you can keep the defaults or organize them however you prefer. Click "Import" and Gmail will begin uploading your emails. This process runs in the background and can take several hours for large inboxes.

While the import is running, you can move on to the next steps. You do not have to wait for it to finish.

Transfer your contacts and other data

For contacts, sign into your old account and go to contacts.google.com. Click the menu icon (three horizontal lines) on the left, then select "Export". Choose "Google CSV" format and click "Export". This downloads a file with all your contacts. Then sign into your new account, go to contacts.google.com, click the menu, select "Import", and upload the CSV file.

For your Google Calendar, sign into your old account and go to calendar.google.com. Right-click on each calendar you want to move (not the "Tasks" list), select "Settings", scroll to "Export this calendar", and read the .ics file. In your new account's calendar, click the plus sign next to "Other calendars", select "Import & subscribe", and upload each .ics file.

For Google Drive files, you have two options: share the files with your new email address and accept the share in your new account, or use Google Takeout to export Drive files and re-upload them. The sharing method is faster if you have a small number of important files.

Set up forwarding from your old account

Sign into your old Gmail account. Click the gear icon, select "See all settings", and go to the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab. Under "Forwarding", click "Add a forwarding address". Enter your new Gmail address and click "Next". Gmail will send a confirmation email to your new address — sign into the new account, find that email, and click the confirmation link.

Go back to your old account's settings and complete the forwarding setup. Choose whether you want Gmail to keep a copy of forwarded emails in your old account (most people say yes, so they have a backup). Now any new email that arrives at your old address will automatically go to your new one.

Notify your contacts and update your address elsewhere

Send an email from your new account to your important contacts, letting them know your address has changed. Include both your old and new addresses so they can update their records. Keep the message straightforward — something like "I have a new email address: newemail@gmail.com. Please update your contacts. My old address (oldemail@gmail.com) will forward messages for the next month."

Update your email address on any accounts that matter: your bank, employer, social media, online shopping sites, subscription services, and anywhere else you use email to sign in. This prevents you from losing access to those accounts later. Start with the most important ones first — financial and work accounts should be your priority.

You do not have to update every single service when ready. Forwarding will catch most messages for a while. But the sooner you update the big ones, the sooner you can stop checking your old account.

Monitor your old account and close it later

Keep your old Gmail account open and check it occasionally for the next month. Some services send emails from addresses you do not recognize, and some contacts may not see your announcement. Forwarding will catch most of these, but checking occasionally ensures nothing important slips through.

After a month, you can safely close your old account. Go to myaccount.google.com, click "Delete your account or services" on the left, select "Delete a service", and choose Gmail. Google will ask you to confirm and may ask for a recovery email or phone number. After deletion, that email address cannot be used again for 60 days, and after that it may become available for someone else to claim.

If you think you might need access to old emails later, do not delete the account — just stop using it. You can always sign back in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get my old Gmail address back if I delete it?

Not when ready. After you delete a Gmail account, the address is locked for 60 days. After that, Google may allow someone else to claim it. If you think you might need the old address again, keep the account open but unused instead of deleting it.

What if someone sends me an email at my old address after I close the account?

If you delete the account, emails sent to the old address will bounce back to the sender. This is why forwarding before deletion is important — it catches messages while the account still exists. If you close the account without setting up forwarding first, you will lose those messages.

Do I have to use a Gmail address, or can I use a custom domain?

You can use Google Workspace (Google's business email service) to create an email address with your own domain name, like yourname@yourcompany.com. This costs money and requires domain registration, but it gives you more control over your address and looks more professional. Gmail addresses are always @gmail.com and are free.

Will my old emails disappear from my old account after I import them?

No. Importing copies your emails to the new account but leaves them in the old one. Both accounts will have the same emails until you delete the old account. This is actually helpful — it gives you a backup while you transition.

How long does the whole process take?

The active work takes about an hour spread across two or three days. Creating the new account takes 10 minutes. Exporting and importing emails can take several hours depending on how many you have, but this happens in the background while you do other things. Updating your address on important accounts takes 20 to 30 minutes. The safest timeline is to spend a week on the transition and keep both accounts open for a month.