Change Gmail Address Without Losing Your Data in 2025

If you're here, you're likely searching for how to change your Gmail address in a straightforward way. Maybe you’re updating it after a major life event, like marriage, or you’ve outgrown the email handle you created years ago.

However, finding a clear answer can be tricky—and here’s why. When people say, "I want to change my Gmail address," what they often mean is: "I want to rename my Gmail address while keeping all my Google account data intact."

Unfortunately, this kind of change is typically only possible for Gmail addresses provided by schools, workplaces, or other organizations (i.e., Google Workspace accounts). For most personal Gmail accounts, it’s not possible to directly update the email address tied to your Google account.

The good news? You can create a new Gmail address and still retain all your data from the old account.

In this detailed step-by-step article, we will explain how to change your Gmail address without wasting hours of your time, offer some alternative solutions to moving to a new account, and provide recommendations for what you can do after you've changed your Google address.

Can you change your Gmail address?

Remember that if your account's email address ends in @gmail.com, you usually can't change it. However, you can still check this setting in your Google Account to be absolutely sure.

For more information on when you can and can't change your Gmail address, refer to VaultMe's detailed guide: Can I Change My Gmail Address Without Creating a New Account?

How to change Gmail address quickly

Since Gmail does not allow users to change their Email addresses and keep the same account, you will need to create another Gmail account and then transfer your data to it.

The easy way to copy all your data from one account to another is with VaultMe. Our simple, automated tool does all the heavy lifting for you—no complicated manual work is required. VaultMe can help you transfer emails, files, contacts, and calendars to another personal Gmail account or Google Workspace.

Why use VaultMe?

While VaultMe is a paid tool, it’s worth it if you want a quick, hassle-free migration. VaultMe's prices are outlined on this page: VaultMe's Pricing.

Don't just take our word for it—see what our customers have to say! VaultMe Reviews

VaultMe will not make any changes to the settings of your accounts and will not forward any future emails from your old account to the new one. It will only copy your emails from one account to the other. For more information about what you can do after you copy your emails, refer to the "After you've changed your Gmail address" section of this article.

If you have any questions about VaultMe, feel free to email us at support@vaultme.com. We'd be happy to help!

How to change Gmail address manually

Just like the automated method mentioned earlier, manually transferring your data requires creating a new Google account with a fresh Gmail address first. After that, you'll need to export your content from your old account and import it into the new one.

To export and import your Gmail emails manually, you will need to install an email app like Outlook or Thunderbird on your computer.

Before you begin, review the limitations of this method:

• Your contacts will not be copied with your emails.
• Your Drive files and calendars will not be copied.
• The process can take several hours, days, or even weeks for particularly large accounts.
• Labels, read/unread status, formatting, and other types of metadata may fail to be copied.

This is a slow and potentially error-prone process. Do not power off your computer while the app is processing your emails, and ensure that your broadband connection is stable.

How to export Gmail emails

How to import Gmail emails

Can I change my Gmail address without creating a new account?

Google does not offer users of free Gmail accounts the ability to replace an older email address with a new one, and 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.

Change Gmail address name using alternative settings

If switching to a new account feels like too big of a change, here are a couple of alternatives to consider:

• Change your Gmail name (or change how your name is displayed to others)
• Use the "Send mail as" option
• Add or remove dots in your Gmail address
• Add a Gmail alias

You'll find detailed, step-by-step instructions for all options below.

Change Gmail name

If you’d like to update your Gmail address so recipients see a new display name when you send emails, you need to modify the name that appears in the "From" field without changing the actual email address. For example, instead of John "A@gmail.com," you can send messages as Jonathan "A@gmail.com."

Use "Send mail as" to change your Gmail name

This option is for you if you want to learn how to send emails from a different address while staying signed into your main Gmail account.

For example: "I want to log into my Gmail account as A@gmail.com but send emails as Z@gmail.com from the same account."

This option only allows you to send emails as the second account. You won’t be able to receive emails sent to the second account or access its data while signed into your primary account.

Add or remove dots in your address to change your Gmail address

Another way to change your Gmail address without creating a new account is to add dots to your existing email address or remove them.

According to Google, dots don't matter in Gmail. This means that you can change your Gmail address from marysmith@gmail.com to mary.smith@gmail.com without switching inboxes. When your contacts use either marysmith@gmail.com or mary.smith@gmail.com, you'll still get their email in your primary account.

Add an alias to change your Gmail address

An alias is an alternative name for your Gmail inbox. An alias works by using variations of your primary email address without needing to create a new account. Gmail automatically routes any email sent to an alias directly to your main inbox.

While for free Gmail accounts, this doesn't change your Gmail name or your Gmail address to something completely different, using an alias can be a practical way to manage your email more effectively. By adding a "+" and some extra text to your email address (e.g., yourname+shopping@gmail.com), you can create unique variations of your address for various purposes.

If you are a Google Workspace user, your admin can add a completely different alias for you. For more information about Google Workspace aliases, refer to this article: Add or delete an alternate email address (email alias).

After you've changed your Gmail address

Here are some of the things that you can do after you've changed your Gmail address:

1. Let all your contacts know that you are now using a different email address. You can do that by sending a mass email to them from your old account. If you intend to keep your old account for some time, you can also set up an automated reply that would notify the senders that your email address has changed.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Recreate email filters, labels, and automated rules in your new account.

   Because you are switching from one Gmail account to another, you'll need to recreate everything in your new Gmail mailbox manually.

5. Reauthorize third-party apps and devices linked to your old Gmail account to use your new one.

6. Update email settings on your mobile devices to reflect the new Gmail address.

7. If your old Gmail address is linked to payment platforms such as Google Pay, ensure it's updated.

8. Delete your old Google account.

FAQs about changing Gmail address

Can I change 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 change my Gmail address name and keep the same account?

This is only possible if you have a paid Google Workspace account and use your own domain name (i.e., your email address ends in @yourdomain.com). In all other cases, creating a new email address means creating a new account. However, you can transfer your content to the new account so that it's not stuck in your old account.

For more information about when you can and cannot change your Gmail address, see this article: Can I Change My Gmail Address Without Creating a New Account?

What happens to emails sent to my old address after I switch to a new one?

If you delete your old Gmail account, the email will not be delivered, and the sender will get a message explaining that the mailbox no longer exists. Ensure that you notify all your contacts of the Gmail name change before fully switching to the new account.

Additional information about changing Gmail address

Creating a Gmail account

Can I create another Gmail account with the same name?

No, Gmail addresses cannot be reused. You'll need to pick up a different email name.

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.

Renaming a Gmail 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 an organization provides your account, 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 or edit your username. 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 Gmail 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.

How do I rename my Gmail address?

Unless you have a custom email address (i.e., you have a paid account and are using your own domain), you cannot rename your Gmail account. The only way to accomplish this is to create a new Gmail account and transfer the content you want to save to the new account. This can be done manually or automatically using a migration tool like VaultMe.

Transferring Gmail data to another Gmail account

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.

Are there any tools to help migrate data between Gmail accounts?

Yes, there are multiple applications for migrating emails between Gmail accounts. We recommend VaultMe because it creates as perfect an outcome as possible, but you can explore other tools as well.

Is my Google account different than my Gmail account?

No. If you have a Gmail account, then you have a Google account with access to all applications and services that a Google account offers. That includes Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides; Google Photos and Google Drive; YouTube, and others.

What is the easiest way to change your email address?

The easiest way to change your email address is to create a new account and then transfer your old email history from the old account to the new one. This will not replace your old email address with the new one in all services that you are using, but it will allow you to change the email account without losing years of email history.

Can I transfer my Gmail address to someone else?

You can't transfer the ownership of your Gmail account or your Gmail name to someone else unless you have a Google Workspace account with custom email addresses managed by an admin.

Final thoughts

"How do I change my Gmail address?" and "Can I change my Gmail name?" are questions many Gmail users still ask in 2025 since switching Gmail accounts is still a common request. Unfortunately, Google doesn’t offer a straightforward way to change a Gmail address while preserving all your data, such as emails, contacts, Drive files, and calendars. However, there are several workarounds.

One option is to transfer your data from the old account to the new one. This involves using Google Takeout to export your Gmail emails and third-party email clients like Thunderbird to import them. 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.

If starting a new account isn’t ideal, 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. However, with the right approach, the switch can be painless.

Related articles

Want to transfer not only emails but also Google Photos to another account? Learn about your options from VaultMe's detailed article: How to Transfer Google Photos to Another Account.

Planning to transfer your Google Drive to another account? Our guide provides recommendations: How to Transfer Your Google Drive to Another Account in 2024.

Thinking of creating a one-time backup of your Google Drive files in another account? Explore your options: How to Back Up Google Drive to Another Account.

Need to transfer your company's email accounts to Google Workspace? Use VaultMe's migration guide: How to Migrate to Google Workspace: VaultMe's Step-by-Step Guide.

Consider using Google Takeout? Learn what challenges you may expect: Alternative to Google Takeout.

Want to back up your Gmail emails? See what options are available: How to Backup Gmail Emails: Four Methods.

Want to merge several email accounts? Our detailed guide provides instructions: How to Merge Email Accounts in Gmail, Outlook, and Other Services.