You Can Finally Change That Embarrassing Gmail Address

If your email still reads charmingninja@gmail.com or twilightfan4ever@gmail.com, relief has officially arrived.

Google has announced that users in the United States can now change their Gmail username (the part before “@gmail.com”) without losing access to their inbox, contacts, photos, or years of digital history. In other words, you can retire partyboy2008!! and step confidently into adulthood with something like Mark.Thomas@gmail.com.

For years, Gmail users stuck with quirky teenage-era handles had only one option: create a brand-new account and manually update everything. Now, Google is letting users switch to a more professional address while still receiving emails sent to both the old and new versions.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai even poked fun at the update, telling users they can finally say goodbye to addresses like “ilov3mcr2005@gmail.com.” He joked online that “2004 was a good year, but your Gmail address doesn’t need to be stuck in it.”

There is, however, a catch. Users can only change their Gmail address once every 12 months. And it’s only for users in the USA. Hopefully, it becomes an international thing.

To change your address, eligible users can head to Google Account Settings, click “Personal Info,” then “Email,” and select “Google Account Email,” where the change option will appear.