Many of us created our first email address in our youth and, rather than opting for something \u2018boring\u2019 like, I don\u2019t know, our names, we chose something with a bit of flair, some personality, something that you\u2019d absolutely hesitate now to write on a CV or share with another person.<\/p>\n
By the time we grow up and realise we should have been a tad more sensible, it\u2019s too late \u2014 that account is now linked with so many subscriptions, social media accounts, etc, that the effort of unlinking it from every aspect of your life is more than you feel it\u2019s worth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You might consider setting up a second email address, but realistically, are you actually going to remember to check it?<\/p>\n
Until now, we lived with it, those addresses with cringy jokes and dated quotes. However, a new tool from Google means those Gmail users can now change their email address in a few clicks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n
How to change a Gmail address<\/p>\n
When you are signed into your Google account, tap \u2018Personal info\u2019 and under \u2018Email\u2019 select \u2018Google Account email\u2019. Next, click \u2018Change Google Account email\u2019.<\/p>\n
If you can\u2019t see this option, it might not yet be possible to change your Google Account email.<\/p>\n
Enter the new username that you want to use; this must be one that isn\u2019t being used by anyone else at the moment. It can also be one that was used by someone in the past and then deleted.<\/p>\n
Some usernames are reserved by Google to prevent spam or abuse, and if the username you want is not available, you will be shown similar email addresses that are available as suggestions for an alternative.<\/p>\n
Click \u2018Change email\u2019 and confirm. Follow the steps on the screen, and once completed, you\u2019ll have a new Google Account email. Your old one will show as an alternate email.<\/p>\n
What happens to my old email address?<\/p>\n
Nothing \u2014 it will still be available to use as an alternative address, meaning any emails that are sent to that address will still land in your inbox. Both your new address and your old address will also be available to send emails.<\/p>\n
You can always go back to your old Gmail address at any time, and you\u2019ll still keep your new Gmail address.<\/p>\n
The data saved under your original account will not be affected either, including photos and messages. You can sign in with your old or new email address on Google services, such as Gmail, Maps, YouTube, Google Play or Drive.<\/p>\n
Will there be any post-change issues?<\/p>\n
There may be a few hiccups after you change your email.<\/p>\n
For example, if you use Sign in with Google for non-Google sites, some third-party apps and sites may not recognise your new email or that you are using the same account. You may need to change the email address to the new one in the settings of that app.<\/p>\n
If you are still struggling to sign in, switch back to your old email address on Gmail and use the Sign in with Google button again on the third-party service or app. In the settings for the app or service, try to add a password, remove Google from the third-party settings, and update your email address.<\/p>\n
Switch back to your new username and visit myaccount.google.com\/connections. Select \u2018Sign in with Google\u2019 and remove your connection to the third-party app or service.<\/p>\n
Use the \u2018Sign in with Google\u2019 button again and accept the permissions. This should allow you to access it with your new email address.<\/p>\n
Can I make loads of alternative addresses?<\/p>\n
No. You can only create a new Google Account email that ends in @gmail.com once every 12 months and three times in total. You can change back to your previous Google account email at any time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Many of us created our first email address in our youth and, rather than opting for something \u2018boring\u2019…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":392933,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[61,60,1821,80],"class_list":{"0":"post-392932","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-ie","9":"tag-ireland","10":"tag-life-hacks","11":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/392932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=392932"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/392932\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/392933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=392932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=392932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=392932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}