Overview
- The feature, first offered to US users in January and expanded in April, began rolling out to German Gmail accounts on Wednesday and is accessible through Google Account settings.
- Users change the local part of their address in Personal info > Email > Change email for the Google Account and follow on‑screen confirmation steps that check name availability.
- When a user switches addresses the old Gmail name is retained as an alias that continues to receive mail and can be used for account recovery, and the old address cannot be removed without deleting the whole Google account.
- Google requires a 12‑month wait between change requests and limits the total number of address changes per account, but reports differ on the exact cap (some outlets say three changes, others say up to four addresses), so users should consult Google’s support pages for the authoritative limit.
- Some Google services still require signing in with the previous address while others accept the new address, and Chromebook users must remove the old account, add the new one manually, and back up local data before switching.