The company is preparing one of the most significant changes in Gmail's history: for the first time, users will be able to change their address with the @gmail.com domain without losing data or re-linking their account.
Currently, changing a Gmail address is practically impossible: users have to create a new account, set up forwarding, and deal with the loss of a unified history. However, Google's updated help documentation describes a new mechanism that allows choosing a new Gmail address within an existing account, Devby.io reports.
According to the description, the user will be able to change their email name while retaining all emails, files, photos, access to Google services, and account history. The old address will not disappear. Emails will still arrive in the same inbox, and logging into the account will be possible using both the new and old addresses.
The new feature will be rolled out gradually and will not be available to everyone initially.
Google is also introducing strict limitations: a Gmail address can be changed no more than once every 12 months and no more than three times throughout the entire existence of the account.
After changing, the address cannot be deleted, and a new Gmail account with the previous name cannot be created for a year.
The company also warns that in some services, the old address may still appear for some time — for example, in Google Calendar events created before the change. However, the old address will remain linked to the user and cannot be used by anyone else.
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