Washington: According to an update on Google’s account help page, users will now be able to replace their existing @gmail.com address with a new one while retaining all emails, photos, messages and access to Google services. However, the updated guidance has so far appeared only on the Hindi version of Google’s support page, suggesting the rollout may begin in India or other Hindi-speaking markets.

The support page states that the feature is being introduced gradually, indicating that global availability is expected but may take time. In contrast, the English-language support page continues to say that Gmail addresses “usually cannot be changed.” Google has not issued a formal announcement or press release on the update and did not immediately respond to media queries on regional availability.

Under the new policy, users who change their Gmail address will automatically retain their original address as an alias. Emails sent to the old address will continue to arrive in the same inbox, and the original address can still be used to sign in to services such as Google Drive, Maps and YouTube.

Previously, users wanting a new Gmail address had to create an entirely new account and manually transfer data, a process that often caused complications and disrupted third-party app integrations. Google has confirmed that all existing data will remain unchanged after an address update, and users can reuse their old Google account email address if needed.

However, there are limits. Users who change their Gmail address will not be able to create another new Gmail address for 12 months and will be unable to delete the newly chosen address. The change was reportedly first spotted by users in online forums and tech communities, ahead of any official communication from Google.