How to change your Google username's display in Gmail

Devon Delfino

May 2, 2019, 22:06 IST

How to change your Google username's display in Gmail

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You can change your Google username in a few clicks on a computer to affect how it appears in your Gmail app and elsewhere.

Changing your Google username is quick and easy to do, if you know where to go within your settings.
It doesn't change your Gmail address - for that you'd have to create a new Gmail account.
You can only change your name in your Google account settings on a desktop computer, as mobile does not currently support this function.
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Your Google username is what pops up whenever you send someone an email. It's how people identify you, and how they know that it's okay to open those messages, even if your email address doesn't include your full name or another way of identifying who you are.

And if you decide you need to change that name for any reason, you can.

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Keep in mind that changing your username isn't the same as changing your email address - you'd need to create a new account for that. (In that case, it would be a good idea to set up automatic forwarding to your new account so you don't miss anything.)

Changing your username, on the other hand, is less involved than all that. And it can be done within a minute, if you know your way around your Gmail settings.

Before diving in, keep in mind that this action is not yet supported on mobile. So you'll have to have your computer handy, and you have to be logged into your Gmail account to get started.

Here's what else you need to know:

How to change your Google username in Gmail

1. Go to mail.google.com.

2. In the top right of the screen, click the gear icon and then click "Settings."

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Click the gear icon in the top-right.

3. Toggle over to the "Accounts" or "Accounts and Import" tab.

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"Accounts and Import" may also be titled just "Accounts."

4. Within the "Send Mail As" section, click "edit info" (located on the right) - This will prompt a new window to pop up.

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Click "edit info" on the side to open this window.

5. Enter the name you want to appear as your username in the blank text box (this will automatically shift the selection dot to your new name).

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You can also set up a reply-to address in this window.

6. Click "Save Changes."

From that new popup window, you can also select a different "reply-to" address. That would mean any responses you get would automatically filter to that specified reply-to address, rather than the one you're using to send email.

And while you're at it, you can go back into your settings to change your signature to reflect your new chosen name, if it isn't already a match. That's located in the general settings tab, close to the bottom of the screen.