How to Change Name in Gmail on Desktop and Mobile

Understand What You’re Changing Before proceeding, it’s important to distinguish between your display name (the name others see when you send emails) and your actual Gmail username. According to the official help page, you can change your display name, but you cannot change your Gmail address itself. Knowing this ensures you set realistic expectations and avoid confusion when making the change.

Change the Display Name on Desktop On a computer, sign in to Gmail, click the gear icon, and choose ‘See all settings.’ Then go to the ‘Accounts and Import’ (or ‘Accounts’) tab, locate the Send mail as section, click ‘Edit info,’ enter the new display name and save changes. This updates how your name appears to recipients when you send mail from Gmail.

Change the Name via Google Account on Mobile On mobile devices, changing your Gmail name typically means editing your Google LLC Account’s personal info. Go to ‘Manage your Google Account,’ then the ‘Personal info’ tab, tap Name > Edit, and save the new name. Note that this affects multiple Google services, not just Gmail, so you’re changing the broader account name.

Consider Limitations and Implications You cannot change the email address itself (the username) via the display-name change process. Additionally, if you change your name on mobile via your Google Account, it may be reflected across other services, such as Drive and YouTube, which you should consider before making changes that could confuse your contacts.

Notify Contacts or Adjust Signatures If Needed Since changing your display name may cause your emails to appear under a new name unfamiliar to some recipients, it’s advisable to inform your contacts of the update. Also, update your email signature to match your new display name. This helps maintain clarity and ensures your identity remains recognised in business or personal correspondence.

Check and Confirm the Change Works After saving the new name, send a test email to yourself or a trusted contact to verify that the display name appears as intended. On the desktop, the setting under ‘Send mail as’ should reflect the update. On mobile, check the ‘From’ name in your sent items. If the old name still appears, revisit the settings and repeat the steps.

 Revisit If You Later Change Your Mind If you decide to revert or change your display name again, you can follow the same steps. However, frequent name changes may confuse recipients or make messages look like spam, so it’s best to settle on a professional and consistent name. Also, keep in mind that  Google may place limits on rapid repeated changes. 

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