Change your display name in Gmail settings

Your Gmail display name is what appears in the "From" field when you send an email. To change it, open Gmail, click the gear icon in the top right, and select See all settings. Go to the Accounts and Import tab. Under "Send mail as," find the email address you use and click Edit info next to it. Type your new name in the Name field and click Save changes.

The change takes effect when ready for new emails you send. Old emails you already sent will still show your previous name — Gmail does not retroactively update the sender name on past messages. If you have multiple email addresses set up in Gmail, you can give each one a different display name.

Key Takeaways

  • Your Gmail display name is separate from your Google Account name and changes only what appears in the "From" field of your emails.
  • You change your display name through Gmail settings under Accounts and Import, not through your Google Account settings.
  • The new name appears on emails you send going forward, but does not change the name on emails already sent.
  • If you use multiple email addresses in Gmail, each one can have its own display name.

The difference between display name and Google Account name

Gmail has two separate names: your display name (what recipients see when you email them) and your Google Account name (what appears on your Google profile and in other Google services). Changing one does not change the other.

If you want to change your Google Account name instead — the name that shows up in Google Drive, Google Photos, YouTube, and other Google services — you do that in your Google Account settings, not in Gmail. Go to myaccount.google.com, click Personal info on the left, find your name at the top, and click the pencil icon to edit it. That change affects all your Google services at once.

What happens when you change your display name

When you change your Gmail display name, only new emails are affected. Anyone who received an email from you before the change will still see your old name in their inbox when they look at that old message. The change does not touch emails already sent or received.

Recipients will see your new name on any email you send after the change takes effect. If you send an email to someone who has you in their contacts under your old name, their contact entry does not update automatically — they would need to edit it themselves if they want the new name to appear in their contact list.

Changing your display name if you use Gmail with a work or school account

If your Gmail account is through your workplace or school, you may not be able to change your display name yourself. Many organizations lock this setting so that everyone's email shows their official name from the company or school directory.

If the Edit info button is grayed out or missing, contact your IT department or help desk. They control whether you can change this setting. Some organizations allow it; others do not.

Using a nickname or alias instead of changing your name

If you want to send emails under a different name but do not want to change your main display name, Gmail lets you set up additional email addresses or aliases. You can then choose which name to send from on a per-email basis.

To add another email address to send from, go to Gmail settings, Accounts and Import, and click Add another email address under "Send mail as." Gmail will ask you to verify the new address. Once verified, you can pick which name to send from each time you compose an email by clicking the "From" field and selecting the address you want.

Troubleshooting: Your display name change is not showing

If you changed your display name but it is still showing the old name when you send emails, wait a few minutes and refresh your browser. Gmail sometimes takes a moment to sync the change across its servers.

If the old name still appears after refreshing, check that you clicked Save changes at the bottom of the edit window. If you did and it is still not working, sign out of Gmail completely, close your browser, and sign back in. This forces Gmail to reload your account settings fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change my Gmail address itself, not just the display name?

No. Your Gmail address (the part before @gmail.com) cannot be changed. If you need a different email address, you would need to create a new Gmail account. However, you can add other email addresses to your account and send from them using the "Send mail as" feature.

Will changing my display name affect my Google Account on other services?

No. Changing your Gmail display name only affects what shows in the "From" field of your emails. Your Google Account name (used in Drive, Photos, YouTube, and other services) stays the same unless you change it separately in your Google Account settings.

What if I share my Gmail account with someone else?

You should not share a Gmail account. If someone else needs to send emails, they should have their own Gmail account. If you need to let someone access your emails temporarily, use Gmail's delegation feature instead, which lets them read and send from your account without knowing your password.

Can I use a fake name or nickname as my display name?

Yes. Gmail does not require you to use your real name. You can use any name you want as your display name. However, if you use Gmail through work or school, your organization may have policies about what names are allowed.