Change your Gmail nickname in Settings

Your Gmail nickname is the name that 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, then find the section labeled Send mail as. Click Edit info next to the email address whose nickname you want to change. Type your new name in the Name field and click Save Changes.

The change takes effect immediately for new emails you compose. Recipients will see your new name the next time you send them a message. If you have multiple email addresses set up in Gmail, you can give each one a different nickname by repeating this process for each address.

Key Takeaways

  • Your Gmail nickname is the name shown in the "From" field and is changed through Settings, not your Google Account profile.
  • The Send mail as section in Gmail Settings is where you edit the name associated with each email address.
  • Changes to your nickname take effect immediately and apply only to new emails you send going forward.
  • If you use multiple email addresses in Gmail, each one can have its own separate nickname.
  • Your Gmail nickname is different from your Google Account name, which controls how your name appears in other Google services.

The difference between your Gmail nickname and your Google Account name

Gmail has two separate names: your Gmail nickname (what recipients see when you email them) and your Google Account name (what appears in Google Drive, Google Calendar, and other Google services). Changing your Gmail nickname does not change your Google Account name, and vice versa. This means you can have a formal name in Gmail while keeping a different name in your other Google services.

If you want to change your Google Account name instead, you would go to myaccount.google.com, click Personal info, and edit the name field there. That change affects all Google services linked to your account, not just Gmail.

What happens if you have a recovery email or phone number

Your recovery email and phone number are separate from your nickname and are not affected by changing it. These are security features that help you regain access to your account if you forget your password. You can update your recovery information in the same See all settings menu under the Accounts and Import tab, but this is different from changing your nickname.

If you have set up a recovery email address, Gmail will not change it when you update your nickname. The same applies to your phone number. These remain exactly as you set them until you manually change them.

Changing your nickname for replies and forwarded messages

When you reply to or forward an email, your nickname appears exactly as you set it in the Send mail as section. The recipient sees your nickname in the message header, not your email address. If you change your nickname after you have already sent emails, those old emails will still show the old name — only new messages will display the updated nickname.

If you want to use a different nickname for a specific email without changing your default, you can click the From field when composing a message and select a different email address or nickname from the dropdown, if you have multiple addresses set up.

Using a nickname that is different from your real name

Gmail allows you to use any nickname you want — it does not have to be your real name. You could use a business name, a shortened version of your name, initials, or any other text. There is no verification process, so you can change it to whatever you prefer without Gmail checking whether it matches any official documents.

Keep in mind that your nickname is visible to everyone you email, so choose something you are comfortable with in a professional or personal context. If you use Gmail for work, your employer may have guidelines about what name you should display.

Troubleshooting: Your nickname change is not showing up

If you changed your nickname but it is still showing the old name when you send emails, try refreshing your browser or signing out and back into Gmail. Sometimes the change takes a few minutes to sync across Google's servers. Clear your browser cache if the old name persists after refreshing.

If you are using Gmail on a mobile app, the change may take longer to appear. Close the app completely and reopen it to force it to sync with the latest settings from Gmail's servers. If the old nickname still appears after these steps, double-check that you clicked Save Changes in the Settings menu — the change will not take effect without that final step.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I have different nicknames for different recipients?

No, Gmail uses one nickname per email address. However, if you have multiple email addresses set up in Gmail, you can give each address a different nickname and choose which one to send from when composing a message.

Does changing my Gmail nickname affect my email address?

No. Your email address (the part before @gmail.com) stays the same. Only the name that appears in the "From" field changes. Recipients still reply to your actual email address.

Will people I already emailed see my new nickname?

No. Old emails you sent will still show your old nickname. Only new emails you send after the change will display your updated nickname.

Can I change my nickname back to what it was before?

Yes. Go back to Settings, find Send mail as, click Edit info, and type your old name. There is no limit to how many times you can change it.

What if I do not want to show any name, just my email address?

Gmail requires a name in the Send mail as section, so you cannot leave it blank. However, you can enter just your email address (without the @gmail.com part) or any other text you prefer as your nickname.