You can change the sender name attached to outgoing Gmail messages, but only through Gmail on a computer — the Gmail app does not offer this setting.
A few seconds in Gmail’s desktop settings is all it takes to swap out your sender name. This edit changes only the name recipients see on incoming mail from you — it does not alter your Gmail address, your Google Account legal name, or the name tied to other Google services. The section below walks through the exact steps, plus where to go if you need those separate changes.
The 5-Step Method To Change Your Gmail Sender Name
The setting lives under Gmail’s account preferences, and the path is unchanged across recent Gmail versions. Open Gmail on a computer — not the mobile app, where the option does not exist.
- In the top-right corner, click Settings (the gear icon), then select See all settings.
- Click the Accounts and Import tab. (On some older layouts this tab is labeled just Accounts.)
- Under the Send mail as section, find your email address and click Edit info.
- Type the name you want shown to recipients when you send a message.
- Click Save changes at the bottom of the box.
The new name appears on your next outgoing email. Your Gmail address, your inbox, and your account’s legal name stay exactly as they were.
What This Name Change Does (And Doesn’t Do)
Editing the sender name only modifies the display name attached to messages you send from that Gmail account. The setting is specific to Gmail’s Send mail as feature — it does not touch your username, your @gmail.com address, or the name Google uses across other products like Google Drive, YouTube, or Calendar.
Many people confuse this with changing the Google Account legal name, which is a completely separate setting that can affect how your name appears across every Google service. The legal-name flow is found in myaccount.google.com under Personal info → Name → Legal name.
Gmail Sender Name vs. Google Account Name vs. Email Address
Three different settings control three different things. The table below maps each one to its change location and what it actually affects.
| Setting | Where To Change It | What It Affects |
|---|---|---|
| Gmail sender name | Gmail web → Settings → Accounts and Import → Edit info | The name shown on outgoing emails only |
| Google Account legal name | myaccount.google.com → Personal info → Name → Legal name | Name used across all Google services |
| Gmail / Google Account email address | myaccount.google.com → Personal info → Email → Google Account email (if option is present) | The @gmail.com or @googlemail.com address you log in with |
| Workspace profile name | Google Admin console → Directory → Users → Rename user | Name in email, Calendar, and Workspace services |
Why The Gmail App Won’t Let You Change It
Google’s official guidance states that the sender-name setting is available only through the Gmail web interface on a computer. The Gmail app for Android and iOS does not include the Accounts and Import screen, so there is no way to reach the edit path from a phone or tablet. If you need to change the name right now and are on mobile, open Gmail in a phone browser set to desktop mode — that workaround loads the full settings page and lets you make the edit.
What If You Need To Change The Google Account Legal Name?
If you want the name Google associates with your entire account to read differently — the one that shows up on your YouTube channel, in Google Drive share notifications, or in the profile photo’s hover card — you need the separate legal-name change. Google details the process for changing your Google Account legal name, which can have different requirements depending on your country and whether the name change is a simple correction or a more significant update. That change may require verification and can take effect across Google’s products at different times.
Changing Your @gmail.com Address Itself
A separate Google support path describes how some personal accounts can change the primary email address for the entire Google account, but Google warns that the option does not appear for every account. If available, it is under Personal info → Email → Google Account email on a computer or Android device. After the change, the old address becomes an alternate email, and the new one becomes the primary sign-in address. This is not an option for Workspace accounts, where the domain-level email address is managed by an admin.
Limits And Gotchas Worth Knowing
| Situation | What To Expect |
|---|---|
| How often can you change the sender name? | Google’s help page does not describe a cooldown or a hard limit on edits. |
| Will past emails show the old name? | Yes — the change affects only new messages. Sent mail in your inbox retains whatever name was set when each message was sent. |
| Change shows instantly? | Yes. After saving, the next email you compose and send uses the new name. |
| Works with Gmail aliases? | Yes — each address you add to Send mail as has its own sender-name setting. |
| What about Google Workspace / business accounts? | An admin controls the user’s profile name, and changing it in the Admin console updates the name in email, Calendar invites, and all Workspace services. |
Checklist: Three Name Changes, One Trip To Settings
If you walked here hoping to change how Gmail introduces you but found only the sender-name edit works, here is the quick decision path:
- To change the name on outgoing messages: Gmail web → Settings → Accounts and Import → Edit info. Done in 10 seconds.
- To change the name across all Google services: myaccount.google.com → Personal info → Name → Legal name. May require verification.
- To change your @gmail.com email address: myaccount.google.com → Personal info → Email → Google Account email (if the option is available). Not possible for all accounts.
The most common cause of confusion is mixing these three. The sender-name fix is the one that controls how your name reads in a recipient’s inbox, and it is the simplest of the three by a wide margin.
References & Sources
- Google Help. “Change the name on your Gmail account.” Official steps for changing the Gmail sender name from a computer.
- Google Help. “About your legal name & your Google Account.” Explains the separate process for changing legal names across Google services.
- Google Help. “Change your Google Account email.” Covers the availability and process for changing the primary email on a Google Account.
- Google Workspace Help. “Change a user’s profile name.” Instructions for Workspace administrators managing user names.