Want to change your Gmail address? Now you can, without losing any data - here's how

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.

ZDNET's key takeaways

• You can now change your Gmail address while keeping your data.
• You'll get messages sent to both your new and old addresses.
• Gmail limits you to one change per year. 

If you've been using your old Gmail account that you created before you knew your username would matter, or with a name you want to forget, your day is here.

Google has announced that you can finally change your Google Account username -- the part before @gmail.com in your email -- without losing any of your account data. Evidence of the ability to do this started surfacing several months ago, but the option is now here for everyone.  

If you're stuck with a regrettable email, you understand what a big deal this is and why people have wanted it ...