Rename a user (change username and email)
Rename a user (change username and email)
Usernames are locked after creation — the ordinary user edit page won't change them, because a username is also the user's email address and changing it ripples through Google Workspace and Microsoft Entra. The Rename user wizard is the deliberate, safe way to make that change (for example s.gray marries and becomes s.warwick).
The key reassurance: the account is renamed in place — it stays the same Google/Entra account, just at a new address. Drive files, email, Classroom content, class ownerships, group memberships, guardians, role, protected status and full history all stay exactly where they are. Nothing needs re-creating and nothing is lost.
Steps
Step 1 — Open Rename user {#step-1}
In the left sidebar under Users & Groups, select Rename user. (Admins only.)
Step 2 — Choose the user {#step-2}
Search by name or username and pick the person being renamed.
Step 3 — Enter the new username and decide about the old address {#step-3}
- New username — checked as you type: it must not contain spaces, must be free at the school, and (where schools share a sign-in domain) must be free across every school on that domain.
- The old email address — one decision:
- Keep it as an alias — mail sent to the old address still arrives in the same inbox, and the old username stays reserved (it can't be given to a future member of staff).
- Free it — the old address stops working immediately, and the username becomes available for someone else in future.
Step 4 — Review the preview and confirm {#step-4}
The preview shows exactly what will happen: the old and new email, what the alias decision means, and confirmation that memberships, owned Classrooms, guardians and history all carry automatically. Select Confirm rename.
Step 5 — The change is carried out by the sync service {#step-5}
The rename is queued and usually completes within a few minutes, account first, records after: the Google/Entra account is renamed first, and only once that succeeds are the records updated. If the account rename can't complete (for example the address was taken in Google in the meantime), nothing is changed anywhere — the hold and its reason are recorded against the user in Logs, and you can run the wizard again once resolved.
Troubleshooting
- "The new username is rejected" — someone at the school (or at another school sharing the same email domain) already has it, including suspended users. Pick a different one.
- "The rename was held" — open the user's Logs tab; the hold reason is recorded there (e.g. the address already exists in Google). Fix the cause and run the wizard again.
- "Mail to the old address bounces" — the rename was made with Free it chosen. There's no way to retro-fit the alias from ADAdmin; add the old address as an alias in the Google Admin console if needed.