Google has introduced a long-awaited feature allowing Gmail users to change their existing @gmail.com email address without losing data. Emails sent to the old address will still be delivered, and all saved content, including emails, photos and messages, will remain intact.

The update, reported by the Los Angeles Times, is being rolled out gradually and is not yet available to all users. Only @gmail.com accounts are eligible, and the new address must also end in @gmail.com.

The move has been widely welcomed, especially by users wanting to shed embarrassing teenage usernames or distance themselves from former names.