How K12 Montana Schools Change a Staff Member's Name or Email in Google Admin

Staff get married. Names change. Sometimes email conventions change across the district. Whatever the reason, K12 Montana handles name and email updates for school staff regularly - and it's a multi-step process with a few gotchas worth knowing before you start.

What Happens to the Old Email Address

Good news: the old email address doesn't disappear. It becomes an alias. The user will still receive any emails sent to their old address, but they'll sign in with the new one and send from the new one. Both land in the same inbox.

Step 1: Export Chrome Bookmarks and Passwords First (The User Does This)

Before the admin makes any changes, have the user export their Chrome bookmarks and saved passwords. This is the step that gets skipped and then regretted.

In Chrome: go to More (three dots), then Bookmarks, then Bookmark Manager. Click the Organize button (three vertical dots in the Bookmark Manager) and select Export bookmarks. Save the file somewhere outside Chrome - like the desktop.

For passwords: go to password manager settings and click Download file.

Step 2: The Admin Updates the Name and Email (Admin Does This)

In the Google Admin Console, go to Menu, then Directory, then Users. Find the user and click Rename user (or Update user on their account page). Change the first name, last name, and/or the email prefix under Primary email. Click Update User, then Done.

Step 3: The User Re-imports Their Bookmarks and Passwords

Have the user sign into Chrome with their new email address. Go back to Bookmarks Manager and use Import bookmarks to bring in the saved file. Do the same for passwords in the password manager settings.

After the Change

The user now signs in with the new address. Emails to the old address still arrive in the same inbox. Everything else - Drive files, Calendar, Contacts - carries over without issue.

Navigating staff changes and account management for your district? K12 Montana Inc. handles the administrative complexity so you don't have to. Contact us today.