How to Change Your Twitter (X) Username or Handle

You can change your Twitter (X) username for free, and X's help centre sets no limit on how often. The part most guides skip is what happens next: the moment you save, your old @handle is released and anyone can take it. This guide covers the steps on desktop and phone, the rules X applies, what changes and what does not, and how to keep your old handle out of someone else's hands.

Quick answer: on x.com, open Settings and privacy, go to Your account, then Account information, select Username, enter the new one and save. X may ask for your password first. Usernames must be 5 to 15 characters and can only use letters, numbers and underscores.

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Username or Display Name: Which One Do You Want to Change?

X gives every account two names, and it is easy to change the wrong one.

	Username (handle)	Display name
Looks like	@yourname	Your Name
Where it appears	Your profile URL, replies and Direct Messages	Bold text above your @handle
Must be unique	Yes	No
Length	More than 4 and up to 15 characters	Up to 50 characters
Used to log in	Yes	No
Where to change it	Settings and privacy	Edit profile

If you only want to change the name people see in bold, edit your profile and change the name field. It is quicker, it can be changed any time, and it does not release anything. The rest of this guide is about the username.

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How to Change Your Twitter Username on Desktop

1. Sign in at x.com.
2. Select More in the left menu, then Settings and privacy.
3. Open Your account, then Account information. X may ask for your password before it shows these settings.
4. Select Username.
5. Type the new username. If it is taken, X tells you straight away and you can try another.
6. Select Save.

The change is immediate. Your profile URL becomes x.com/newusername as soon as you save.

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How to Change Your Twitter Username on iPhone or Android

X's own help pages disagree on this. Its step by step guide includes instructions for the iOS and Android apps (Settings and privacy, Account, Username), while its troubleshooting page says changing your username is not currently supported in the mobile apps and that you need to use x.com or mobile.x.com instead.

In practice:

• Try the app first. Open your profile menu, go to Settings and privacy, then Account (shown as Your account in some versions), and look for Username.
• If the option is missing or will not save, open your phone's browser, go to mobile.x.com, sign in, and follow the desktop steps above. This is the route X's help centre points to.

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X Username Rules

These come from X's help centre:

• Length: more than 4 characters and no more than 15. So 5 to 15 characters.
• Characters: letters A to Z, numbers 0 to 9 and underscores only. No spaces, dots, dashes or symbols.
• Reserved words: usernames containing "Admin" or the platform's own brand name are reserved for official accounts.
• Unique: every username belongs to one account. Capital letters do not make a name different, so @YourName and @yourname are the same handle.

Why the username you want is unavailable

• Someone already has it. X's own suggestion is to add an underscore before or after the name, such as @lindsay_ or @_lindsay.
• It belongs to a suspended or deactivated account. These names are not immediately available, and visiting the profile shows a suspended or deactivated notice. Deactivating an account does not instantly free its username either.
• It belongs to an inactive account. X says it cannot release inactive usernames at this time.
• It breaks a rule above, usually length, a dash or dot, or a reserved word.

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What Happens When You Change Your Username

According to X, changing your username does not affect your followers, Direct Messages or replies. Your followers simply see the new @handle next to your profile photo. Your posts stay on your account too, because the account itself has not changed, only its name.

Three things do change, and they are the ones that catch people out.

• Your old username is released immediately. X states that once you change it, your previous username is available for use by someone else straight away.
• Links to your old @handle are not safe to rely on. X does not say that old profile links or @mentions redirect to your new name. Assume any link you control that points to x.com/oldname, in your website, email signature, other bios or printed material, needs updating.
• A blue checkmark is removed for review. X's checkmark rules say a change to your profile photo, display name or username causes a temporary loss of the checkmark until your account is reviewed again, and you cannot make further changes to those details during the review. If you are a Premium subscriber, change everything you plan to change in one go.

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How to Keep Your Old Username From Being Taken

Because the old handle is released the second you save, anyone watching can claim it, including someone who wants to impersonate you to your existing audience. The fix is to claim it yourself with a second account. This is the same method X describes for moving a username between two accounts you own.

1. Create a second X account, or use one you already have, before you change anything.
2. On your main account, change the username to the new one.
3. Straight away, sign in to the second account and change its username to your old one.
4. On the second account, set a short bio and a pinned post pointing to your new @handle, so anyone who finds the old name is sent to the right place.

Doing step 3 in a second browser or a private window, already signed in, keeps the gap between releasing and reclaiming the name as short as possible. Keep that second account in use now and then, so it is not treated as inactive.

The same method works in reverse if you want your old name back later: free it from the second account, then claim it on your main one.

If someone has already taken your old handle and is posing as you, our guide on what to do when someone is using your username walks through reporting it.

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Changing Your Username for Privacy

If you are changing your handle because the old one is linked to your real name, or to someone you would rather not be found by, changing it on X is only the first step.

• Other people's posts do not change. Anything others wrote mentioning your old @handle still contains that text.
• Archives keep the old version. Pages saved by web archives and search engine copies can show your old handle for some time.
• Your other accounts keep the old handle. If you used the same name on Instagram, TikTok, Reddit or Discord, it is still visible on all of them.

The last one is usually the biggest exposure, and the easiest to check. Search your old username across 730 sites to see everywhere it is still registered, and read our guide on how to search yourself online for what to do with the results.

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Before You Pick a New Username

• Check it everywhere first. If you want the same handle on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitch, confirm it is free on those before you commit on X. One WhatsMyName App search shows where a name is already registered.
• Read it aloud. Handles with doubled letters or underscores in the middle are easy to mistype when someone tries to find you.
• Tell your followers first. X itself recommends warning followers before the change so replies and DMs go to the right place.
• Update your links the same day. Website, link in bio pages, email signatures and other social profiles.

Want to look up an X account by username instead? Our X username search guide covers how that works.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I change my Twitter username?

On x.com go to Settings and privacy, then Your account, then Account information, then Username. Enter your password when asked, type the new username and save. It takes effect immediately.

Can I change my X username in the app?

X's help pages contradict each other: one gives app steps, another says the apps do not support it. If the option is missing in your app, use mobile.x.com in your phone's browser.

How many times can I change my Twitter username?

X's help centre does not set a limit, so you can change it whenever you like. If you have a blue checkmark, each change triggers a review, and you cannot make further changes until the review is done.

Will I lose my followers if I change my username?

No. X says followers, Direct Messages and replies are not affected. Followers see your new @handle in place of the old one.

What happens to my old Twitter username?

It is released immediately and anyone can claim it. To stop that, claim it yourself on a second account straight after the change.

Will I lose my blue checkmark?

Temporarily. X removes the checkmark after a username change until it reviews the account again.

Why can't I use the username I want?

It is either taken, held by a suspended, deactivated or inactive account, too long or short, contains a character other than letters, numbers and underscores, or contains a reserved word such as Admin.

What is the difference between a username and a display name on X?

The username is your unique @handle, used in your profile URL and to log in. The display name is the bold name above it, which does not need to be unique and can be up to 50 characters.