You can change your Twitter handle anytime, and it takes about two minutes

Your Twitter handle — the @username that appears in your profile — can be changed whenever you want, as many times as you want. Twitter does not charge for this, and changing your handle does not delete your account, your tweets, or your followers. The old handle becomes available for someone else to claim after a short period, but your new handle is yours when ready.

The process is the same whether you use Twitter on a phone, tablet, or computer. You go into your account settings, find the username field, type in what you want, and save the change. If the handle you want is already taken, Twitter will tell you right away, and you can try a different one.

Key Takeaways

  • You can change your Twitter handle from the Settings and Privacy menu under Account, and the change takes effect when ready.
  • Your new handle must be between 4 and 15 characters long and can only contain letters, numbers, and underscores.
  • Changing your handle does not affect your followers, your tweets, or any of your account history — everything stays attached to your account.
  • If the handle you want is already taken, you will see a message telling you so, and you can try a different one right away.
  • Your old handle becomes available for others to use after a few weeks, but your new handle is active the moment you save it.

How to change your handle on a phone or tablet

Open the Twitter app and tap the three horizontal lines (called a menu icon) in the top left corner. Tap Settings and Privacy, then tap Settings. Scroll down and tap Account.

You will see a field labeled Username. Tap it, delete your current handle, and type in the new one you want. Twitter will check in real time whether it is available — if it is taken, you will see a red X and a message saying the username is not available. If it is free, you will see a green checkmark. Once you see the green checkmark, tap Save or Done (the button name depends on your phone's operating system). Your new handle is now active.

How to change your handle on a computer

Go to twitter.com and log in. Click the three dots (more options) in the left sidebar, or if you are on an older version of Twitter, click your profile picture in the top right. Click Settings and Privacy.

Click Settings in the menu that appears. On the left side, click Account. Find the field labeled Username and click on it. Delete your current handle and type the new one. Twitter will show you a green checkmark if it is available or a red X if it is taken. Once you see the checkmark, click Save. Your new handle is active when ready.

Rules for what your new handle can be

Your Twitter handle must be between 4 and 15 characters long. It can contain letters (A through Z, uppercase or lowercase), numbers (0 through 9), and underscores (_). It cannot contain spaces, hyphens, periods, or any other punctuation marks. Twitter will not let you save a handle that breaks these rules — the save button will stay grayed out until you fix it.

Your handle cannot be the same as another account's current handle, but it can be similar. For example, if someone has @JohnSmith, you could have @JohnSmith2 or @John_Smith. Twitter does not reserve handles for famous people or brands, so if a celebrity or company is not actively using Twitter, someone else might have their name. You cannot claim a handle just because you think you should have it.

What happens to your old handle

When you change your handle, your old one does not disappear when ready. Twitter keeps it unavailable for a few weeks to prevent confusion — if someone tried to message your old handle right after you changed it, Twitter needs time to make sure those messages do not go to the wrong person. After that grace period (usually around 30 days, though Twitter does not publish an exact timeline), your old handle becomes available for anyone else to claim.

This means if you change from @OldName to @NewName, someone else could eventually register @OldName. Your account, your tweets, and your followers all stay with @NewName. Any links to your old handle will not work anymore, so if you have shared your Twitter profile link on a website or in an email, you may want to update those links to point to your new handle.

What does not change when you change your handle

Your follower count stays the same. Everyone who followed @OldName now follows @NewName automatically — you do not lose followers when you change your handle. All your tweets remain on your account under your new handle. Your direct messages, likes, retweets, and replies all stay attached to your account. Your profile picture, bio, and header image do not change unless you change them yourself.

If someone was following you, they will continue to follow you. If someone had you muted or blocked, that mute or block stays in place. Your account history is completely preserved — there is no downside to changing your handle from a data perspective.

Troubleshooting a handle change that will not save

If you try to save a new handle and nothing happens, check that it meets Twitter's rules: it must be 4 to 15 characters, contain only letters, numbers, and underscores, and not be taken by another account. If your handle meets all those rules and still will not save, try logging out and logging back in, or close the app and reopen it. Sometimes Twitter's servers need a moment to catch up.

If you are on a computer and the save button is grayed out, look for a red error message near the username field — it will tell you what is wrong. The most common reason is that the handle is already taken. If you are certain it is not taken and you still cannot save, try a different web browser or wait a few minutes and try again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change my handle back to what it was before?

Yes, you can change your handle back anytime. However, if someone else claimed your old handle during the grace period after you changed it, you will not be able to use it again unless that person changes their handle or deletes their account. In that case, you would need to contact Twitter's support team to explain the situation, though they cannot force another user to give up a handle.

Will changing my handle affect my Twitter Verified badge?

No. If your account has a blue checkmark (verification badge), it stays with your account when you change your handle. The verification is tied to your account, not to your specific handle, so your badge will appear next to your new handle when ready.

Can I change my handle if I have a business or brand account?

Yes, the process is exactly the same for business accounts, personal accounts, and any other type of Twitter account. The only difference is that if your handle is closely tied to your brand, changing it might confuse your followers, so you may want to update your bio or post an announcement first.

How often can I change my handle?

Twitter does not limit how many times you can change your handle or how often you can change it. You could change it every day if you wanted to. However, changing your handle frequently can confuse your followers and break links you have shared elsewhere, so most people change it only when necessary.

What if the handle I want has a number or underscore in it?

That is fine. Handles can contain numbers and underscores. For example, @John_Smith_2 is a valid handle. Just remember that the total length (including the underscores and numbers) must be between 4 and 15 characters.