How to Change a Twitter Account Name and Handle on X
X gives every account two names. One is cosmetic and easy to change; the other is your address, and changing it frees the old one for anyone to take.
How to change a Twitter account name: on X, open your profile, tap Edit profile and type a new display name in the Name field, then save. To change the @handle instead, go to Settings and privacy, then Your account, then Account information, and edit Username. The handle is your address, and the old one is freed for anyone.
Neither change touches your followers. They stay, they see the new name, and nobody gets a notification. What can change is the checkmark, if you have one, and what can break is every link and mention that still points to the old handle, including the one on any order for X followers, which is placed against the @handle.
X's help center is plain about the part that surprises people: once you change your username, your previous username is immediately available for use by someone else.
That sentence has consequences beyond losing a name you liked. Everything that pointed at the old handle now points at whoever registers it next. Links in your bio on other sites, a handle printed on business cards, mentions in old posts, a link in a newsletter. If someone else claims it, those links lead to their profile, not yours.
That's why a handle change is worth planning. Update the links you control on the same day, and if the old handle is valuable to you, consider keeping it by registering it on a second account right after you switch. A display name change carries none of this risk. It's the label next to your handle and has no address attached, so you can change it as often as you like without leaving anything behind.
What is the difference between display name and handle on X?
The display name is the bold name at the top of your profile and next to every post. It can be your real name, a business name or something playful, and X's help center allows up to 50 characters, including spaces and emoji. It doesn't have to be unique.
The handle, which X calls the username, is the @ name. It's unique, it's part of your profile URL, and it's what people type to mention you. X allows up to 15 characters, using only letters, numbers and underscores, with no spaces or symbols. Some words are reserved, including Admin and the platform's own name, unless the account is an official one.
How do you change your display name on X?
From your profile:
1. Open your profile and tap Edit profile.
2. Tap the Name field and type the new display name.
3. Tap Save.
The new name appears on your profile and your posts right away, including posts you made before the change, since the name is attached to the account rather than to each post.
How do you change your X username?
From settings:
1. Open Settings and privacy.
2. Go to Your account, then Account information. You may be asked for your password.
3. Tap Username and type the new one. If it's taken, X prompts you to choose another one.
4. Tap Save or Done.
X's help center notes that a username can be unavailable because someone else has it, because it breaks the character rules, or because it belongs to a suspended or deactivated account, since those usernames aren't released straight away. If the option doesn't behave in the app, X's help pages point to logging in on x.com in a browser, where the same settings are available.
Does changing your name remove the checkmark?
If you have the blue checkmark, yes, for a while. As of October 2026, X's help center says that changing your profile photo, display name or username results in a temporary loss of the blue checkmark until the account is reviewed and confirmed to still meet the requirements. During that review you can't make further changes, and X says the review can take several business days.
So batch the changes. If you plan to update the photo, the name and the handle, do all three at once so the account goes through one review instead of three. And if the checkmark matters for something time-sensitive, a launch or an event, change the name after it rather than right before.
How often can you change your X handle?
X's help pages don't publish a fixed limit on how often you can change your username, as of October 2026. The practical limits are the ones above: on a verified account every change triggers a review and freezes further edits while it runs, and every change frees the old handle for someone else.
The other practical limit is your audience. People find you by handle, search for it and remember it. Changing it often makes you harder to find, and each change breaks the links that pointed to the last one.
Will followers be notified of a handle change?
No. X doesn't send a notification. X's help center says changing your username won't affect your existing followers, Direct Messages or replies; your followers simply see the new username next to your profile photo.
That's also why it's worth telling them. A short post saying you've changed from the old handle to the new one helps people who search for the old name, and it gives anyone who tries the old handle a reason to look for you.
Do old @mentions still work after a change?
Not reliably. A mention in an old post is text: the @ followed by the handle as it was when someone typed it. After you change, that text still shows the old handle, and tapping it looks up whoever holds that handle now. While nobody has claimed it, the link leads nowhere useful; once someone does, it leads to them.
Replies are different. A reply is linked to your account, not to the text of your handle, so conversations you're part of stay connected to you. That's the distinction behind X saying replies aren't affected.
What should you update after changing your handle?
Everything that has the old handle written into it:
- Links to your X profile in other bios, your website and your email signature.
- Printed material, slides and video end cards that show the handle.
- Any third-party tool or scheduling app that stores the handle rather than the account connection.
- Pending orders for anything placed against the old handle, including X followers, which needs a public account and its current @handle. Change first and order after, so delivery goes to the right profile.
- A pinned post announcing the change, for people who still search the old name.
Where the follower count fits
A handle change doesn't move the follower number in either direction. If you're rebranding and want the new name to open with a fuller profile, the services for X, from followers to views, are listed on the X page, each with what it needs from you. None of them needs your password, and none of them changes how X ranks your posts.
Why can't I change my X username?
The common reasons, from X's help pages and from how the setting works:
- The handle is taken, or held by a suspended or deactivated account.
- It's longer than 15 characters, or uses a symbol, space or dash.
- It contains a reserved word.
- Your verified account is under review after a recent change, and X blocks further edits until the review ends.
- The account itself is limited or locked. How to know if your X account is limited and X account suspended cover those states.
Questions people ask about changing a name on X
How do you change your Twitter account name?
Open your profile, tap Edit profile, change the Name field and save. That's the display name. To change the @handle, go to Settings and privacy, Your account, Account information, then Username.
Does changing your name on X remove the blue checkmark?
Yes, temporarily. X's help center says changing your profile photo, display name or username removes the blue checkmark until the account is reviewed again, which can take several business days.
Will I lose followers if I change my X handle?
No. X says changing your username doesn't affect your followers, Direct Messages or replies. Followers see the new handle next to your profile photo.
Can someone take my old X username?
Yes. X's help center says your previous username becomes available to others immediately after you change it. Register it on a second account if you want to keep it.
How long can an X display name and username be?
The display name can be up to 50 characters. The username can be up to 15 characters and can only use letters, numbers and underscores.
Does X notify followers when you change your handle?
No. There's no notification. Followers notice the new handle on your posts, so a short post announcing the change helps people who search for the old one.
Keep reading
- X followers — Orders for X followers go to your current @handle, so change it first and order after.
- How to know if your X account is limited — When a limit, not the settings, is what blocks a change.
- X account suspended — Locked versus suspended, and what each one blocks.
- How to get followers on X — What happens after someone clicks your name.