How to Change Your Twitch Username

When Twitch first started, your username was largely permanent, and it was hard to change without deleting your whole account and starting over. A few years ago, Twitch made a welcome change to let account owners change their usernames on request. In this article, we will guide you through how to change your Twitch username and what you need to know about making a name change. Before you start, take some time to think about what you want your new name to be.

How Do You Change Your Username on Twitch?

To change your Twitch username, open Settings, go to the Profile tab and select Edit next to your username. This is easiest to do on a desktop or laptop, but you can do it on any connected device too.

• Log in to Twitch with your login details. Follow this link to skip the next few steps and go straight to the section you need. Otherwise, log in on your home page as you usually do.
• Select your Profile icon at the top right, then select Settings.
• When the Settings menu opens, it should open on the Profile tab. If it doesn't, select Profile to go to the right section.
• Look for the section called Username. This will show your current username. Look directly beneath that box to check for the message "You are eligible to change your username". Without this message, you may not be able to change your current name without waiting.
• Select the Edit button on the right side. It may also look like a pencil icon. Type your new username and check its availability.
• If your new username is available, you can now select Update. Twitch may now ask you for your Twitch login details again to confirm the change. If you haven't verified your Twitch email yet, Twitch may stop the process and ask you to verify your email before continuing.
• Also keep in mind that you have the option to change your display name. This is a version of your username that lets you capitalize certain letters, which you couldn't do before. This can be useful if you are a streamer who wants to really customize your username for your followers, but it isn't the same as changing your innate username. You can't make your display name something entirely different.

Important Notes About Changing Your Twitch Name

• If you stream, your channel's URL will be updated with your new name. To avoid confusion and to avoid missing new followers, you should immediately update your bio, links and other references to your URL to the new version.
• You can change your name more than once, but you have to wait: Twitch generally blocks additional changes to your username for the next 60 days.
• If you decide that changing your name was a big mistake, you will really want to mark that 60-day block on your calendar. After six months, Twitch has the ability to make your abandoned username available for someone else to take. Twitch rejects direct requests for an abandoned username, but they can still enter the pool of possible picks. If you don't act within that few-month window, your old username may be gone forever.
• Were you naughty on Twitch? Whether it is a channel ban, a timeout or a community-wide ban, you are still stuck with any ban. Since a ban is tied to your account, changing your username won't affect it in any way.