How To Change Your Instagram Username in Just 30 Seconds?

How to change your Instagram name, and is it a bad practice?

Some social platforms limit how many times you can change your username, while others don’t allow it at all. Instagram is a username-free zone, which means you can change your Instagram username as many times as you like.

However, don’t get confused between your username and your display name on Instagram. There’s a slight difference between your username and display name. Your display name appears under your avatar on your profile. It doesn’t have to be unique to you, and emojis and special characters are also allowed. You can change it as many times you wish. Your Instagram username, on the other hand, is shown at the top of your profile and the end of the URL for your profile. It must be unique to you. No two IG accounts can have the same username.

Things to remember when changing your username: 

  • It should be unique to your IG account.
  • Can’t be more than 30 characters
  • Only letters, numbers, periods, and underscores are used (no spaces or other symbols).
  • No profanity or restricted language is allowed.

How To Change Your Username on Instagram?

Excited to update your Instagram username? Just follow the steps mentioned below and your IG handle will be changed in no time.

Change Your Instagram Username

Steps to Update your Insta Username: 

  • Open the Instagram app.
  • To obtain to your profile, click the profile icon in the bottom-right corner of the page.

CHANGE Your IG name

  • Then, below your bio, hit the Edit Profile button.

update Your IG name

  • Tap on your current username.

update Your IG Username

  • Remove your previous username.
  • Enter your new username
  • Finally, press the Done button.

update Your Instagram Username

How To Change Your Name on Instagram?

Editing your name and username on Instagram is quite similar. Here are the steps to guide you in editing your name on Instagram.

  • Open the Instagram app.
  • To get to your profile page, click the profile icon in the bottom-right corner of the page.
  • Then, beneath your bio, hit the Edit Profile button.
  • Remove your previous name.
  • Enter the new display name you want to change to
  • Finally, press the Done button.

Can I Change My IG Username Back To My Old Handle?

Yes, you can change back to your old username but only if you do it within 14 days of your edit.

Instagram recently introduced a new feature that locks accounts’ old usernames for 14 days after switching to a new one. This new program aimed to prevent hackers from seizing your old and unused usernames and using them as bots. Hackers have previously taken over former usernames as soon as users switched over, making it impossible to return to their prior accounts.

Change Your Instagram name

This auto-lock feature allows Instagram users a grace period for changing their usernames, which is a significant improvement.

Now that you know how to change your name on Instagram learn how to change your Instagram profile picture, write an impressive bio and add a call to action button to create an optimized profile that is strong enough to persuade a visitor to hit the follow button.

Why Won’t Instagram Let Me Change My Username?

If you are unable to change your Instagram username to a new username, it can be because the new username is not available. Somebody has already taken that Instagram username which is why IG is not letting you change your username. It’s the most common error that users face while changing Instagram usernames. Try adding numbers and underscores to the IG username to check if it’s available. If a username is available, you can easily change your IG handle to it.

Another reason why Instagram doesn’t let you change your Instagram handle is that you are trying to change your username back to an old one which is already been taken by someone else.

Try closing your app and opening it again to check if the issue is related to your IG username or your Instagram app. Try clearing the Instagram app cache if the error is related to your app.

Conclusion

You can’t have the same username as someone else, and usernames are assigned on a first-come. If your desired handle is already taken, Instagram will notify you once you press “Done” after typing in the new username. If the username you desire isn’t available, make it unique to you by adding numerals or underscores.

Instagram allows you to change your username as many times as you wish but that doesn’t mean you should keep changing it. Especially if you are a verified IG user, you must refrain from editing your Instagram username frequently as it confuses your followers and disrupts your brand recognition.