Change your username in the Microsoft Account settings

Your Minecraft username is tied to your Microsoft account, so you change it by editing your Microsoft profile rather than through Minecraft itself. The process takes about five minutes and works the same whether you play on Windows, Mac, or console.

Go to account.microsoft.com and sign in with the Microsoft account connected to your Minecraft profile. Once you are logged in, look for your profile picture or name in the top right corner and click it. Select View profile from the dropdown menu.

On your profile page, find the section labeled Microsoft account name or Username — the exact wording varies slightly depending on your account age and region. Click Edit name or the pencil icon next to it. Type your new username in the field that appears, then click Next.

Microsoft will ask you to confirm your identity by sending a code to your email or phone number on file. Enter that code when prompted, then click Confirm. Your new username takes effect when ready, though it may take a few minutes to appear in Minecraft itself.

Key Takeaways

  • You change your Minecraft username by editing your Microsoft account profile at account.microsoft.com, not within the Minecraft game.
  • Microsoft sends a confirmation code to your registered email or phone to verify the change before it becomes active.
  • The new username appears in Minecraft within a few minutes of confirmation, though it may take longer to update on multiplayer servers.
  • You can change your username once every 30 days, so choose carefully if you have changed it recently.
  • Your old username becomes available for other players to claim after you change it.

What happens to your old username

Once you change your username, the old one is released back into the pool of available names. Another player can claim it when ready, so if you are changing because you want to keep that name private, you cannot. If you think you might want to use the old name again later, you will have to wait for someone else to stop using it first.

Your game progress, skins, and worlds do not change when you update your username. Everything stays attached to your Microsoft account. Friends will see your new name the next time they log in, and old messages or invitations sent to your previous username will not reach you — they are tied to that specific name, not to your account.

The 30-day waiting period between changes

Microsoft enforces a 30-day cooldown between username changes. If you have changed your username in the past month, you will see a message telling you when you can change it again. This limit exists to prevent account takeovers and reduce spam on multiplayer servers.

The 30 days starts from the date you confirmed your last change, not from when you started the process. If you changed your username on March 15th, you can change it again on April 14th at the earliest. The system counts calendar days, so a change at 11:59 p.m. and a change at 12:01 a.m. the next day both count as separate days.

Troubleshooting: username change not appearing in Minecraft

If you have confirmed your new username but it still shows the old one in Minecraft, the most common fix is to restart the game completely. Close Minecraft entirely — not just the window, but the full process — then reopen it. Sign in again and your new username should display.

On console (Xbox or PlayStation), you may need to restart the console itself rather than just the game. Hold the power button for 10 seconds until the console shuts down completely, then turn it back on and launch Minecraft. If the old name persists after a full restart, wait another 10 to 15 minutes and try again — the change is still propagating through Microsoft's servers.

If your username still has not updated after an hour, check that you are signed into the correct Microsoft account. Open the game settings and look at which account is currently active. If it is the wrong account, sign out, then sign back in with the account you changed the username on.

Changing your username on Minecraft Java Edition versus Bedrock

Both Minecraft Java Edition and Minecraft Bedrock Edition use the same Microsoft account system, so changing your username once updates it everywhere. You do not need to change it separately for each version.

However, the way the name displays can differ slightly between versions during the transition period. Java Edition may show your new name a few minutes faster than Bedrock, and console versions sometimes lag by 10 to 15 minutes. This is normal and resolves on its own — you do not need to do anything.

If you own both Java and Bedrock and they are linked to the same Microsoft account, changing the username on one automatically changes it on the other. If they are linked to different Microsoft accounts, you will need to change the username on each account separately.

What you cannot change about your account name

Your Microsoft account email is separate from your Minecraft username and serves a different purpose. The email is how you sign in and recover your account. You can change your email address, but that is a different process from changing your Minecraft username, and it does not affect how your name appears in the game.

Your Minecraft profile name (the display name on your profile page) is also separate from your in-game username. Some accounts have both, and they can be different. If you want to change how your name appears on your profile page specifically, that is a different setting from the username that shows in-game.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Only if no one else has claimed it. Once you change your username, the old one becomes available when ready. If another player has taken it, you cannot use it again unless they change their username first. You can try to contact the player through Minecraft's reporting system, but Microsoft does not force name transfers between accounts.

Do I lose my worlds or skins when I change my username?

No. Your worlds, skins, achievements, and all game progress stay attached to your Microsoft account. The username is just the display name — everything else follows your account, not the name itself. You will see all your content exactly as it was after you log back in.

Why does my username still show the old name on multiplayer servers?

Multiplayer servers cache player names for performance reasons, so they may not update when ready. Wait 15 to 30 minutes, then rejoin the server. If it still shows the old name after that, the server may need to restart or clear its cache — contact the server administrator. Your actual account name has changed; the server is just slow to reflect it.

Can I change my username if I have not played in years?

Yes. As long as your Microsoft account is still active and you can sign in, you can change your username whenever you want. You do not need to have played recently. Just go to account.microsoft.com, sign in, and follow the same steps.

What if I forgot which Microsoft account my Minecraft is on?

Open Minecraft and look at the account that is currently signed in — that is the one your game is attached to. If you are not sure, go to Settings in the game and look for Account or Profile information. It will show you which Microsoft email is linked. If you have multiple Microsoft accounts, sign out of Minecraft and sign in with each one until you find the right account.