Change Your Username Through the Riot Client

You change your Riot username by logging into your Riot account on the web, not through the game client itself. Go to account.riotgames.com, sign in with your email and password, and look for the account settings section. You will see your current username displayed near the top of the page.

Click on the username field or the edit button next to it. Riot will show you a text box where you can type your new username. The new name must be between 3 and 16 characters, can include letters and numbers, and cannot contain spaces or special characters. Once you type the new username, click the save or confirm button to lock in the change.

The change takes effect when ready across all Riot games — League of Legends, Valorant, Teamfight Tactics, and any others tied to your account. Your friends list, match history, and ranked rating stay the same. Only the name displayed above your character changes.

Key Takeaways

  • You change your username on account.riotgames.com, not in the game client itself.
  • New usernames must be 3 to 16 characters, letters and numbers only, with no spaces or special characters.
  • The change takes effect when ready across all Riot games tied to your account.
  • You can change your username as often as you want, though Riot may limit extremely frequent changes to prevent abuse.
  • Your rank, friends list, and match history do not change when you change your username.

What Happens to Your Old Username

When you change your username, the old one becomes available for someone else to claim after a short delay. Riot typically holds the old username for a few days before releasing it back into the pool. This means if you change your mind when ready, you may be able to change back to it, but waiting too long means someone else could take it.

Your match history and ranked rating stay tied to your account no matter what username you use. If you were Gold rank last season, you stay Gold rank — the rank does not reset when you change your name. Friends who had you added will still see you on their friends list under your new username.

Usernames That Riot Will Not Allow

Riot blocks usernames that contain profanity, slurs, or hateful language. The system also rejects names that impersonate Riot employees, professional players, or streamers — for example, you cannot create a username that is identical to a known pro player's name or that includes "Riot" followed by a real person's name.

Names that reference illegal activity, gambling, or sexual content are also blocked. If you try to save a username and Riot rejects it, the website will tell you it violates the username policy but usually will not specify which rule. Try a different name that does not include any of these categories.

Changing Your In-Game Display Name Separately

Your Riot username is different from your in-game display name in some games. In Valorant, for example, your Riot username is your account identifier, but you also have a player card name that appears in matches. These are separate and change independently.

To change your Valorant player card name, open Valorant, go to the Settings menu, find the Account section, and look for "Player Card Name" or "Display Name." You can edit this directly in the game without going to the website. The same applies to League of Legends — your Summoner Name (the name that appears in matches) is separate from your Riot account username and can be changed through the game client or the website.

Troubleshooting a Username Change That Did Not Work

If you clicked save but your username did not change, first check that you are logged into the correct account. Log out of account.riotgames.com completely, close your browser, and log back in. Sometimes a cached session can show outdated information.

If the website rejected your username without explanation, it likely contains a blocked word or character. Try removing numbers, shortening it, or using a completely different name. If you see an error message saying the username is already taken, that name belongs to another account — choose something else.

If you changed your username but it is not showing up in the game client, restart the client completely. Close it from the task manager or system tray, wait 10 seconds, and reopen it. The client sometimes takes a few minutes to sync with the account servers.

How Often You Can Change Your Username

Riot does not charge money to change your username, and you can change it as many times as you want. However, if you change your username extremely frequently — multiple times per day — Riot's system may temporarily prevent you from making another change as a safeguard against account compromise or abuse.

If you hit this limit, wait at least 24 hours before trying again. This is rare and only happens if someone is changing the username dozens of times in a short period, which usually indicates either a hacked account or someone testing the system. If you believe your account was compromised, change your password when ready and enable two-factor authentication on account.riotgames.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does changing my username reset my rank or MMR?

No. Your rank, rating, and all match history stay exactly the same. The username is purely cosmetic — it is what other players see above your character, but your account's underlying data does not change at all.

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

Only if no one else has claimed it. Riot holds old usernames for a few days, so if you change your mind quickly, you may be able to switch back. If someone else has taken it in the meantime, that name is no longer available to you.

Why does my new username not show up in the game yet?

Restart the game client completely. Close it entirely, wait 10 seconds, and reopen it. The client sometimes takes a few minutes to sync with Riot's servers. If it still does not show after a restart, log out of your account in the client and log back in.

What if I want to change my Summoner Name in League but keep my Riot username the same?

You can change them independently. Your Riot username is your account identifier on the website. Your League Summoner Name is what appears in matches. Change your Summoner Name through the League client or the League website, and change your Riot username through account.riotgames.com. They do not have to match.

Is there a cost to change my username?

No. Riot does not charge for username changes. You can change it as many times as you want at no cost.