Where to find the username setting

Your Twitch username lives in your account settings, not in your profile. Log into Twitch on a web browser (the mobile app does not have this option), then click your profile picture in the top right corner. Select Settings from the dropdown menu.

Once you are in Settings, look for the Username field on the main page — it appears near the top, below your email address. This is the name people see when they visit your channel or when you chat in streams. Do not confuse it with your display name, which is a separate setting that lets you use capital letters and spaces for how your name appears on screen.

Key Takeaways

  • You can change your Twitch username once every 60 days through your account Settings page on a web browser.
  • Your new username must be between 4 and 25 characters, contain only letters, numbers, and underscores, and cannot start with a number.
  • Changing your username does not affect your channel URL, followers, or stream history — everything stays attached to your account.
  • If your desired username is taken, Twitch will tell you when ready and you will need to choose a different one before saving.
  • Your old username becomes available for someone else to claim after you change it, so pick a new one you plan to keep.

The rules for your new username

Twitch enforces specific rules about what characters and length your username can be. Your new name must be between 4 and 25 characters long. You can use letters (a–z), numbers (0–9), and underscores (_), but nothing else — no spaces, hyphens, periods, or special characters.

Your username also cannot start with a number. So user123 is allowed, but 123user is not. Twitch will reject the name when ready if it breaks any of these rules, so you will know right away whether your choice works.

Checking if your username is available

Type your desired username into the field and Twitch will show you whether it is taken. If the name is available, you will see a green checkmark. If it is taken, you will see a message saying the username is unavailable, and you will need to try a different one.

There is no way to reserve a username or put yourself on a waitlist if someone else has it. You must choose a different name to proceed. If you have your heart set on a particular username, you can check back periodically to see if the person using it becomes inactive, but Twitch does not have a public tool for this — you would straightforward try again later.

Saving your new username

Once you have typed in an available username that follows the rules, click the Change Username button at the bottom of the field. Twitch will ask you to confirm the change. Click Yes, change my username to finalize it.

The change takes effect when ready. Your new username will appear on your channel, in chat, and everywhere else on Twitch within seconds. You will not need to log out and back in.

The 60-day waiting period

After you change your username, you cannot change it again for 60 days. Twitch enforces this cooldown to prevent people from rapidly cycling through names or impersonating others. If you try to change your username before 60 days have passed, the button will be grayed out and you will see a message telling you when you can change it next.

This means you should be confident in your new username before you save it. If you realize you made a typo or chose something you dislike, you will have to wait two months before you can change it again.

What does not change when you update your username

Your channel URL stays the same. If your old username was oldname, your channel was at twitch.tv/oldname. After you change to newname, your channel moves to twitch.tv/newname, but any links people bookmarked to your old URL will automatically redirect to your new one. You do not need to tell people your new channel address.

Your followers, subscriber list, stream history, and all your content remain attached to your account. Changing your username does not reset anything — it is purely a name change. Your old username becomes available for someone else to claim after you change it, so if you ever want to use it again, you would have to wait for that person to stop using it or change theirs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change my username on the Twitch mobile app?

No. The username setting only appears on the web version of Twitch. Open Twitch in a web browser on your phone or computer, log in, and go to Settings to change it. The mobile app does not have this option.

What if someone took my old username right after I changed mine?

Once you change your username, the old one becomes available when ready and anyone can claim it. If you want to keep it, you would need to change back within 60 days (when your cooldown expires). After that, if someone else has taken it, you cannot reclaim it unless they change theirs.

Does changing my username affect my Twitch Partner status or monetization?

No. Your Partner status, affiliate status, and all monetization settings stay with your account. Changing your username is purely cosmetic and does not affect any of your account features or earnings.

Can I use spaces or special characters in my username?

No. Twitch usernames can only contain letters, numbers, and underscores. Spaces, hyphens, periods, and other special characters are not allowed. If you want your display name to have spaces or capitals, you can set that separately in your display name setting.

What happens to my old username after I change it?

It becomes available for anyone else to claim when ready. Twitch does not hold old usernames or reserve them for previous owners. If you change your mind, you would need to wait 60 days before changing back, and by then someone else may have already taken it.