Where to find the display name setting
Your display name is the text that appears above your username on your Twitter profile — the one people see first when they visit your account or read your posts. To change it, you need to go into your account settings, not your profile page itself. Many people look in the wrong place and get stuck here.
On any device, start by tapping or clicking the three-dot menu icon. On a phone, this is usually in the bottom right corner of the screen. On a computer, it's in the left sidebar. A menu will drop down with several options, including "Settings and privacy" — that's where you'll go.
Once you're in Settings and privacy, look for "Account" in the left menu. Click or tap it, and you'll see a section called "Account information." This is where Twitter stores your display name, email, phone number, and other details about your account.
Key Takeaways
- Your display name is separate from your username and lives in Settings and privacy, not on your profile page itself.
- You can change your display name as often as you want, and the change takes effect when ready across Twitter.
- Display names can be up to 50 characters and can include spaces, numbers, and most symbols.
- Changing your display name does not change your username, your follower count, or anything else about your account.
The steps to change your display name
Once you're in Account information, look for the field labeled "Name." This is your display name. Click or tap on it to edit. The field will become active and you can now type whatever you want to change it to.
Delete the old name and type in the new one. You have up to 50 characters to work with, which is enough for most names plus a small descriptor if you want one — for example, "Sarah Chen | Writer" or "Marcus @ Tech Support." You can use spaces, numbers, and symbols like hyphens, periods, and ampersands.
After you've typed the new name, look for a "Save" button. On a phone, this is usually at the bottom of the screen. On a computer, it's typically near the name field itself. Click or tap it, and Twitter will save your change. The page may refresh briefly, and your new display name will be live when ready.
What changes and what stays the same
Your display name change affects only the name that appears on your profile and next to your posts. Your username — the one that starts with @ and appears in your profile URL — does not change. If you were @sarahchen before, you'll still be @sarahchen after, even if your display name is now "Sarah Chen | Writer."
Your follower count, following count, tweets, likes, and all other account data remain exactly as they were. People who follow you will see the new name the next time they look at your profile or see your posts, but they won't receive a notification about the change. If you change your display name back and forth, there's no penalty — Twitter allows this.
If the change doesn't appear right away
Sometimes after you save a new display name, it takes a few seconds to show up everywhere on Twitter. If you don't see it on your profile when ready, refresh the page by pressing F5 on a computer or swiping down on a phone. If you're logged in on multiple devices, the new name may appear on one device before the others — this is normal and usually catches up within a minute or two.
If you've waited several minutes and the change still hasn't appeared, try logging out and logging back in. This forces Twitter to reload your account information from the server. On a phone, you can also try closing the app completely and reopening it. If the problem persists after that, the issue is likely on Twitter's end, and you can try again in a few hours.
Display name rules and what you should know
Twitter allows almost any characters in a display name, but a few rules do explore. You cannot use certain symbols like quotation marks or angle brackets. If you try to save a name with a forbidden character, Twitter will show you an error message and won't let you proceed — just remove that character and try again.
Your display name is public and visible to anyone on Twitter, including people who don't follow you. If you want to keep your real name private, you can use a nickname, a pen name, or any other text you prefer. Many people use display names that are different from their actual names for privacy or branding reasons, and this is completely normal.
If you change your display name frequently, people who know you by your old name might not recognize you at first. Your username stays the same, so people can still find you by searching for your @username, but if they only remember your old display name, they may have trouble locating you.
Changing your display name on the Twitter app versus the website
The process is the same whether you use the Twitter website on a computer or the Twitter app on a phone. The menu locations are slightly different — on a phone, the three-dot menu is at the bottom right, while on a computer it's in the left sidebar — but once you're in Settings and privacy, the steps are identical.
If you use Twitter on multiple devices, you only need to change your display name once. The change syncs across all devices automatically, so you don't have to update it separately on your phone and your computer. Within a few seconds, anyone viewing your profile from any device will see the new name.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change my display name back to what it was before?
Yes. You can change your display name as many times as you want, and there's no limit on how often you do it. Go back into Settings and privacy, find the Name field, and type in whatever you want. Twitter doesn't track or restrict display name changes.
Does changing my display name affect my username or my profile URL?
No. Your username (the @name) and your profile URL stay the same no matter how many times you change your display name. Only the text that appears above your username on your profile changes.
What if I want to use special characters or emojis in my display name?
You can use most emojis in your display name. Type or paste the emoji into the Name field just like you would any other character. Some special characters like quotation marks or angle brackets aren't allowed, but Twitter will tell you if you try to use one.
Will my followers be notified when I change my display name?
No. Your followers won't receive a notification about the change. They'll see the new name the next time they visit your profile or see your posts, but there's no alert sent to them.
Can I use my display name to impersonate someone else?
Twitter's rules prohibit impersonation. You can't use a display name that's designed to trick people into thinking you're someone you're not, especially a public figure or a company. If you do, Twitter may suspend your account. Using a display name similar to someone else's is allowed as long as you're not trying to deceive people.