Where to find your username settings on Mastodon

Your Mastodon username lives in your account preferences, not in your profile. Open Mastodon in your browser or app, click the menu icon (three horizontal lines on mobile, or your avatar in the top right on desktop), and select Preferences or Settings. Look for the section labeled Account or Profile. You will see a field showing your current username — this is what appears after the @ symbol when people mention you.

The username field is separate from your display name. Your display name is what shows in large text on your profile and can include spaces, emoji, and special characters. Your username is the handle people use to tag you in posts, and it follows stricter rules: letters, numbers, underscores, and hyphens only, no spaces.

Key Takeaways

  • You change your username in Preferences under the Account section, not by editing your profile directly.
  • Mastodon allows you to change your username as often as you want, and the change takes effect when ready across your server.
  • Your old username becomes available for someone else to claim after you change it, so choose carefully if you have built recognition under that name.
  • People who followed you before the change will still follow you after, but mentions and links using your old username will break.
  • If you want to keep your old username reserved, you can change it to something temporary, then change it back later.

The steps to change your username

Click into the username field and delete your current name. Type your new username — remember, only letters, numbers, underscores, and hyphens work. Mastodon will tell you if the name is already taken on your server. Once you enter a username that is available, look for a Save or Update button, usually at the bottom of the settings page. Click it, and your username changes when ready.

The change is when ready across your entire server. Anyone who visits your profile will see your new username right away. Your follower list does not change — people who followed you before still follow you after. However, any posts or messages that tagged you using your old username will no longer link to you, because that username no longer belongs to your account.

What happens to your old username

Once you change your username, the old one becomes available for anyone else on your server to claim. If you built a reputation or following under that name, losing it means losing the direct link to your account history. People searching for your old username will not find you automatically.

If you think you might want to use that username again later, you have options. Some people change to a temporary username (like "oldname-archived" or "username-v2"), then change back to the original after a few weeks or months. This keeps the old username from being claimed by someone else. Another approach is to add a note in your profile bio directing people to your new username, so followers can find you even if they search for the old one.

How followers and mentions work after a username change

Your followers stay with you. When you change your username, Mastodon does not unfollow anyone or break the follow relationship. The people who followed you before will still see your posts in their feed under your new username. This is different from some other social platforms — your social graph stays intact.

Mentions and links are different. If someone posted "@oldusername check this out" before you changed your name, that mention will not link to you anymore. The text will still appear in the post, but clicking it will not take anyone to your profile. This is why it is worth telling your followers about the change in a pinned post or profile update, so they know where to find you if they search.

Changing your username on mobile apps

The process is the same on Mastodon's official mobile app for iOS or Android. Tap your profile icon at the bottom right, then tap the gear icon or Settings. Scroll to Account and find the username field. Edit it the same way you would on desktop, then save. Some third-party Mastodon apps (like Tusky or Metatext) may have slightly different menu layouts, but the settings are always under Account or Profile preferences.

If you use a third-party app and cannot find the username setting, you can always log into Mastodon through a web browser on your phone to make the change. The browser version works identically to desktop.

Reasons to think twice before changing

Your username is part of your identity on Mastodon. If you have posted regularly and built followers, changing it means breaking old links and mentions. Search engines and other websites that linked to your profile using your old username will have dead links. If you are known by a particular username in your community, the change can make you harder to find.

That said, Mastodon makes it straightforward to change back. If you change your username and regret it, you can change it again when ready. There is no waiting period or limit on how many times you can change. This flexibility means you can experiment, but it also means you should not treat a username change as permanent — you can always adjust it later if needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Only if no one else has claimed it. If you changed from @alice to @alice-new, and someone else when ready took @alice, you cannot change back to @alice. You would need to ask that person to release it, which they are unlikely to do. If you think you might want your old username back, change to a temporary one instead and reclaim the original later.

Does changing my username affect my posts or followers?

Your posts stay exactly as they are, and your followers stay with you. The only thing that breaks is old mentions and links using your previous username. Your follower count, post history, and everything else on your profile remains the same.

What characters can I use in my username?

Letters (a-z, A-Z), numbers (0-9), underscores (_), and hyphens (-) only. No spaces, emoji, or special characters like periods or commas. Mastodon will reject the change if you try to use anything else.

If I change my username, will people still be able to find me?

People who already follow you will still see your posts. People who search for your new username will find you. But people searching for your old username will not find you automatically — they would need to know your new name or visit your profile directly.

How long does a username change take to show up?

It is when ready. As soon as you click save, your new username appears across your server. There is no processing time or delay.