Since the time of its inception, Twitter didn’t manage to get the spotlight the way Facebook did. Actually, most of us didn’t pay enough attention or couldn’t realize the immense potential of this specific medium. However, to compete with the rising trends, many surely had an account opened on Twitter. Only later did they realize its significance, when world leaders announced significant and historical changes via this social media platform. As the realization came for many of us, it became necessary to change the twitter handle. So, today, we are going to share a brief on How to change Twitter handle? Have a look to get the full scoop!
Before starting with the process, let’s focus on some of the terms and definitions. It is easy to confuse all the terms, which is why we think to clarify what means what. It is a means to ensure you are asking and expecting answers to the correct question of your choice. So, when you ask ‘How to change Twitter handle?’, you are asking for a change in your display name. Now, display name and username are 2 different elements of your twitter account and are also easy to confuse.
How are the username and the display name different?
Your twitter username is the unique ID that you use to log in and appears in the URL of your profile. It is also known as your unique twitter handle. For direct messages, tags, and replies to tweets, this is the ID that people refer to. Your display name, on the other hand, is the name that appears right below the unique URL or twitter handle. The easy method to distinguish between the username and the display name is, the former comes with the ‘@’ symbol. That is your twitter handle. And today, we are talking about how to change Twitter handle.
Why do you need to know how to change Twitter handle?
In the flurry of connecting to the world, the last decade saw an extensive proliferation of smartphones and social media. It is this global connectivity that has given rise to international solidarity in challenging times such as these. Humans survived the coronavirus, and are still giving it a tough fight, and one of the reasons for this is the rise of social media. The unflinching and relentless production of extremely creative content by all kinds of people made the virtual world our only connection to the world lying outside.
Wouldn’t we like to participate in this global celebration of life, in whichever means possible? But it would be really embarrassing for us if we had a strange twitter handle that we had paid little attention to while signing up.
However, there are a variety of reasons to consider due to which one needs to know the process of changing the Twitter handle. Many people change their twitter handles from time to time so that they aren’t much discoverable. Some people do it to maintain anonymity while others harp on changing Twitter handles so that their profiles get a professional appeal. The more authentic and professional your twitter handles are, the more engaging are the people around your tweets. And we understand how important it is to have your voice heard, especially in a global pandemic situation. So, why not add it to the pool of your knowledge and have this utility at your disposal whenever you need it! Therefore, without any more delay, let’s have a look at the detailed process of how to change Twitter handle.
How to change Twitter handle?
- The process is extremely simple, and the primary idea lies in the fact that you clearly distinguish between your Twitter username (handle) and your Twitter display name. Once that is done, half the process is already over.
- So, the first step involves opening a Twitter account. If you already own a Twitter account, you got to start by logging in.
- If you are operating the profile from your desktop, the left panel of the screen will have options such as ‘Home’, ‘Explore’, ‘Notifications’, etc. At the bottom of the list, you will find ‘More’. Click on it.
- From there, go to Settings and privacy. Go to the account.
- Under the title Privacy and safety, you will find the space to edit your Username. Change it and click on the ‘Save’ button.
Please keep in mind the username needs to be not more than 15 characters. Moreover, if another profile already uses the username you chose, the system will provide a username of its choice.
There are certain username restrictions that Twitter expects its patrons to follow. Please note that if you are searching for how to change Twitter handle from the app, the process is almost similar. All you got to do is tapping on the thumbnail of your profile picture. That will pop up the menu from the left, and you need to hit the option ‘More’. The rest of the process is the same for both the devices.
Twitter username guidelines
There is an extensive set of rules that Twitter has set for its patrons, and one needs to abide by them to prevent their accounts from being suspended. Here are some of the most important ones:
- You can’t use the words ‘admin’ or ‘twitter’ in the username of the twitter handle. This option is only available for those who have verified and official twitter accounts such as celebrities and politicians.
- No symbols, dashes, underscores, and spaces are allowed in the username. The twitter handle should only contain alphanumeric characters. By that, we mean only letters (A-Z) and numbers (0 – 9) are allowed.
- All usernames may not be available even if there are no such accounts by that handle. It means there used to be an account by that same handle and isn’t available for use.
Conclusion
So, I guess we have you covered with questions such as how to change Twitter handle. We promised the process would be easy, and so it is. The social media giant that speaks 140 characters every time is a wonderful space to talk about anything and everything. Their algorithm is vastly different from that of Facebook, as hashtags are the primary gamechanger here. Stay tuned for more such interesting tricks and turns.