Can’t Change Your TikTok Username or Profile? The 30-Day Rule, Limits and How to Change It

Does this match what you see?

• The Username field won’t let you save.
• TikTok says you can’t change your username yet.
• The name you want is unavailable.
• Your profile link changed.

iPhone & iPadAndroidComputer (browser)

Based on TikTok’s “Changing your username” and “Unable to change username” pages (supplied by the site owner). Steps are for the TikTok app.

Why this happens: the possible causes

The reasons TikTok gives for a username change not going through.

• You changed it in the last 30 daysCheck this first

  TikTok says your username can be changed once every 30 days.

• The name breaks the character rulesCheck this first

  TikTok says usernames must be 2 to 24 characters, using only letters, numbers, underscores and periods, and can’t end with a period.

• The name is unavailableCheck this first

  TikTok says it may already be taken, or claimed by a suspended or deactivated account.

• You’re blocked from updating your profileLess likely

  TikTok says your username can’t be changed if you’re blocked from updating your profile.

How to fix it, step by step

Work through these in order. They start with the quickest, safest checks and only move to steps that sign you out or remove data later.

TikTok’s username rules

• You can change it once every 30 days.
• It must be 2 to 24 characters.
• Use only letters, numbers, underscores and periods. A period can’t be at the end.
• You can’t change it if you’re blocked from updating your profile. See TikTok account banned or under review if you have a restriction.
• TikTok says if you give up a username, you won’t be able to add it to an account for a short period.

Why a username is unavailable

TikTok says a username can be unavailable because it’s already taken, or claimed by a suspended or deactivated account, which may not be available immediately. Our tip: try a variation with an underscore, a period in the middle, or a number.

Want a username another account has? TikTok says in most cases it can’t reassign a username, and suggests a variation with numbers, underscores or an abbreviation. If a username infringes your trademark or other intellectual property, see TikTok’s Intellectual Property Policy. TikTok says it doesn’t make an account’s inactivity public.

Your username turned into random numbers? TikTok says if an account isn’t used to access TikTok for 180 days or more, its username may be reset to a randomized numeric username. It may also be reset after a valid request, such as a trademark notice. Our note: you can try to change it again using the usual steps.

Verified account? TikTok says to contact it if you’d like to change the username on a verified account.

No option to add a link to your profile?

TikTok says you can add a website link to your profile if you have at least 1,000 followers, or a Verified Business Account. If you’re eligible: Profile > Edit profile > next to Links, tap Add.

• TikTok says it no longer supports links that open or log you into other social media apps. Links to those platforms’ websites still work.
• TikTok limits how people can browse chains of external links in its in-app browser, so visitors may be asked to open the page in their phone’s browser. TikTok recommends adding direct links.
• Report a suspicious link: tap the link on the profile > More options … > Report. TikTok says to check a site is legitimate before entering any personal information.

Username vs nickname, and how to change your nickname

TikTok says your username is your @tag: it’s shown on your profile, makes up your profile link, and is what others use to tag or find you. Your nickname is the name that appears to others across TikTok.

Change your nickname: tap Profile > Edit profile > Name, enter up to 30 characters and tap Save. TikTok says nicknames appear across TikTok, for example in the For You feed, comments and direct messages, must follow its Community Guidelines, and can only be changed once every 7 days.

How to know it worked

• Your profile shows the new @username, and your profile link uses it.

Still not working? Your next steps

1. Our advice: wait until 30 days have passed since your last change.
2. Still stuck? Report it: Profile > Menu ☰ > Settings and privacy > Help Center > Chat with us (how).

Frequently asked questions