Many Snapchat users find themselves wanting to change their username at some point. Your Snapchat username is the name that friends see in their friend list and the name that appears next to your Snapcode. But unlike many other social media platforms, Snapchat doesn’t allow you to change your username yourself in the app settings. So is there a way to change your Snapchat username? Can you contact Snapchat to request a username change?
Why You Might Want to Change Your Snapchat Username
There are a few common reasons why Snapchat users might want to change their username:
- You don’t like your current username anymore – You chose your original Snapchat username when you were younger and it no longer reflects who you are or how you want to portray yourself.
- Your username is embarrassing – Your username contains an inside joke, a reference you no longer understand, or is just simply embarrassing to you now.
- You want to change brands/businesses – If you created your Snapchat for a business or brand, and the name has changed, you probably want your Snapchat username to match.
- You’re trying to avoid someone – You may want to change your username so a certain person can’t find you on Snapchat anymore.
- It’s too similar to a friend’s username – To avoid confusion between friends’ accounts, you may want to change your username if it is too similar to a friend’s.
Having the ability to change your username gives you more control over how you’re portrayed on Snapchat and who can find and identify you. But Snapchat has purposefully not provided an option to change usernames within the app.
Can You Change Your Snapchat Username?
The short answer is no, Snapchat does not allow users to change their own username in the app or online. Unlike other platforms like Instagram and Facebook, Snapchat does not have a setting that lets you change your username at any time.
When you first created your Snapchat account, one of the steps was to create your unique username. Snapchat emphasizes that you should choose your username wisely because it cannot be changed in the future.
Some key points about Snapchat usernames:
- Usernames must be unique – No two Snapchat users can have the same username.
- Usernames have a minimum length of 3 characters.
- Usernames can only contain letters, numbers, and underscores.
- Once you create your username, you’re unable to change it yourself in the app or online.
So while you choose your own username during sign up, Snapchat does not provide any self-service options to alter your username after the initial account setup.
Can You Contact Snapchat Support to Change Your Username?
Since there is no user-facing option to change your Snapchat username within the app, the only option is to directly contact Snapchat’s Support team to request a username change.
However, Snapchat does not make any guarantees that Support will be able to change your username. According to their support site:
“We do not offer the option to change your username, because usernames are unique identifiers that help make Snapchat feel intimate and unique to the Snapchat community. For privacy and security reasons, we take great care in making sure our community’s Snapchat usernames remain one-of-a-kind.”
But while rare, some users have reported success getting Snapchat Support to change their usernames after contacting them through their support form and providing verification that they own the account.
Here are some tips for contacting Snapchat Support to request a username change:
- Visit Snapchat’s support website and fill out the contact form, selecting “My Username” as the topic.
- Clearly explain your reason for wanting a username change in the message to Support.
- Provide details to verify the account ownership like your email address on the account.
- Be patient as it may take 1-2 weeks to get a response from Snapchat.
While not guaranteed, if you have a compelling reason that you explain well to Support in your request, they may make an exception and change your username. But know that they will likely only allow a one-time exception, not multiple username changes.
What to Know About Contacting Snapchat Support
Before reaching out to Snapchat Support asking for a username change, there are a few things you should know:
- There is no guarantee your request will be granted – Snapchat is clear they do not usually allow username changes.
- Provide a strong case for why your username needs to be changed in your request.
- You may only get one exception – Snapchat probably won’t grant multiple username change requests.
- The process takes patience – It can take 1-2 weeks to get a response on your request.
- Your friends will need to search your new username – Changing your username doesn’t automatically notify your friends.
Snapchat wants to maintain the uniqueness of usernames within their platform, so granting username changes is not something they do lightly. But in some cases, they may make an exception if you provide a reasonable explanation for your request.
Should You Create a New Snapchat Account Instead?
If contacting Snapchat Support to request a username change doesn’t work, the only other option to change your username is to create an entirely new Snapchat account.
Here are some pros and cons of making a new Snapchat account to get a different username:
Pros:
- You can create any new username you want.
- It’s a sure way to reset your identity and get a fresh start.
- You can abandon an account with an embarrassing or outdated username.
Cons:
- You’ll lose your Snapstreaks and memories from your old account.
- You have to find and add friends again.
- You lose any Snapchat Trophies you earned.
- You’ll be starting from 0 Snap Score.
Making a new Snapchat can be a lot of work having to find and add all your friends again and starting your Snapstreaks over. But for some, it’s worth it to completely reset their username and account history.
Tips for Choosing Your New Snapchat Username
If you’ve decided to try and create a new Snapchat account to change your username, here are some tips for choosing your new username:
- Pick a username that reflects your name or brand if it’s for business.
- Avoid using generic names like “JohnS” that are likely taken.
- Don’t pick something you may want to change again later.
- Consider adding your birth year, middle initial, or interests.
- Use a unique combination of letters and numbers.
- Make sure it’s not too similar to a friend’s username.
- Try to keep it under 15 characters.
Brainstorm username ideas that communicate who you are while also being distinctive within Snapchat. And once you’ve chosen it, double check that the username isn’t already taken by another user before creating your new account.
Conclusion
Snapchat makes it intentionally difficult for users to change their usernames within their platform. Unlike other social networks, Snapchat does not offer any self-service way to alter your username after signup.
While you can request your username to be changed by contacting Snapchat Support, success is not guaranteed. Snapchat wants to maintain the uniqueness of each username.
If your username request gets denied or you don’t want to wait on their response, the only sure way to change your username is creating an entirely new Snapchat account. But this requires you to add all your friends again and rebuild your Snap Score and memories.
Overall, it is important to choose your original Snapchat username wisely during signup. But if your username no longer represents you well, try reaching out to their Support team explaining your reasons for wanting to change it. Just know there is never a guarantee that Snapchat will allow you to alter your unique username.