How to change your Instagram username without creating a new account
Users can change their username on the same account in a few steps, and Instagram gives a 14-day window to go back to the old one.
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In the digital age, the username of a social media account has become an identity for many people. Many influencers, creators and celebrities are known by their account usernames. Many of these usernames are creative and attractive, and seeing them makes others feel their own account should have a similar one.
Instagram users in particular often feel they should change their username, but many do not know how. Some believe they must create another account to get a new username. That is not so. Following a few simple steps, you can change the username of the same account.
First, understand that a username and a display name are different things. On Instagram, the username appears at the top of your profile page and is part of your Instagram profile URL. For this reason, a username must be unique. It can contain letters, numbers, periods and underscores. There is no such condition for a display name, which need not be unique.
Now the steps. First, open Instagram on your iPhone or Android phone and log in to the account whose username you want to change. Then tap your profile photo in the bottom right corner to open your profile. Tap the Edit Profile option below the bio, and then tap the username field.
Delete the old username here and enter the new one you want. Instagram will tell you whether the username you have entered is available. If it is not, you can choose another. Finally, save the change by tapping the checkmark in the top right corner.
Keep a few things in mind when choosing a username. Usernames on Instagram are completely unique. If another user has already saved your preferred username, Instagram will not let you use it. In that case, you can add a number, dot or underscore to the username, or use a shorter version of your name.
After you update your username, Instagram gives you a 14-day lock-in period. This means that if you change your mind within 14 days of saving the username, you can go back to the old one. After 14 days, your old username becomes public, meaning any other user can claim it. Your profile URL will also change immediately once the username is updated.
