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How to Change Your Reddit Username (and What to Do Instead)
You can’t change your Reddit username once it’s set. Reddit’s own help page says so, and that includes capitalization.
If you plan to start over with a new account, our username generator can suggest Reddit username ideas. It doesn’t check whether names are free on Reddit, so treat the list as a starting point.
Quick Answer
Reddit’s help page says that once a username is finalized, it can’t be changed in any way, including its capitalization. You can change your display name in your profile settings, but that is a separate label from your u/ name. If you want a different username, Reddit says you can create a new account and keep both. Deleting the old account won’t free its name.
Can You Change Your Reddit Username on Phone or Computer?
Reddit’s help page on changing your username is clear: “No, once a username is finalized, it can’t be changed in any way, including its capitalization.” When we checked the page on October 27, 2026, it listed no exceptions.
The page gives no separate rule for the iPhone or Android app, Reddit on a computer, or accounts made with Google or Apple. For Google or Apple accounts, Reddit’s sign-up page repeats the point: “This username cannot be changed.”
The rule covers small fixes, too. Correcting a typo or switching from lowercase to capitals still counts as a change, so it isn’t allowed either.
Username vs Display Name: What You Can and Can’t Change
A Reddit account has two names, and people often mix them up.
| Username (u/name) | Display name | |
|---|---|---|
| Can you change it? | No, not once it’s finalized | Yes |
| Where to change it | Nowhere once it’s finalized. Reddit’s help lists no way to change it | Settings, then Profile (web), or your profile page, then Edit (app) |
| If you want a different one | Make a new account | Edit it in your profile settings |
Your Username (u/name)
Your username is your u/ name, and it’s the part that’s fixed. To see it in the Reddit app, Reddit’s help says to tap your avatar icon while you’re logged in.
Your Display Name
Your display name is a separate name you can set on your profile, and you can change it. Reddit’s profile settings help says you can “change your display name” there, along with your bio, avatar, banner and social links. To find these settings:
- On the web: open your Settings, then the Profile section.
- In the mobile app: go to your profile page and select Edit.
Because Reddit says a username can’t be changed in any way, your u/ name stays the same whatever display name you choose. What others see depends on your profile settings. Reddit’s menus also change, so the steps above may look different.
I Signed Up With Google or Apple and Got a Random Name
Many people who ask about this say they signed up with Google or Apple and were never asked to pick a name. They ended up with a u/ name that looks random.
Some guides and Reddit comments say accounts like these get a short window to change a generated name. We couldn’t confirm that on Reddit’s own help pages, and the “Can I change my username?” page mentions no exception of any kind. The time windows people quote differ from one comment to the next, and none comes with a source. So we won’t give you a number of days.
Reddit’s sign-up help says that with Google or Apple, you can “choose a username or cycle through the available options.” It adds: “This username cannot be changed.” So the sign-up page and the “Can I change my username?” page agree: neither mentions a window to change it later.
If you never saw that step, Reddit’s help pages don’t describe any other way to change the name. The options below apply to you.
What to Do If You Want a Different Username
Create a New Account
Reddit’s help page says that if you’d like a new username, “you’re more than welcome to create a new one and keep both your accounts.” It adds that you “can create as many accounts as you’d like.” You don’t need to delete the old account first.
Choose the new username carefully, since it can’t be changed either.
Lose track of the old account later? Reddit’s username recovery help says the reset password button in its email leads to “a list of some usernames associated with your email address.” This only works if you added an email address to the account. Our separate guide covers other ways to find your Reddit username, along with your usernames on other apps.
Does Deleting Your Account Free the Name?
No. Reddit’s help page says: “if you delete your account, your username will not become available again and will be unusable.” So there’s no point deleting the old account to get its name back.
Move Over by Hand
This is our own suggestion for switching to a new account, not a Reddit feature:
- Write down the communities you’ve joined, then join them again from the new account.
- Save links to any posts or comments you want to find later.
- Update any Reddit link on your other profiles or your website so it points to the new account.
We found no official way to move karma or post history to a new account.
How to Pick a New Reddit Username Before You Start
- Get ideas. In our username generator, set Platform to Reddit and enter a word or two you like to see a list of name ideas.
- See where else the name is used. Run your favorites through our username search to see which of 1,000+ sites already have an account with that name. This helps you pick a name that can match your other accounts. It can’t check Reddit directly, so only Reddit can tell you whether the name is free there. On other sites, “Available” means our check found no account, not that the site will let you register it.
- Claim it on Reddit. Reddit has the final say when you create the account, so have a second choice ready.
In our test on October 27, 2026, we set Platform to Reddit and entered nightowl_dev. The generator listed name ideas with no Available or Taken badges, under the note “Reddit doesn’t let us check names from here.”
Our username generator with Platform set to Reddit. It suggests names but doesn’t check whether they’re free on Reddit.
A few tips for the name itself:
- Leave out your real name, birthday, city or anything else that points to you.
- Keep it easy to read and spell, so people can mention you without getting it wrong.
- Pick something you’ll still be happy with in a few years.
Changing Your Username for Privacy Reasons
If you want an old username gone because it points to you, a display name won’t fix it. It’s a separate label from your u/ name.
Reddit’s help suggests a new account for a new username, and that works for privacy too. The old account keeps its u/ name, though. Ideally, give the new account a name that has nothing to do with you.
If you keep the old account, two points from Reddit’s profile settings help are worth knowing:
- Hiding posts and comments on your profile doesn’t remove them. Reddit says they “are still available in the original community where they were made, as well as in search results both on and off the platform.”
- Posting, commenting and similar actions in a community give “that mod team … access to your full profile content history for 28 days after the interaction, regardless of your settings.”
Use This Responsibly
This guide is about your own account. If you use a username search to check a name, remember that a match on another site isn’t proof it belongs to the same person. Viewing public profiles is generally legal in the US, but stalking and harassment are not. Respect other people’s privacy settings, and never create fake accounts to see profiles that are private.
FAQ
Why can’t I change my Reddit username?
Reddit’s help page states the rule: once a username is finalized, it can’t be changed in any way. The display name is the part you can edit.
Why is my Reddit username random?
Many people with a random name say they signed up with Google or Apple and were never asked to choose one. The Google or Apple section above covers what you can do.
Is there a way to keep my karma?
We found no official way to move karma, posts or subscriptions from one Reddit account to another. Since Reddit lets you keep both accounts, you don’t have to delete the old one when you start fresh.
Can I have more than one Reddit account?
Yes. Reddit’s help page says you can create as many accounts as you’d like.
How do I find my Reddit username?
In the Reddit app, tap your avatar icon while you’re logged in. If you can’t log in, Reddit’s username recovery help (linked above) explains how to get a list of some usernames tied to your email.
