How to Change Your Instagram Name

Instagram has been around for a while now. Chances are, if you have an account, you created it when you were much younger. When you scroll through your photos, you see how much you’ve grown, but… now your username doesn’t feel right.

It’s too childish, too average, too something. Whatever it is, you’d like to change it because you have a better idea. Or you simply have different interests and lifestyle. Or you’ve started a business and you need your Instagram account to be part of your marketing strategy and it requires a name change.

Luckily, Instagram doesn’t ask you to explain your reasons. You can make this change whenever you want and as many times as you want.

If you’re wondering how, keep reading!

How to Make Changes on Your Instagram Profile

Making changes on your Instagram profile is pretty easy. Although your username is something your followers will remember you by, Instagram is one of the few platforms that let you change it. Other info on your profile is not set in stone either – you can also make changes to your display name, your bio, etc.

This can be a really good thing for all the people who use their Instagram profiles for business. You have a new blog, an article, or any link you’d like to share with your followers? You still haven’t reached 10,000 followers so you don’t have the swipe up option? No problem. Put the link in your bio and notify your followers about it in a story. You can do this every time you’ve got something new to share. Just replace the old link with the new one.

Let’s get back to the topic. How do you change the info on your profile?

First off, know that you can make this update on your phone, using your Instagram app, or on your computer, using a browser.

How to Change your Instagram Name in the App

Changing your name in the app doesn’t require more than a minute, given you already have a new name and it’s available. What you need to do is to:

1. Go to your profile. You can do this by tapping your profile photo in the bottom right corner of the screen.
2. Tap the Edit Profile option in the middle of the screen.
   Once you open the Edit Profile page, you can choose what information you want to change. Not only your username, but your display name, bio, e-mail address, phone number, or gender as well. Everything’s in one place. When you’re done, Save the changes you’ve made by tapping on the✔ mark in the top right corner of your screen.
   

How to Change Your Instagram Name from Your Computer

This doesn’t take any longer than doing it in the app. After opening your web browser, you should:

1. Go to Instagram.com and sign in to your account.
2. Click on the account icon. You’ll find it in the top right corner of the screen.
3. Click on the Edit profile option.
4. Enter the changes and just click on Submit when you’re done.
   

What Happens If the Name I Want Is Already Taken?

Instagram won’t let you change the name to one that’s already been taken. Unfortunately, you’ll have to think of a new one. But if you were really excited about the name, you could try some of these tricks before you officially give up on it.

1. Add a number! For example, if you wanted your username to be sunsetlover, but that one’s taken, try adding the day of your birthday. Something like sunsetlover11.
2. Add an adjective! A username such as landscapes may not be available, but what about breathtakinglandscapes?
3. Double a letter! If your name is Sarah, for example, Sarrah doesn’t look too bad, right? You can even triple it if the name is still unavailable.
4. Add a dot or an underscore! If sunsetlover11 still doesn’t work, try sunset.lover.11 or sunset_lover_11.

How Does Changing My Name Affect My Followers?

If we’re talking about your private Instagram profile, changing your name won’t do you any harm. Your friends and followers may get confused at first, but when they see your photos, they’ll realize it’s you. They’ll get used to your new name.

On the other hand, if you’re managing an Instagram profile for your own or someone else’s business, you may want to reconsider making this change. People associate brands with names – these form a part of the overall brand image and help your followers recognize you. What would happen if suddenly the folks at Coca-Cola decided to change the name of the drink? You’d be confused, for sure, and this decision may affect their business.

Can I Change My Name Back?

If you think you’ve made a mistake by changing your Instagram name, you can always change it back. Unless someone else created an account in the meantime and took your previous username, in which case you won’t be able to get it back again.

This is why you should think twice before you click or tap on Save. Shakespeare may not have known what’s in a name, but Instagram users sure do.