Everyone has made an embarrassing username in their lifetime that they’ve ended up regretting. Whether you have an awkward username from 5 years ago or simply misspelled something, here’s how you can go back and change it on Twitch.
Previously, if you wanted a new username on Twitch, you’d have to create an entirely new account. Creating a new channel was a problem for multiple reasons—not only would streamers lose an entire list of followers and subscribers on their first channel, but all of their settings and preferences would also be lost.
Now, all you have to do is click through a few simple steps to alter your account name. This can be done once every 60 days.
Start by signing in to your Twitch account. From the Home page, click on your username in the top-right corner and then select the “Settings” option from the drop-down menu.
From the “Profile Settings” page, locate the change your “Username” and your “Display Name” text sections. This is also where you can change your Bio (the “About Me” section on your Twitch channel).
Your new username will go into effect immediately after you make changes to the Profile Settings section. Your live streaming followers and subscribers will see that your name changed on your Twitch channel.
Your display name capitalization can be customized freely, but it must be the same spelling as your username. Your Twitch display name will show up next to comments, and it will be displayed on your profile.
According to a Twitch blog post, once you’ve changed your username, the abandoned username will be held by the platform for a minimum of 6 months. After this, Twitch will return the username to the pool of available options for the community and new users to choose from, with the exception of Twitch Partner usernames that will only be recycled under special circumstances.
