These days, there is a lot more to TikTok growth than you can imagine. It was only a year or so ago that TikTok was a fun, creative way for teens to share skits and dance moves with their friends. These days, brands have cottoned on to the idea of using TikTok to expand their reach when it comes to their product or service, and they haven’t looked back since.
So, whether you are a brand that is building a presence on TikTok, or you are just there to check out new content every day, there will be a point in time where you aren’t happy with the original username that you chose.
Of course, no matter who you are, your interests and thoughts are going to change over time, which means that the username that you came up with a couple of years ago and thought was pretty clever, you might not think so much of now.
If this is the case, then you are probably considering changing your name to something that is a little bit more relatable to the present you.
Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about changing your username on TikTok.
Can You Change Your Username on TikTok
The good news is, TikTok does make it possible for you to change your username. While you might not think this is a big deal, it actually is. There are a lot of apps and websites out there that hardwire your username, which makes it really difficult if not impossible to change it.
It doesn’t matter what’s going on in your life, and how badly you need to change it, there are some websites out there that just flat out refuse to help you.
Why is Your Username Important?
One of the biggest reasons why your username is important is that it is part of your online security. This means that websites like TikTok don’t like to make it too easy for their users to change their username. They need to be able to verify that it’s you, and not somebody who is trying to gain access to your account.
The majority of the time, site administrators will use a username to keep their site in order, and to make sure that the content being shared is appropriate and doesn’t violate their terms and conditions. You probably find it annoying to have to log into your TikTok account lots, but this is a big part of why it’s secure and runs smoothly, so that you don’t have sensitive information stolen.
Another reason why your username is so important is that it is your identity online – it describes who you are as a person. It represents you online. Some people don’t care at all about their username, while others care a lot.
Some people deliberately go for usernames that are confusing and that require you to check their profile out a bit more, whereas others keep it nice and simple, so that you know what you’re getting from them from the beginning.
As far as we can see, the most followed TikTok accounts out there keep things pretty simple, and make sure that their name is clear, so that there’s no mistaking who they are. The majority of TikTok influencers out there include their name in their username, which is great because when they get verified, you know that they are the real one.
There will be plenty of copy accounts that will want to use that influencer’s name at some point, so being able to verify that you are who you claim to be is important.
Steps to Take to Change Your Username
TikTok makes it really easy to change your username if you have had enough of your current one. All you’ve got to do is follow the steps below, which we will go over one-by-one.
- Open up the TikTok app on your smartphone and log in with your existing username and password.
- Choose ‘me’ to go to your profile page. This will be at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Choose ‘edit profile’ button that you will find underneath your profile picture.
- Choose your existing username.
- Delete your current username, and then enter your new username into the space that you can see is clear.
- Select ‘save’.
Once you’ve done this, TikTok will check through their database of billions of existing usernames, and if they find that the username you’re wanting to use hasn’t been used by anyone else, it will let you save it.
However, if someone is already using that username, TikTok will send you a notification that you will see at the top of your ‘edit profile’ page, and you will have to choose another username.
At this point in the article, we think it’s a good time to tell you that TikTok has one major limitation when it comes to changing your username. You can only do it once every 30 days, so make sure that you don’t make a mistake, or think that you will want to change your mind within 30 days.
Otherwise, you will be stuck with that username for 30 days, and in the world of TikTok where everything is moving at lightning speed, this is a long time to be stuck with a name that you don’t like.
Tips for Finding a Good Username
As we talked a little bit about in the beginning, people take very different approaches when it comes to choosing a TikTok username. Some put a lot of time and effort into coming up with the perfect idea, while others literally take the first one that is suggested and stick to it for a long time.
One thing that we think you need to consider when choosing the right name for your TikTok profile is what other usernames you have on the rest of the social network out there. A lot of the time, if you’re trying to get big on TikTok, you are trying to get big on Instagram and Facebook as well.
If this is the case, then we highly recommend that you keep your usernames consistent across the board, so it’s really easy for more people to find you and follow you on multiple platforms.
This doesn’t mean that there aren’t people out there that have managed to do really well on their various social media platforms that don’t have variety when it comes to their usernames. It just means that if you make things consistent, this is going to increase your chances of resonating with the same target audience across everything.
If you are thinking of trying to be funny with your TikTok username, just remember that a lot of employers these days look at people’s social media profiles before they consider them for a job. They are not likely to be impressed if you have chosen a username that is either rude, inappropriate, or a joke.
If you don’t want to associate your TikTok profile with your brand at all, then you can focus on another area of your life that you want to share online. This could potentially relate to one of your hobbies, your interests, or even a pet that you love.
You could also think up a TikTok username that highlights a key part of your personality, or even appearance. Just try not to be self-deprecating.
As long as your TikTok username stays true to your image and personal values, then you will avoid landing on one that sets you back or embarrasses you at some point in the future.
Basic Rules for Your Username
As well as our rough guidelines when it comes to choosing your TikTok username, we believe there are a few rules you need to consider before you choose your label.
The majority of these are to do with security, and they aren’t just for TikTok, but for everywhere that you have a username online.
- Don’t use your email address as your username. This is for security reasons. Of course, you use your email address to log into some platforms, but this doesn’t mean that email addresses and usernames are the same. In fact, they are completely different, and using your email address as your username could to get you into a world of trouble, and result in your personal information being vulnerable to hackers.
- Try not to give away too much about yourself by using your full name, address, or phone number as your username. We think it’s okay to use the city or country that you live in, but try not to be any more specific than this.
- Of course, we highly recommend that you remain consistent when it comes to usernames across your various social media channels, but don’t reuse a clearly unique name everywhere.
- Don’t use a username that relates directly to your password, because it’s not going to be hard for hackers to put two and two together and get past basic security measures on platforms like TikTok.
- Try not to use a username that has nothing to do with the situation. Remember, TikTok caters to a young audience, so you have to really think about what you include in your username.
Use a Username Generator
Sometimes, no matter how creative you’re feeling in the moment, you simply can’t come up with a username idea that you think is going to resonate well with your personality and connect your TikTok profile with your target audience.
Or, you might have entered all of the usernames that you wanted to use, but discovered that they are already taken. If you aren’t that bothered about what your username is going to be, then you could always try a username generator to come up with a randomly generated username.
Remember, you can change your username on TikTok every 30 days, so if you don’t like what the username generator has chosen for you, you can always change it. There are a number of sites online that will help you generate a username.
Just remember that while they will give you an original, unique username, it’s probably not going to be worth using for your brand. You might even just want to use the username that they have generated as a quick fix while you think of the perfect username for your brand in the first 30 days before you can change it again.
How to Edit Your TikTok Profile
If you have decided that it’s time to change your username on TikTok, then you might want to change other areas of your TikTok profile. You can edit your profile details by going to the main section again on TikTok’s main screen. Select the ‘edit profile’ button, which will take you to a screen where you can change the majority of your profile details.
If you’re changing your username, you might also want to think about changing your name and bio and connecting your TikTok with your Instagram and YouTube accounts.
If you’ve got your brand on TikTok, then it makes sense to keep everything consistent across the board, and we’re not just talking about your username. Try to keep the overall look, bio, and basic color schemes of your TikTok profile consistent with other social media networks that you’ve got.
Final Thoughts
So, there you have it; everything you need to know about changing your username on TikTok. Remember, there are some things that you shouldn’t use in your username for security purposes, and there are also some things you shouldn’t use if you want to be taken seriously and grow your brand successfully.
Good luck and remember that you can only change your username every 30 days, so make sure to find one that is well suited to the message that you are trying to get across to your target audience on TikTok.
