Mastering the Art of Snapchat: The Ultimate Guide to Username Change

Yes, you can change your Snapchat username, once a year, directly in the app. Since early 2023 you no longer have to create a new account: Snapchat keeps your friends, Snap score, Streaks, Charms, and Memories when you change it. Go to your profile, tap Settings, then Username, and pick a new unclaimed handle.

Key takeaways

• You can change it in place: Snapchat added in-app username changes in 2023, with “no impact to their Snapchat friends, Snapchat scores, or Memories,” per Snap’s own newsroom.
• Once every 12 months: you can change your username once a year, counted 12 months to the day from your last change (Snapchat Support).
• Username and display name are different: the display name changes any time you like; the username, your @handle, is the once-a-year one.

How do you change your Snapchat username?

Snapchat confirmed in February 2023 that you can update your username “to any unclaimed handle once per year,” keeping your friends and conversations (Snap Newsroom, 2023). The process takes under a minute inside the app.

1. Open Snapchat and tap your profile icon or Bitmoji in the top-left corner.
2. Tap the Settings gear in the top-right of your profile.
3. Under My Account, tap Username, then Change Username.
4. Type a new username. It has to be unclaimed and can contain Latin letters, numbers, and one of a hyphen, underscore, or period.
5. Tap Next, enter your password, and tap Confirm.

The change saves immediately. Your old username is released and may be claimed by someone else, so you cannot assume you will get it back.

How often can you change your Snapchat username?

You can change your Snapchat username once every 12 months, measured to the day from your last change, according to Snapchat Support. There is no way to bypass this limit through settings, and Snapchat does not restore a username once you move away from it.

The display name is the opposite. You can edit it as often as you want, which is why it is the better tool if you just want to refresh how your name reads to friends without touching your @handle.

Does changing your username affect your friends or Snap score?

No. Snapchat states that changing your username has “no impact to their Snapchat friends, Snapchat scores, or Memories” (Snap Newsroom, 2023). This is the single biggest change from the old behaviour, when the only way to get a new handle was to start a fresh account and re-add everyone.

After you change it, your friends stay connected, your Snap score carries over, active Streaks continue, and your saved Memories remain in place. Friends simply see your new username the next time they view your profile or add you.

Username vs display name: what is the difference?

Your username is your permanent @handle used to log in and to add friends; your display name is the friendlier label shown in chats and Stories, and it can be different for everyone. The table below shows how the two compare.

If your goal is just a fresh look, change the display name. Save the once-a-year username change for when you genuinely want a different handle.

Can people see when you change your username?

Friends do not get an alert when you change your username, but the new handle becomes visible on your profile and in your friends’ contact lists. If someone saved older chats under your previous display name, that older name can still appear in those saved messages, which sometimes makes a change look only partly applied.

The same is true for display name changes: there is no notification, the update just shows up the next time a friend opens your profile or a new chat with you.

What this means in practice

Changing your Snapchat username is now a one-minute job that keeps everything intact, so the old advice to “make a new account” is out of date and worth ignoring. Decide carefully, because the 12-month limit and the fact that old handles can be claimed by others mean you only get one shot per year. If you manage accounts for a brand rather than yourself, treat the handle as part of your wider social media presence and keep it consistent across platforms.