On Instagram, your username is unique and will be your login ID. On the other hand, the Instagram name is a name that you can specify yourself, even if you have the same name. You can change your username and name, but be aware that each has different conditions and restrictions.
Your Instagram username is your login ID
On Instagram, there are two things associated with your name: your username and your name.
Below is a description of what a username is.
Username role
A user name, along with a phone number, email address, etc., is used for logging in, and can be called a login ID.
It is a string of half-width lowercase alphanumeric symbols displayed at the top of the profile icon when you open the Instagram profile screen.
A user name indicates an Instagram account and is different for each account, and an error will occur if you use the same username as an existing one.
Your username is used for tagging, search, and appears alongside your profile icon in stories and feed posts.
Unlike the username, the name is a name that can be specified by yourself.
Names are like nicknames used on Instagram, and it doesn’t matter how many people have the same name. It is used in the same way that there are many people with the same name in real life.
The characters that can be used in the user name were limited to half-width lowercase letters and numbers, but unlike the user name, the name can be used freely in Japanese.
how to change instagram username
You can change your Instagram username at any time. Below, the procedure for changing the username is explained separately for when using a smartphone and when setting from a PC.
Setting method from smartphone
Follow the steps below to change your username from your smartphone.
Open the Instagram top screen → select the profile icon → select edit profile → set the changed username in the username field → select save (checkmark icon)
How to set from PC
Here are the steps to change your username from your PC:
Open the Instagram top screen → select the profile icon → select edit profile → set the changed username in the username field → select send
Checkpoints when the username cannot be set
A username should be easy for anyone to remember and have a strong impact. But even if you come up with a new username, all your hard work will go to waste if you can’t save or change the edits made in your profile.
If you cannot change your username, we will explain the reasons and how to deal with it below.
Use of prohibited characters
The characters that can be used as a username are determined by Instagram, and an error will occur if you try to use characters outside this allowed range as a username.
The characters that can be used for the user name are half-width lowercase letters, half-width numbers, half-width periods (.), and half-width underscores (_). Other characters and symbols cannot be used.
In particular, please note that uppercase letters cannot be used even if they are half-width.
period at the end
A half-width period (.) was a character that could be used as a username. However, using a period as the last character in your username will result in an error.
Do not use periods at the end of your username, only use them as separators when connecting multiple words in your username.
If already registered with the same character string
The most common reason a username cannot be registered is if the string is already another user’s username.
Instagram is used by a large number of people, with over 1 billion monthly active users. And since the user name is also used as a login ID, it must be a unique character string that does not overlap with other users.
For this reason, it is necessary to come up with a user name that does not overlap with already registered strings.
Things to keep in mind when changing your Instagram username
You can easily change your Instagram username. However, before making any changes, it is important to check that the changes will not cause problems.
Below are two points to note when changing your username.
Invalid Profile URL
On Instagram, if you find an Instagram you are interested in by searching hashtags, you can check the profile from the profile URL first to see if you want to follow it. Also, you may paste your Instagram profile URL on other SNS to increase your Instagram followers.
The username is what is used to create this profile URL. If you change your username, you will not be able to use your profile URL before the change.
If you follow the URL of your profile and suddenly find yourself unable to find the destination, it will confuse people who have been following your Instagram.
When you change your username, you must also update your profile URL on other SNS with the new profile URL.
Possibility of registering/using the username before the change
If you update your username to a new one, it will be different from the old username you were using, so the old string will be available to everyone. In other words, other people can freely use it as a username.
In the case of a company username or a username that has been followed by a certain number of users, it is necessary to make sure that the old username is no longer used, as well as making the new username known.
This is because there is a risk that the old username will be misused for spoofing. Please be careful not to disturb your followers.
Tips to change Instagram username
If you want to increase the number of followers on Instagram, one way is to change it to something that has a strong impact or is easy to remember, as the username represents the account.
However, frequently changing usernames can be confusing and counterproductive. Here are some tips for changing to a long-lasting username.
Consideration to prevent followers from getting confused
Even if you change your username, the username for the content you have created so far will not change and will remain the same. Also, if a follower etc. is tagged using a username, the previous username will remain.
In this way, when changing the username, it is necessary to take care not to cause confusion between the previous username and multiple usernames.
If your content has been followed by many users, you should be careful about changing your username, and in some cases, choose not to change it.
Make your username easy to find
On Instagram, usernames are often used for searches. Although there are cases where the user name itself is searched directly, it is also known as tags. For this reason, it is necessary to attach a username with emphasis on searchability.
From the viewpoint of searchability, consider the following points.
- Not too long, short and easy to type
- Don’t use too many symbols
On smartphones, it is necessary to switch the keyboard for letters, numbers, and symbols, so it is also a point to consider not having to switch frequently.
By looking at the username, you can tell what genre the account belongs to
If you include words in your username that indicate the genre of this account, it will increase your chances of being seen.
On Instagram, we add hashtags related to articles so that they can be searched easily. In addition to adding hashtags related to the article, if you include words that can be associated with the genre in your username, it will make it easier to get hits in searches.
make a cool username
If your username is ugly and hard to read, it’s less likely that other people will follow you. Attract followers with a stylish username.
Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing a stylish username:
- Arrange alphanumeric characters in a well-balanced manner to create meaningful words.
- Seperate well with symbols to make it easier to read
- Make sure your username conveys your Instagram concept
how to change insta name
The following explains the procedure for changing the name on a smartphone and PC. Basically, you can think of it as almost the same as the procedure for changing your username.
From the app
Follow the steps below to change your name using the smartphone app.
Open the Instagram top screen → select the profile icon → select edit profile → enter the changed name in the name field → select save (checkmark icon)
From a PC
Here are the steps to change the name from your PC:
Open the Instagram top screen → select the profile icon → select edit profile → set the changed username in the name field → select send
Limit 2 name changes within 14 days
You can change your Instagram name freely, but there is a limit to how many times you can change it. Specifically, it is restricted so that no more than two changes can be made within 14 days.
If you try to change it more than 3 times, you will get an error message “You have changed your name twice in the last 14 days and you cannot change it again at this time.”
Please note that the DM display may be the name
Not all users of Instagram, but some users, it seems that the name is displayed in the DM list differently from the user name.
It seems that when you receive a DM, etc., when a balloon says “Now you can see people’s names in messages.”, it will switch to display by name. I don’t know exactly when it will switch and how to return it. If it starts appearing by name, it seems that you have no choice but to get used to the movement.
summary
On Instagram, you need to distinguish between two types of symbol strings: username and name. A username is the only thing in the Instagram world that identifies an account and serves as a login ID.
On the other hand, names are allowed to have the same name as real names. Unlike your username, you can use Chinese characters. As the saying goes, you can give your Instagram account a perfect name.
In this article, we have explained in detail what a username is. Use your username and name as a reference to increase your followers and enjoy Instagram.