How to Change Your Discord Username (Unique Name vs. Display Name)

Quick answer

User Settings (gear icon) → My Account → Edit. Change your Username (your unique @handle) or your Display Name (the name shown in chats), then save. Usernames must be lowercase and use only letters, numbers, underscores, and periods. Display names are flexible and can hold spaces, capitals, and fancy fonts.

Username vs. display name: know which one you're changing

Discord replaced the old Name#1234 discriminator system with two separate fields, and they behave very differently:

Username (@handle): your unique identity used to add and find you. It must be unique across all of Discord, is shown in lowercase, and is limited to letters, numbers, underscores, and periods. No spaces, no capitals, no symbols, no fancy fonts.
Display name: the friendly name shown at the top of your profile and in chats. It can include spaces, capital letters, emoji, and Unicode styling. It does not have to be unique, so two people can share the same display name.

If you want a stylish name, you almost always want to change the display name, not the username.

Step-by-step: change your Discord username

Desktop and browser

Click the gear icon (User Settings) near your name, bottom-left.
Open My Account.
Click Edit next to your name.
To change your @handle, edit the Username field using lowercase letters, numbers, underscores, or periods.
To change the name people see, edit the Display Name field instead.
Enter your password if prompted, then click Save.

iOS and Android

Tap your profile icon (bottom-right).
Tap Account (or My Account).
Tap Username or Display Name.
Enter the new name and tap Save.

Why Discord won't let you change your username

If the change is rejected, it is almost always one of these:

Already taken: usernames are unique, so a popular handle may be unavailable even if you never see that account.
Invalid format: usernames are lowercase only and limited to letters, numbers, underscores, and periods. Spaces, capitals, symbols, and fancy fonts are rejected here.
Change limit: Discord allows up to two username changes per hour. Wait for the cooldown, then try again.

A handle that shows no obvious profile is not guaranteed to be claimable.

Using fancy fonts in your Discord name

Fancy fonts are real Unicode characters, so where they work depends entirely on which field accepts styled characters:

Display name: works. Paste 𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗱, 𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘤, or aesthetic styles straight in.
Server nickname: works. Right-click your name in a server, choose Edit Server Profile, and paste your styled nickname there.
Username (@handle): does not work. It is restricted to plain lowercase text.

So the trick is simple: keep a clean, findable username, and put the fancy font in your display name or server nickname. For more on which characters survive, see Why won't Discord accept my fancy username?

Style your Discord display name

Type your name, pick a font, and copy the styled version to paste into your display name or nickname.

Make a fancy Discord name →

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you change your Discord username?

Open User Settings (gear icon), go to My Account, and click Edit next to your name. Change your unique username under Username, or change the name shown in chats under Display Name, then save. Usernames must be lowercase and can use letters, numbers, underscores, and periods.

What is the difference between a Discord username and display name?

Your username is your unique @handle used to add and find you, and it must be unique across Discord. Your display name is the friendly name shown in chats and can contain spaces, capital letters, and styled characters. Two people can share the same display name.

Why won't Discord let me change my username?

Common blocks are that the handle is already taken, it breaks the format rules (usernames are lowercase and limited to letters, numbers, underscores, and periods), or you have hit the change limit of two username changes per hour.

Can you use fancy fonts in your Discord name?

You can use Unicode fancy fonts and symbols in your display name and server nickname, because those fields accept a wide range of characters. Your unique username cannot use fancy fonts, since it is restricted to lowercase letters, numbers, underscores, and periods.