How to change your YouTube name

Feel like the YouTube name you made up when you first started is holding you back from hitting that next subscriber milestone? Want to reinvent yourself without starting a new channel? You’ve come to the right place. This guide won’t help you make a living online, but it might give your channel the makeover it needs by teaching you how to change your YouTube name in just a few quick steps.

It should be pointed out before you read on, that this guide is focused exclusively on changing the name on your channel — that is, the name that appears when people visit your channel’s main page. If you want to change its URL you can create a custom one if you’re eligible, or delete it and create a new one, but you can’t change an existing custom URL.

Read Also: How Do I Change Channel Name and Username on Youtube

Also, bear in mind that although you can change your name a couple of times in quick succession if you want to try out a few options, Google won’t let you keep doing so forever, so make sure to give it some thought before going through the process.

Changing your YouTube name on YouTube

Step 1: Sign in to your YouTube account. To do so, click the “Sign In” button in the top right of the YouTube homepage and input your relevant information.

Step 2: Click your thumbnail in the top right-hand corner and select “Settings” to take you to your channel overview.

Step 3: Due to their (increasingly limited) integration, changing your YouTube name means changing it on Google+ too. To do so, on your account overview page, click the “Edit on Google” link.

Step 4: That will take you through to your Google+ profile page. Using the on-screen boxes, change your “First” name and “Surname” to what you want your channel to be called. Alternatively, if you’d like to keep your name intact, you can add a “Nickname,” as well as use a combination of it and your original name.

Read Also: How to Get a Verified Badge on Your YouTube Account

To choose the configuration, click the drop down arrows next to “Display my name as” for a few different options. When you’ve made your choice, click the “Ok” button to finish.

And that’s it! From there all of your associated Google accounts will use your new name as their name and that means your YouTube channel too.

Changing your YouTube name on your Google account

The alternative method for changing your name is to do it through your Google account page. Most other settings for the various Google services you’re signed up to can be tweaked there and name changing is no exception. However, you cannot add a nickname there, so use the above method if you want that additional feature.

Step 1: Navigate to the Google account homepage and sign in using the blue button in the top right-hand corner.

Step 2: Click on “Personal info and privacy.”

Step 3: Scroll down to the “Personal info” section and click on your “Name” on the right-hand side.


Step 4: Click your account name, type in a new first and last name and click “Done.” Your name is now changed on all Google services.