There are several factors that could prevent you from changing your Twitch username. You might have changed your Twitch username in the last 60 days, another user already has that unique username, or the new username contains forbidden words. If changing usernames doesn't work for you, there are different things you can try.
My younger brother joined Twitch a year or two after it was founded, and like most boys his age, he chose a rather juvenile Twitch username. When he tried to do a username change though, the name was greyed out and he couldn't, so he came to me. I use the Twitch app a lot, so I knew exactly what he needed to do.
If you're in need of a new username but can't change Twitch name, you'll be glad to know that there are several solutions to fix this problem. Let's get right into it.
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There are quite a few reasons why you might not be able to change Twitch username I've discussed these later on in the article. The good thing is that there are a lot of ways to fixes them.
If you've done a username change recently, checked to make sure you're not using a banned username, and also made sure someone else doesn't have the Twitch username you want, then the solutions below can be useful.
The first thing I recommend you do if you're having difficulty when you try to change username on Twitch, is to restart the browser.
Regardless of the browser, just close it and open it again. This can help in cases where it's just a minor software glitch causing the problem.
The Twitch app is a power-hungry one. While you might be able to access Twitch even if your network is less than optimal, you will likely run into issues when trying to do things on the website.
Being connected to a stable and fast internet connection, preferably WiFi, will give you the best experience when you use Twitch. After all, some users have mentioned how they are unable to change Twitch username when their network connection isn't the best.
When issues with your browser's cache and stored data affect how Twitch works, many users have reported that trying to change your Twitch username from Incognito mode does the trick.
How you open an Incognito window depends on your specific browser.
For Chrome, follow these steps:
In Mozilla Firefox, do the following:
Finally, in Microsoft Edge:
If you're loyal to a specific browser like Google Chrome and changing your Twitch username simply doesn't work, you might want to try out another browser.
In this case, I recommend using either Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Edge to change your username.
If this does work, you can go back to your favorite browser after changing your Twitch username.
If other browser-oriented fixes don't fix your Twitch issues, I recommend that you opt to clear browsing data in your browser. This includes your cache and cookies.
In Google Chrome:
In Mozilla Firefox:
Then, in Microsoft Edge:
If the fixes above don't help you change your username successfully, I recommend that you try to reset your router. This can really help if your network connection is the culprit behind you not being able to change your username normally.
Although some routers have specific ways to be reset, you can reset most of them by unplugging them from power, waiting about a minute, and then plugging them back in.
If a connection problem is truly what's behind your problems with changing your Twitch username, then there's one last fix that might help you out.
There's certain information related to how your computer is able to interact with the servers on the other end, and sometimes there can be problems when this data is cached.
Clearing what is known as the "DNS cache", which is where this data is stored, can help solve this problem.
If you follow these steps properly, you shouldn't have a problem flushing the DNS cache:
Once you see "Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache", you've carried this fix out successfully.
If all else fails, the last thing I can recommend is reaching out directly to Twitch support to ask why you cannot change your user name.
During attempts to change your Twitch username, you might realize that it isn't possible.
You might see that the space with your Twitch username is greyed out. For some people, pressing the edit icon to start a username change will just result in the page refreshing.
There are a few reasons why you might not be able to change your Twitch username and they're below.
If you've recently changed your Twitch username, you may find that you can't change it at the moment.
The reason for this is that Twitch only lets you change your Twitch username once every 60 days. As a result, you'll need to wait two months from your last username change before the option will be available to you again.
It goes without saying, but if you try to change your Twitch username to something that another Twitch user has already chosen, it simply won't work.
If you can, confirm that the display name you're trying to change to is still available.
When it comes to the usernames that Twitch users can pick, the platform has put a number of guidelines in place. This is to ensure that the Twitch community is a safe place for all Twitch users.
A Twitch username can be deemed to be inappropriate if it does any of the following:
These are some of the most common guidelines that you might break when you try to change your Twitch username. However, the full list can be found here.
In some cases, the problem can be with corrupted data in your cache, or a cache that's overloaded.
These can cause bugs in how certain elements on the Twitch website work, including when you try to change your Twitch username.
Besides issues related to your cache, glitches and software problems with your browser can also affect whether you are successful when you try to change Twitch username.
Before, these types of browser problems could be avoided by using the Twitch desktop app instead, but ever since it was discontinued, the web version is the only way to access the platform on a computer.
If you change your Twitch username to something new, you might wonder whether a new account can take up that same name after you, or whether other users can change their names to impersonate you.
The good thing is that Twitch has made sure that this isn't possible.
Even after you change your username to something new, the old one will be permanently inaccessible. This is great for safety reasons and prevents new users from acting like they're you.
If you want to change the username attached to your Twitch account, but it just doesn't work, check Twitch's rules around usernames. For example, choosing a unique username, not breaking guidelines, and waiting 60 days after you switch names.
However, besides these, you might run into issues with using a new name due to your browser. Using a new browser, clearing its cache, accessing the website from an incognito tab, and other methods can help you solve issues with changing your username.
