How to change your Minecraft username easily

A username can be an instant way to recognize another Minecraft player. In a multiplayer world, it helps to know who is who and it becomes even more useful when players are close enough together to see the gamertags on-screen.

Having a notable or recognizable username can really help things, but sometimes players have usernames that haven't changed which becomes a bother. There are a few ways of changing that, whether it's to simplify the username and make it more recognizable, or just to have a much better, cooler nickname.

Here's how players can do that.

okay so i was texting my friend cause i wanted to change my minecraft username so all of the sudden tuxedo came into my head and i was like “omg! i like that” but it wasn’t available so i used that big brain of mine and was like hmm what else could i do and then (1/2)

— tux!¡™ (@tuxign) July 12, 2021

Changing username in Minecraft

In Java edition, changing a Minecraft username is fairly simple. The official MInecraft helpline says "Users who have a Mojang or Microsoft account can change their username for free at www.minecraft.net/en-us/profile."

This website allows players to change their usernames for free. However, it's important to remember there are some stipulations to be met.

• Must have between 3-16 characters
• No spaces are allowed between characters
• Accepted characters include: A-Z (upper and lower case), 0-9
• The only special character accepted is _ (underscore)

Java edition. Image via Business Insider

As for Bedrock players, it gets pretty tricky. Depending on the console or system players are using, there are different ways to change a username.

For players on a Nintendo Switch, simply changing their Switch profile name in the settings will alter how the players show up. Going to profile settings and editing the name is an easy change.

sometimes i just think "huh that would be a good minecraft username" and i change my minecraft username and then continue to not play it until like 4 months later where im like "huh i should change my username to this"

— RedFox ♥ (@SlimeRancher0) July 9, 2021

For other systems like Xbox or mobile, it refers back to their Microsoft account gamertag, which is used to log in on mobile and Xbox consoles. This can be changed once for free (most people change it from the randomly generated name at the inception of the account) and then it will cost players $10 USD to change it again.

Picking a good name the first time is paramount. For PlayStation users, simply changing their PSN ID (which is free) will change the Minecraft name that shows up when they are playing.

Microsoft. Image via CNET

For more Minecraft content, subscribe to our YouTube channel.