Username limits depend on the platform. X allows up to 15 characters, Snapchat 3 to 15, TikTok 2 to 24, Twitch 4 to 25, YouTube handles 3 to 30 and Discord 2 to 32. Most accept only plain letters, numbers and a symbol or two, such as underscores or periods, and none lists fancy-font letters as allowed.
A username, or handle, is the unique name in your profile link. Your display name is the label shown next to it, and it follows separate rules. The table covers 14 platforms, using each platform's own help center or developer docs as checked in September 2026. The one unofficial figure is labeled, and where a platform publishes no number, the table says so.
Username rules by platform
| Platform | Length | Allowed characters | Changing it | Fancy letters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not published (30 is widely cited) | Not fully published (periods, numbers, underscores mentioned) | Allowed; changes on big accounts may be reviewed | Not stated | |
| TikTok | 2–24 | Letters, numbers, underscores, periods (no period at the end) | Once every 30 days | Not stated |
| YouTube handle | 3–30 (Han/Hangul 1–10; Ethiopic, Hiragana, Katakana 2–20) | Letters or numbers from 75 supported languages, plus _ - . · (not at the start or end) | Twice in 14 days | Not stated |
| X | More than 4, up to 15 | A–Z, 0–9, underscores | Allowed; no limit published | No |
| At least 5; no maximum published | A–Z, 0–9, periods | Allowed; no limit published | No | |
| Threads | Not published | Not published | Allowed, on Threads or in Accounts Center | Not stated |
| Snapchat | 3–15 | Latin letters, numbers and one of - _ .; must start with a letter and end with a letter or number | Once a year | No |
| 3–30 | Letters, or letters with numbers and underscores; not numbers only | Allowed; no limit published | Not stated | |
| LinkedIn custom URL | 3–100 | No spaces, symbols, special characters or the word "LinkedIn" | Up to 5 times in 6 months | No |
| Not published | Not published | No, once finalized (not even capitalization) | Not stated | |
| Discord | 2–32 | a–z, 0–9, underscores, periods (no two periods in a row) | Up to twice a week | No |
| Twitch | 4–25 | Not published | Once every 60 days | Not stated |
| Telegram | 5–32 | a–z, 0–9, underscores | Allowed; no limit published | No |
| Bluesky | Up to 253 in total; 1–63 per dot-separated part | ASCII letters, digits, hyphens | Allowed; no limit published | No |
"No" means the platform limits usernames to plain a–z or ASCII characters, or rules out special characters. "Not stated" means its rules don't mention styled letters.
Notes on specific platforms
- Instagram doesn't state a maximum in its help center. Third-party guides such as Hootsuite's give 30, so treat it as a working figure, not an official one.
- X says a username must be "more than 4 characters," though another X help page implies 4 is the floor, so plan on 5 or more. Once you change it, your old username is immediately open to anyone.
- YouTube calls the username a handle, separate from your channel name. After a change, it holds your old handle for 14 days, and both links work meanwhile.
- Facebook ignores periods and capital letters when comparing usernames, so john.smith55 and johnsmith55 count as the same name. Your username also applies to Messenger.
- Threads usernames can differ from Instagram ones, but Instagram's help center says a mismatch switches off features such as the Threads badge and sharing Instagram or Facebook posts to Threads.
- Bluesky handles are domain names, such as yourname.com, under the AT Protocol spec. For names ending in a service domain like .bsky.social, Bluesky's open-source server software allows 3 to 18 characters before the suffix.
- Telegram usernames are optional, and the 5–32 range comes from Telegram's API docs.
Username vs display name: where fancy fonts can go
Your username is an ID: unique, part of a web address and typed by people looking for you. Your display name is a label, and the only profile name where styled text stands a chance. Here's what platforms publish about it:
| Platform | Name field | Published rules |
|---|---|---|
| X | Name | Up to 50 characters; change any time |
| TikTok | Name (nickname) | Up to 30 characters; change once every 7 days |
| YouTube | Channel name | Change twice in 14 days; a change removes the verification badge |
| Snapchat | Display Name | 30 characters or fewer, including spaces; emoji and most special characters allowed; change any time |
| Discord | Display name | 1–32 characters; special characters, emoji and non-Latin letters allowed; change any time |
| Bluesky | Display name | Up to 64 graphemes (characters as you see them) |
| Name | Your everyday name; no symbols, numbers, unusual capitalization or characters from multiple languages; one change per 60 days | |
| First and last name | Your real or preferred professional name; no special characters that don't reflect it | |
| Twitch | Display name | Your username with different capitalization; with the site set to Arabic, Chinese, Japanese or Korean, you can add a localized name |
Instagram, Threads, Pinterest, Reddit and Telegram let you edit your name but don't publish character rules for it.
Discord and Snapchat explicitly accept special characters in display names; Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitch rule them out. Even where styling is allowed, it has costs: screen readers may read styled letters one at a time or skip them, a search for your plain name may not match the styled one, and rarer styles can show as empty boxes on older devices. Keep your name readable and style one word at most.
