Changing the Reddit username of an old account can be fool’s gold. However, if you’re hyper-aware of Reddit’s provisions regarding usernames and their concreteness before your account is 30-days old, you can, indeed, change your username if you jump on it while this window is still alive.
Even then, like all things tech, there are additional caveats that go into making sure you can change your Reddit username either at the point of account creation or later.
This article will guide you through all the conditions and restrictions that prohibit you from changing your Reddit username and how you can bypass them in the way Reddit allows you to do, in a time-sensitive way.
Can I change my Reddit username?
Yes and No. According to Reddit, you can change your username only if your account was created using an Apple ID or a Gmail account. Upon creation, Reddit will automatically assign you a stock username and give you an option to change this username right away.
However, this option is time-sensitive and users will need to use it before the 30-day window that starts as soon as you’re account is created, expires.
Once the 30-day window is expired, you will not be allowed to make any further changes to your username. In fact, even during the 30-day window, you can only change your username once.
Related: How to unhide posts on Reddit and what happens when you do it?
Why you can’t change your Reddit username after 30 days?
The main conundrum for Reddit in allowing users to change usernames is the massive amount of database fields it would have to update. The comments, submissions, and posts, interacted with or created by you would need to be updated with the new usernames. Not only you but Reddit would have to do the same for millions of accounts.
While other social media platforms are equipped for that, Reddit is not. This is because Reddit uses the NoSQL database for data storage.
NOTE: NoSQL is a database platform that provides both a structure for storing data into tables and suitable methods for retrieving the same data. JOIN clauses are queries that can be used to combine and link two or more tables using common entries. Usernames can be one of these common entries.
Now, since NoSQL has no JOIN clauses, every table has a username section so Reddit doesn’t have to do additional lookups for retrieving data linked with a particular username but stored in another table. Consequently, if a username is changed, it would have to be changed from all such tables, containing all instances of this username. Reddit would have to do the same for millions of accounts.
How to change your Reddit username
In order to be able to change your Reddit username, your account needs to satisfy the following conditions:
- The account should be less than 30-days old
- There should not be another instance in the past where the Reddit username was changed by the user
However, it should be noted that despite the concrete conditions, Reddit does allow you to create multiple accounts linked with the same email address. For the purpose of this guide, we will begin by creating a new Reddit account. We will then top it off by using Reddit’s ‘Change username’ pop-up to finalize the one-time username change. So, let’s get to it.
On Phone
Here’s how you can change username for a new account when using the Reddit mobile app.
Step 1: Create an account
Open the Reddit app from your phone’s home screen.
Click on the Profile icon near the top-left corner of your Reddit home page.
Tap on the downwards pointing arrow icon.
Tap on the ‘Add account’ option.
Choose the account creation method according to your choice. For the purpose of this guide, we will pick the ‘Continue with Google option’.
Tap on Continue.
Choose the account to want to use for Reddit and enter the required login credentials.
Follow the Reddit app’s procedure to personalize your account.
Note: You can also tap on Skip to postpone this step.
Step 2: Change your username
After your account is created, tap on the profile icon near the top-left corner of your Reddit home page.
On the left side of your screen, tap on the ‘My Profile’ option.
Tap on the ‘Change Username’ option.
Tap on the typing area and replace the auto-assigned username with the username you want.
Tap NEXT.
Tap on the ‘Save Username’ option.
Tap ‘OK’.
Your Reddit username has now been changed.
On Computer
Here’s how you can change your username for a new Reddit account on desktop devices.
Step 1: Create an account
Open a web browser on your PC, visit Reddit’s website at: www.reddit.com and click on the ‘Sign Up’ option.
Choose the account creation method according to your choice. For the purpose of this guide, we will sign up with Google.
Choose the account to want to use for Reddit and enter the required login credentials.
Step 2: Change your username
You will see the following pop-up on your profile homepage. From here, click on the ‘Change Username’ option.
Note: You can also find this pop-up by visiting your profile settings.
Click on the typing area and replace the auto-assigned username with the username you want.
Click on ‘Continue’.
Click on the ‘Save Username’ option.
Make sure you see a notification on your screen, confirming that your Reddit username has been changed.
How to change your Reddit display name
Display name of a Reddit profile is another name used to identify a Reddit user. This name is visible only when you search for a user using their username and look up their profile. The display name does not show up in the posts created by you as the username does.
A display name can be edited anytime you wish and as many times as you want. Let’s see how you can do it from both Reddit’s website on PC and the Reddit app from your phone.
1. On Phone (using Reddit app)
Open the Reddit app from your phone’s home screen.
Click on the Profile icon near the top-left corner of your Reddit home page.
Tap on the My Profile” option.
Tap on the ‘Edit’ button.
Tap on the ‘Display name’ option and enter the display name you want.
Tap on the ‘Save’ icon.
You can see the new display name right under your profile picture/profile avatar.
2. On Computer (using reddit.com)
Open a web browser on your PC and log into your Reddit account from Reddit’s website at: www.reddit.com.
Click on the downwards pointing arrow icon.
In the drop-down list, click on the ‘Profile’ option.
In the Profile section, tap on the ‘Display name’ option and enter the new display name.
Wait for a few seconds after entering the new display name and make sure you see a ‘Changes saved’ notification.
Now, click on the downwards pointing arrow icon.
In the drop-down list, click on the ‘Profile’ option.
You can see the new display name under your profile picture.
How to check your Reddit username
Reddit Username is a unique name given to users by Reddit at the moment of creation of their account in order to identify them. All posts you make on Reddit will display this username. Typically, a Reddit username is indicated with a “u/” prefix and can be used to identify users from around the world.
Note: In Reddit, “u/” indicates a user while “r/” is used to indicate a subreddit. When entered in a Reddit post, these phrases transform into links to the specific user or the subreddit respectively.
When a new account is created, Reddit automatically assigns a stock username to this account and presents its owner with an option to change this username in a 30-day window.
Before learning how you can change your Reddit username, let’s see how you can check your Reddit username from both a PC and a phone.
1. On Computer
Open a web browser on your PC, visit Reddit’s website at: www.reddit.com and enter your log-in credentials.
Click on the drop-down icon located near the upper-right corner of your browser window.
In the drop-down list, click on Profile.
Your Reddit username will be displayed in the following spaces (refer to the picture below).
2. On Phone
Open the Reddit app from your phone’s home screen.
Tap on your profile icon near the upper-left corner of your Reddit home page.
Note: In some cases, this icon can be present in the upper-right corner too.
Your Reddit username will be displayed in the left plane.
How to check your Reddit account’s age
You can check the age of your Reddit account using either of the two methods mentioned below. Follow either one based on your current needs and requirements.
Method 1: Check in profile beside Karma
You can also check your Reddit account’s age by visiting your profile page whether on mobile or desktop devices. Visit the ‘My Profile’ page and you should find your age beside your username and karma. For mobile devices it should show up like the example below.
Desktop users should find a tag similar to the one shown below on their profile page.
Method 2: Check if you’re prompted
You can check if your account is 30-days old or not and hence eligible for changing your username by tapping on the profile option. If you receive a pop-up asking you whether you want to change your username, it means your account is less than 30-days old.
FAQs
Here are a few commonly asked questions about changing your username on Reddit that should help you get up to speed with the latest available information.
Can I create multiple Reddit accounts with the same Gmail account?
Yes. Reddit allows you to create multiple accounts using the same Gmail account. However, in some cases, while trying to sign up for a new account on the Reddit mobile app, we found that occasionally the Reddit app automatically logs you into your previous account.
In that case, you can create a new Reddit account by visiting Reddit’s website from a web browser on your phone and then follow the steps mentioned in this article itself.
Is changing Reddit username a one-time action?
Yes. You cannot change your Reddit username more than once. In fact, Reddit will inform you about the same while you’re changing your username.
Additionally, if you’ve made an account using the ‘Continue with Email’ option on the Reddit app, Reddit will ask you to manually enter a username. This will count as the one time you’re allowed to enter a username of your choice and you will not see a ‘change username’ pop-up separately.
Can I change my Reddit username sometime later after creating an account?
You can only change your Reddit username only if your account is less than 30-days old and you’re still using the username auto-assigned to you by Reddit.
Can I browse Reddit anonymously?
Yes. You can use Reddit anonymously. Follow the following steps to do so.
Open the Reddit app from your phone’s home screen.
Click on the Profile icon near the top-left corner of your Reddit home page.
Tap on the downwards pointing arrow icon.
Tap on the ‘Anonymous browsing’ option.
Tap on ‘OK’.
You can now begin using Reddit anonymously.
Are my Reddit username and Reddit display name the same?
No. The username and display name on Reddit are entirely different. Your Reddit username is the name that appears above all the posts and comments you make from your account, while the display name is visible only when someone visits your profile.
Additionally, your Reddit username has to be unique while your display name need not be.
How can I tell if my Reddit account is 30-days old or not
You can check if your account is 30-days old or not and hence eligible for changing your username by tapping on the profile option. If you receive a pop-up asking you whether you want to change your username, it means your account is less than 30-days old.
We hope this article helped you get up to speed with the various ways you can change your Reddit username and whether your account is eligible for it to begin with. If you have any more questions, feel free to reach out to us using the comments section below.
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