Facebook is one of the biggest websites we use to connect with friends and family, making it important that people are actually able to find you there.
Whether you’ve gotten married, are going by a different name or are trying out a new nickname, there are loads of reasons you might want to switch up your Facebook name at some point in your account’s lifetime.
Here’s how to go about it in eight simple steps (and what you can do if Facebook doesn’t approve of your new name).
If you’re ready to change your Facebook name, follow this guide to learn how.
It’s important to note that Facebook only allows users to change their names once every 60 days, so make sure you’re confident about your choice before hitting save.
Facebook also has a pretty strict set of guidelines to prevent users from coming up with fake names. For this reason, you’re not allowed to include any of the below:
- Words or phrases that go against Facebook’s Community Standards (slurs, representing dangerous individuals)
- Words or phrases that represent organisations instead of persons
- Symbols, numbers, unusual capitalisation, repeating characters or punctuation
- Characters from multiple languages
- Titles of any kind (professional, religious)
If your new name is free of any of the above, you can follow the steps below to get started. If it isn’t, scroll to the bottom of this page to learn what you can do if Facebook doesn’t like your new name.
What you’ll need:
- A Facebook account
- A name you’ll want for at least 60 days
The Short Version
- Go to your Facebook Settings
- Find your name and click Edit
- Enter your new name
- Allow Facebook to review it
- Enter your password and hit Save Changes
How to change your name on Facebook
Step
1Go to your Facebook news feed
We’ll be using screenshots from the Windows browser version of Facebook, but the steps on the mobile app are very similar. You can scroll down to the bottom of this page to learn how to change your name there.
Step
2Click the arrow in the top right corner
This will bring up a drop-down menu with your account settings.
Step
3Click Settings & Privacy
This is the option with the icon that resembles a cog.
Step
4Choose Settings
That’s the cog icon once again.
Step
5Find your name and hit Edit
You can also find the option to edit your username here.
Step
6Type your new name into the field
You can change your first name, middle name and/or surname at this stage.
Step
7Click Review Change
If your name is too short, contains unusual capitalisation or breaks any of Facebook’s other guidelines, you may be stopped here. If you think Facebook is wrong, scroll down to the bottom of this guide to learn what you can do to appeal that decision.
Step
8Enter your password and hit Save Changes
That’s it! Your new name should appear on your account very soon.
Troubleshooting
To change your name in the iPhone or Android app, simply open Facebook, tap on the three line menu at the top of the page and follow the same steps listed above.
If Facebook rejects your new name for whatever reason, you can always submit a photo of your ID to the website to prove your name isn’t a breach of Facebook’s guidelines.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
