How to Change Your Name on Telegram: Profile, @Username and Contacts

Your display name is changed in the profile settings: open Settings, tap the edit control (the pencil on Android, Edit on iPhone), type a new first and last name and save. The change appears for everyone you talk to straight away, and your chats and subscriptions aren't affected.

Your username — the one with the @ — is a separate matter. These are two different fields with different rules, and confusing them is the most common reason people find they "can't" change their name. Both are covered below, along with renaming contacts and editing group and channel names.

First name, last name and username: the difference

• First and last name — what people see at the top of the chat and in their conversation list. It can contain any characters, including non-Latin scripts and emoji, doesn't have to be unique, and can be changed as often as you like.
• Username (@username) — the unique address of your account. It's how people find you in search and message you without your phone number, and a t.me/username link works as your calling card.
• Bio — the short line of text under your name. It has nothing to do with your name, but it's often edited at the same time.

The last name field is optional: you can leave it empty and keep only a first name. The first name, however, can't be blank.

How to change your name on Android

1. Open the left-hand menu and go to Settings.
2. Tap the pencil icon in the top right corner.
3. Edit the First Name and Last Name fields.
4. Confirm with the tick.

How to change your name on iPhone

1. Open Settings from the bottom bar.
2. Tap Edit in the top right corner.
3. Type the new first and last name into the corresponding fields.
4. Tap Done.

The iOS edit screen also gives you access to your profile photo and bio, which is convenient when you're refreshing the whole profile.

How to change your name on desktop and web

In the app for Windows, macOS and Linux, open Settings and click your name at the top, or use the edit profile option. The browser version follows the same path: menu → Settings → edit.

Everything syncs automatically, so there's no need to redo the edit on your phone.

How to change your username (@username)

This is what people are really looking for when they want a short profile link or the ability to receive messages without revealing their number.

1. Open Settings and find the Username field.
2. Type the option you want — the app immediately shows whether it's available or taken.
3. Save. Your profile becomes reachable at the matching t.me link.

Username requirements

• Latin letters, digits and underscores only;
• usually a minimum of 5 characters;
• it can't start with a digit;
• it's unique: two accounts can't share the same address.

Current versions let you attach several usernames to an account and switch the active one, and rare short addresses are sold on Telegram's official marketplace. This area gets updated from time to time, so it's worth checking the available options in the app itself.

If the username you want is taken

Short options are nearly all gone, so the usual tactics apply: add an underscore, a word, a region or your line of work. If the account holding the address you want looks abandoned, don't count on it being released — Telegram doesn't offer an on-request recycling process for inactive usernames.

One thing to keep in mind: the moment you release your old @username, anyone can claim it. If it appeared on business cards, in a site header or in ad materials, change it deliberately.

How to rename a contact just for yourself

Sometimes you need to change not your own name, but how someone else appears in your list. Open their profile, tap Edit and enter a more convenient name — with a note about their company or project, for instance.

Only you see that rename. The person never finds out, and their profile stays the same for everyone else. It's a good way to untangle a list full of similar names or to label business contacts.

Group, channel and bot names

• Groups and channels. The name is changed in the community settings and is available to the owner or an admin with the right to change the profile. The public link is edited separately, in the address field.
• Per-group nicknames. Telegram has no separate name for individual chats: in every community you appear under the name from your profile.
• Bots. A bot's name and description are changed through BotFather with the relevant commands, while its address is set at creation and stays fixed.

When a project needs its own profile with its own name and address — for customer support or a new venture, say — running it from a personal number isn't always practical. In cases like that people use ready-made Telegram accounts and set the profile up for that specific job.

Privacy and limitations

Your first and last name are visible to anyone who opens your profile, and no setting hides them. Only the other details can be restricted: your phone number, profile photo, last seen time and how forwarded messages are attributed.

The practical takeaway: if you'd rather not reveal your real name, use a shortened form, initials or a working pseudonym. A set-up @username then lets you talk to people without showing your phone number at all.

If the name won't change

1. Check your connection — without internet the profile edit won't save.
2. Update the app; older builds can handle individual fields incorrectly.
3. Make sure you haven't exceeded the field length: overly long entries get trimmed or rejected.
4. For a username, check the characters: non-Latin letters, spaces, dots and hyphens aren't allowed.
5. Restart the app and see whether the change applied on another device.

Common mistakes

• Looking for the username change where the display name is edited. They're two different fields in settings.
• Changing the @username and forgetting old links. Every previously shared t.me link stops leading to your profile.
• Trying to set a non-Latin username. Other scripts aren't supported in the address, even though they're fine in your first and last name.
• Assuming a renamed contact can see it. The rename is local and stays in your list only.
• Treating a name change as a way to disappear. The profile is the same one: your account, chats and shared groups all remain.

FAQ

Will people see that I changed my name?

Telegram sends no special notification, but the new name shows up in every chat and list as soon as you save it.

How many times can I change my name?

The display name, as often as you like. Be more careful with the username: once released, the address can be claimed by someone else.

Can I keep a first name with no last name?

Yes, the last name field is optional. The first name has to be filled in — it can't be saved empty.

Are emoji and special characters allowed in a name?

In the first and last name, yes — they show up in the chat list. In the @username, only Latin letters, digits and underscores are allowed.

Does anything change in my chats after a name change?

No. Conversations, files, groups, channels and settings all stay as they were; only the label on your profile changes.

How do I check whether a username is free?

Type it into the username field and the app will tell you whether it's available. You can also open the matching t.me link and see whether it leads to an existing profile.

Will my old name remain in the message history?

No, chats display your current name. But anyone who saved you under their own label in their contacts will keep seeing that.

Does my name affect how I'm found in Telegram search?

Partly: search takes both the name and the address into account, but it's the @username that makes a profile unambiguously findable.

In short

Changing your name on Telegram takes seconds and puts nothing at risk: the display name is edited in the profile settings, while the @username sits in its own field with its own rules. The first can be changed freely; the second deserves a thought for the links you've already published. If all you want is a tidier chat list, renaming contacts locally does the job — and for projects and work, a separate profile makes more sense than rewriting the name on your personal one.