Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Social Media
  3. Guides

YouTube is rolling out handles. Here’s what you need to know

Anita George
By

YouTube recently announced that it would be rolling out handles for YouTube channels. Whether you’ve just heard about them or you already got an email from YouTube saying it’s time to choose one, you’re probably wondering what they are and how they’re different from YouTube channel names.

In this guide, we’ll go over what a YouTube handle is and answer a few questions about them so you can better understand what they are and be better prepared to choose one when it’s rolled out to you.

Handles on YouTube

What is a YouTube handle?

YouTube handles are another way to identify your YouTube channel, but they are separate from YouTube channel names. They’re similar in appearance to the usernames you’ve seen on Twitter and TikTok. Example: @DigitalTrends. Once created, YouTube handles also come with a URL to match that follows this format: youtube.com/@[handle name].

Recommended Videos

With handles, all YouTube channels will have one, along with a custom URL, regardless of how many subscribers a channel has. Once the handles rollout has been completed, handles will start appearing in places like search results, the Shorts tab, comments, and mentions.

Related

Are they different from YouTube channel names?

Yes. Channel names are separate identifiers for a given YouTube channel. While multiple YouTube channels can have the same channel name, YouTube handles are meant to be totally unique to each YouTube channel. So with this latest update, your channel will have a channel name, a handle, and a URL. The handle is expected to help make finding your specific channel and connecting with the correct creator easier.

When can users choose a handle?

YouTube officially announced the launch of its handles on October 10, and one of the announcements said that YouTube would roll out the ability to choose a handle to users “over the next few weeks.” When YouTube is ready for you to choose a handle for your channel, it will notify you via email and YouTube Studio. That’s when you’ll be allowed to choose one. You’ll then have until November 14 to choose a handle. According to its help guide on the matter, if you don’t choose one by then, YouTube will automatically assign you one “based on your channel name.”

How do you choose a handle?

You’ll have to wait until YouTube notifies you (via email and YouTube Studio) that it’s ready for you to choose a handle. When that happens, you can then go to youtube.com/handle to pick a handle for your channel.

There are guidelines that your chosen handle must meet:

  • It must contain numbers and letters. They can be uppercase or lowercase. A handle can also have hyphens, underscores, or periods.
  • The handle can’t already be claimed by another channel. Remember, they have to be unique.
  • It cannot violate YouTube’s Community Guidelines.
  • It can’t resemble a URL or phone number.
  • It should be between three and 30 characters long.

Note: YouTube has said that, usually, if your channel already has a personalized URL, your YouTube handle will default to the “unique part” of that URL. But YouTube will still let you change that handle if you want.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Anita George
Anita George
Computing Writer
Anita has been a technology reporter since 2013 and currently writes for the Computing section at Digital Trends. She began…
What is Twitter Blue and is it worth it?
Twitter Blue menu option on a white screen background which is on a black background.

If you spend time on Twitter, you've probably heard the phrase "Twitter Blue" at some point and wondered what exactly it is. We're not talking about the signature shade of blue featured in its logo -- we're talking about the premium version of Twitter.

That's right. There's a paid tier for Twitter that many people don't even know exists that launched in July of 2021. And then relaunched again under Elon Musk's ownership in November 2022. Don't worry -- we'll explain everything below.
What is Twitter Blue?

Read more
What is Mastodon? Here’s why everyone’s talking about this Twitter alternative
Series of four mobile screenshots showing Mastodon's sign-up process.

By now you've no doubt heard about Mastodon. It's a social media platform that's been bandied about as an alternative to Twitter, particularly among users who aren't comfortable with the direction Twitter is going in now that Elon Musk is at the helm.

In fact, since Musk first announced that he was planning on buying the popular microblogging platform, Mastodon has garnered quite a bit of attention and experienced significant growth. But though you've likely heard about Mastodon, you may not be familiar with how it works or haven't decided whether or not it would be a good fit for you if you ever choose to leave Twitter and need an alternative social media platform. Don't worry. We've got you covered. In this guide, we'll get you up to speed on everything you need to know about social media's buzziest new platform.
What is Mastodon?

Read more
Twitter’s SMS two-factor authentication is having issues. Here’s how to switch methods
A person's hands holding a smartphone as they browse Twitter on it.

It might be a good idea to review and change your two-factor authentication options for Twitter. Elon Musk's Twitter has another issue for its users to worry about.

Twitter has reportedly been having issues with its SMS two-factor authentication feature (2FA). According to Wired, beginning as early as this past weekend, some Twitter users have reported difficulties logging in to their Twitter accounts due to the app's SMS 2FA feature not working properly. Essentially, the feature relies on the app sending users an authentication code via text message, which they can then enter as a second step in the login process.

Read more