How to change your Steam name

When people ask how to change their Steam account name, they almost always mean the name friends see, the display name (or "profile name"). That one is easy to change and you can change it as often as you want. The name you type to log in is a different thing, and Valve does not let you change it. Sorting out which name is which saves a lot of confusion, so we will cover all three: the display name, the account login name, and your custom profile URL. If you also need your numeric ID for a tool or a support ticket, our Steam ID Finder pulls it up in seconds.

The three "names" on a Steam account

Steam has three separate identifiers, and only some of them can be changed.

• Profile (display) name. This is the nickname shown on your profile, in your friends list, and in games. You can change it whenever you like, and old versions get logged in your name history. This is the one most guides mean by "Steam name."
• Account login name. This is the username you type when you sign in. It is permanent. Valve does not offer any way to change it, in the client, on the website, or through support. If you truly cannot live with it, the only route is creating a new account.
• Custom profile URL (vanity URL). This is the readable web address for your profile, like steamcommunity.com/id/yourname. It is optional and separate from both names above. You can set or change it in profile settings.

Keep those straight and the rest is simple. You can change your display name and your custom URL. You cannot change your login name.

How to change your Steam display name (desktop)

1. Open the Steam client and click your profile name in the top-right, then choose View my profile. Or open your profile from the community.
2. Click Edit Profile.
3. In the Name field at the top, type your new display name.
4. Scroll down and click Save.
5. The new name shows up immediately for you and your friends.

You can do the same thing from the Steam website. Sign in at steamcommunity.com, open your profile, click Edit Profile, and update the Name field.

How to change your display name on mobile

1. Open the Steam mobile app and sign in.
2. Go to your profile and open the edit option (usually a pencil or an Edit Profile button).
3. Change the Name field.
4. Save.

If the mobile app is being awkward, you can always open steamcommunity.com in a phone browser and edit the profile there. It is the same form.

Setting or changing your custom profile URL

The vanity URL is what makes your profile link readable instead of a long string of numbers.

1. Open Edit Profile.
2. Find the Custom URL field (it may sit under a "Privacy Settings" or general area depending on the layout).
3. Enter the text you want. It has to be unique, so common words are often taken.
4. Save.

Changing the vanity URL changes the /id/ link people use to find you, but it does not change your underlying SteamID. The 17-digit ID stays the same no matter how many times you rename yourself, which is exactly why tools rely on it instead of your display name.

Old names show in your name history

Here is the thing a lot of people do not realize: changing your display name does not erase the old one. Steam keeps a name history, and anyone can view your recent past names through third-party lookup tools, and to a degree through the profile itself.

• Old names are logged, not deleted. Every display name you have used gets recorded. Valve does not provide a button to wipe this history.
• People can look it up. Sites that read public profile data can list your previous aliases. If you renamed to get away from an old handle, be aware it is still discoverable.
• There is no official "clear history" feature. Community threads asking to delete old usernames get the same answer over and over: you cannot force Valve to remove them. Some people cycle through several junk name changes to push old entries further down the list, but that does not truly delete anything.

If you want to see what your public profile exposes, including how it presents to other people, drop your link into our Steam profile viewer.

How often can you change your Steam name?

There is no hard limit on display name changes. You can rename yourself many times in a row, back to back, without waiting. Steam does apply a light rate limit to stop rapid-fire abuse, so if you spam changes extremely fast you might get a short cooldown, but for normal use you will never hit it. This is different from the login name, which cannot be changed at all, and from things like refunds or trade holds that do have real cooldowns.

FAQ

Can I change the username I use to log in to Steam? No. The account login name is permanent and Valve does not change it through support. The only way to get a different login name is to make a new account. You can, however, freely change the display name friends see.

Will changing my Steam name delete my old names? No. Steam keeps a name history and there is no official way to clear it. Old display names remain discoverable through the profile and third-party lookup tools.

How many times can I change my display name? As often as you want. There is no set limit, though a light anti-spam rate limit can briefly slow you down if you change it many times in seconds.

Does changing my name change my SteamID? No. Your 17-digit SteamID never changes, no matter how many times you rename yourself or update your custom URL. That is why tools identify you by ID rather than name.

What is the difference between my Steam name and my custom URL? Your display name is the nickname shown in-app. Your custom URL (vanity URL) is the readable web address for your profile. They are set separately and do not have to match.