What are they and how to claim yours .

What are YouTube handles and how do they work?

While you can give your channel almost any name on YouTube, these names are not unique, meaning anyone else can have the same name for their channel. This has resulted in multiple impersonating and bot channels attempting to gain clicks by copying more successful channels. This is where handles come into play. Unlike channel names, handles are unique and make it easy to verify that you’re interacting with or watching the right person.

A handle is displayed in the format @yourhandle. For example, on our YouTube channel, the handle is @androidauthority. YouTube hopes these handles will help creators build and maintain their own presence on YouTube. Each channel has a handle regardless of how many subscribers it has or how many videos it has published.

Your handle will appear in multiple surfaces on YouTube, including your channel homepage, search results, the shorts feed, in comments and community posts, and more. Handles can also be used on other platforms to link and promote your channel as your handle becomes part of your channel URL.

Can every channel get a YouTube handle?

Yes, each channel, whether you are a creator or a viewer, is given a unique identifier. YouTube opens access to everyone and removes the 100 subscriber threshold that previously applied to custom URLs.

Your name will also automatically become the new YouTube URL for your channel, theoretically making you easier to discover. Example: youtube.com/@youtubecreators.

How and when can I claim my YouTube handle?

YouTube will gradually roll out handles to all channels over the coming weeks. You’ll receive a notification in YouTube Studio and via email when it’s time to choose yours.

For most channels if you already have one personalized YouTube URL, it automatically becomes your handle. Whether you have a custom URL or not, you can change your handle or choose one as soon as you’re notified. Note that in some cases your preferred handle may not be available, so you can select another option.

Can I change my existing YouTube handle?

Yes, you can choose a new handle as long as it is not already in use by another channel.

Go to youtube.com/handle using the YouTube app on a computer or mobile device. Choose choose grip or change grip. Enter the handle field to check the availability of your preferred handle. You can also choose one of the suggested handles or the pre-filled handle based on your channel name. When you find an available handle, click on it confirm selection.

If your preferred handle isn’t available, it’s usually because another channel has already selected that handle.

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