Your username is the custom web address Facebook lets you create

Your Facebook username is a personalized web address that points to your profile — something like facebook.com/yourname. It's different from your display name, which is what appears on your posts and comments. Not every account has a username. If you set one up, you can share it with people instead of your full profile URL, and it makes your profile easier to find.

Facebook lets you create one username per account, and you can change it once every 60 days. If you've never set one, Facebook has assigned you a default profile ID number instead. Finding which one you have takes less than a minute.

Key Takeaways

  • Your username is the custom web address you can set for your profile, separate from your display name.
  • You can find your current username by visiting your profile and checking the URL in your browser's address bar.
  • If you see only numbers in the URL, you haven't created a custom username yet and can add one in your settings.
  • You can change your username once every 60 days, but you cannot reuse a username you've already had.
  • Your username is public and searchable, so anyone can find your profile using it.

Check your profile URL in the address bar

The quickest way to see your username is to go to your own profile and look at the web address. Open Facebook and click your profile picture in the top right corner, then select "Profile" from the menu. Look at the URL in your browser's address bar at the top of the screen.

If the URL reads facebook.com/yourname, then yourname is your username. If it shows facebook.com/profile.php?id=123456789, you don't have a custom username yet — that string of numbers is your default profile ID. Either way, you now know what you're working with.

Create a username if you don't have one

If your profile URL contains only numbers, you can create a custom username. Click your profile picture in the top right, then go to Settings and Privacy, then Settings. On the left side, select "Personal Information." Look for the "Username" field — if it's empty or shows only numbers, you can click it to create one.

Facebook will show you a text box where you can type your chosen username. It can contain letters, numbers, periods, and underscores, and must be at least five characters long. Once you enter it, Facebook checks whether it's already taken. If it is, you'll see a message and can try a different one. When you find one that's available, click "Review" and then "Confirm" to save it.

Understand the rules for changing your username

After you create a username, you can change it, but Facebook enforces a 60-day waiting period between changes. This means if you change your username today, you cannot change it again until 60 days have passed. The timer resets each time you make a change.

There's one more restriction: you cannot reuse a username you've already had on your account. If you had the username "jane.smith" and changed it to "janesmith," you cannot change it back to "jane.smith" later. You can only use each username once per account, though you can use it again on a different account if you have multiple profiles.

Find someone else's username

If you're looking for another person's username rather than your own, visit their profile and check the URL the same way. Their profile URL will show their username if they've created one, or their profile ID if they haven't. You can also search for people by their username using the search bar at the top of Facebook — type the username and their profile should appear in the results.

Keep in mind that not everyone has a custom username. Some older accounts or accounts that were never customized will only have a profile ID. In those cases, you can still find and message the person, but you won't be able to share a short web address for their profile.

Use your username to share your profile

Once you have a username, you can share the short URL facebook.com/yourname with people instead of the longer default link. This is useful when you want to give someone your profile address verbally, in writing, or on another platform. The short URL is easier to remember and type.

Your username is public, so anyone on Facebook can search for it and find your profile. If you want to limit who can contact you or see your posts, you'll need to adjust your privacy settings separately — your username itself doesn't control that. Privacy settings are found in the same Settings menu where you manage your username.

What to do if your username is taken

If the username you want is already in use, Facebook will tell you it's unavailable. You have a few options: try a variation of the name (like adding a number or period), choose a different name entirely, or wait to see if the person using it changes their username later. Usernames are not reserved permanently — if someone changes theirs, their old username eventually becomes available again, though Facebook doesn't announce when this happens.

You can also check whether a specific username exists by typing facebook.com/username directly into your browser. If the profile loads, that username is taken. If you get an error page, it's available for you to claim.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my username the same as my display name?

No. Your display name is what appears on your posts and comments and can be changed anytime. Your username is the web address for your profile and can only be changed once every 60 days. You can have a display name like "Jane Marie Smith" and a username like "jane.smith" — they don't have to match.

Can I delete my username and go back to my profile ID?

No, Facebook doesn't allow you to remove a username once you've created one. However, you can change it to something else. You cannot revert to your original profile ID as your public web address, though the ID still exists in the background.

What if someone else has the username I want?

You'll need to choose a different username. Try variations like adding numbers, periods, or underscores. If the person using it eventually changes their username, theirs may become available later, but there's no way to know when or to request it.

Can I have the same username on multiple Facebook accounts?

No. Each username can only be used once across all of Facebook. If you have two accounts, each must have a different username. However, you can use a username on a different account after you've removed it from your current one, as long as you wait for the 60-day change window to pass.

Does my username affect my privacy settings?

No. Your username is public and searchable regardless of your privacy settings. If you want to control who can find you, message you, or see your profile, adjust your privacy settings in Settings and Privacy. Your username itself doesn't restrict access — privacy controls do.