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How to change your name on Facebook
In This Article
Facebook is one of the biggest websites we use to connect with friends and family, making it important that people are actually able to find you there.
Whether you’ve gotten married, are going by a different name or are trying out a new nickname, there are loads of reasons you might want to switch up your Facebook name at some point in your account’s lifetime.
Here’s how to go about it in eight simple steps (and what you can do if Facebook doesn’t approve of your new name).
If you’re ready to change your Facebook name, follow this guide to learn how.
It’s important to note that Facebook only allows users to change their names once every 60 days, so make sure you’re confident about your choice before hitting save.
Facebook also has a pretty strict set of guidelines to prevent users from coming up with fake names. For this reason, you’re not allowed to include any of the below:
If your new name is free of any of the above, you can follow the steps below to get started. If it isn’t, scroll to the bottom of this page to learn what you can do if Facebook doesn’t like your new name.
What you’ll need:
The Short Version
How to change your name on Facebook
Step1
Go to your Facebook news feed
We’ll be using screenshots from the Windows browser version of Facebook, but the steps on the mobile app are very similar. You can scroll down to the bottom of this page to learn how to change your name there.
Step2
Click the arrow in the top right corner
This will bring up a drop-down menu with your account settings.
Step3
Click Settings & Privacy
This is the option with the icon that resembles a cog.
Step4
Choose Settings
That’s the cog icon once again.
Step5
Find your name and hit Edit
You can also find the option to edit your username here.
Step6
Type your new name into the field
You can change your first name, middle name and/or surname at this stage.
Step7
Click Review Change
If your name is too short, contains unusual capitalisation or breaks any of Facebook’s other guidelines, you may be stopped here. If you think Facebook is wrong, scroll down to the bottom of this guide to learn what you can do to appeal that decision.
Step8
Enter your password and hit Save Changes
That’s it! Your new name should appear on your account very soon.
Troubleshooting
To change your name in the iPhone or Android app, simply open Facebook, tap on the three line menu at the top of the page and follow the same steps listed above.
If Facebook rejects your new name for whatever reason, you can alwayssubmit a photo of your IDto the website to prove your name isn’t a breach of Facebook’s guidelines.
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Hannah joined Trusted Reviews as a staff writer in 2019 after graduating with a degree in English from Royal Holloway, University of London. She’s also worked and studied in the US, holding positions …
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Why trust our journalism?
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
