Use yours to craft an identity as unique as your content!
Heads up, content creators! Your favorite video-sharing platform just made a huge announcement. According to a mass email from YouTube, the platform is gradually rolling out the ability to choose a handle for all channels. Users will receive another email and a notification in YouTube Studio when they can choose theirs.
A handle is a new way for people to connect on YouTube. Handles are unique; no two YouTubers can have the same handle. That means it’ll be easier for everyone to establish a distinct presence on the platform. Unscrupulous creators will no longer be able to steal others’ identities on YouTube. If you’re trying to build a following, you won’t lose subscribers and views to creators using a channel name that’s similar to yours. They can imitate your channel name but not your handle.
“We want to ensure creators can craft an identity as unique as their content while giving viewers the confidence that they are interacting with their favorite creators,” YouTube says.
How to get a YouTube handle
Starting on November 14, YouTube will automatically assign you a handle—if you haven’t chosen one, that is. If you already chose a personalized URL for your channel, YouTube will reserve it for you as your handle. But if you want a different handle from the one that was reserved, you can change it. If you don’t already have a personalized URL, you can choose an entirely new handle for your channel.
Once you’ve chosen a handle, it’ll become part of your channel. You can use it to direct people to your channel when they’re not on the platform. For example, if your handle is @user123, your channel’s URL will be https://youtube.com/@user123.
Once the ability to choose a handle is rolled out to all users, your handle will begin appearing across YouTube. You may see it in your comments, mentions, search results, and the Shorts tab. In some places (like your channel page), the platform will start showing your handle along with your channel name. In the future, you may see your handle shown in even more places.
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Click here to learn more about handles.
Featured Image Paulo Correa
