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YouTube is introducing ‘handles’ to make it easier for everyone to find and connect with each other.
What is a handle?
A handle is just like your @username on other social platforms and will be unique to your channel.
Handles will appear on channel pages and YouTube Shorts, so they’ll be instantly and consistently recognisable. Making it simpler and faster to mention/tag each other in comments, community posts, video descriptions and more.
How do I change my YouTube handle?
Handles must be unique and every channel on YouTube will have one. They’re being rolled out gradually, so you may not have this feature just yet.
When you have access to change your handle, you will receive an email as well as a notification in YouTube Studio which will allow you to choose yours.
If you already have a personalised URL for your channel, it’s likely that Youtube will have reserved this for you as your handle.
However, if you don’t currently have a personalised URL, you will still be able to choose a handle for your channel, once it’s rolled out to you.
What if I don’t like the handle reserved for me?
If you want a different handle from the one that has been reserved for you, you will still be able to change it – so long as it hasn’t been taken by someone else!
What if I don’t choose a handle?
Starting on 14 November 2022, if you haven’t selected a handle for your channel, YouTube will automatically assign you a handle, which you can then change in YouTube Studio if you’d like to.
When you choose your handle, YouTube will also create a matching URL (e.g. youtube.com/@handle) so you can easily direct people to your content.
If your channel already has a personalised URL, there’s no need to update links to your channel on your website or elsewhere. They’ll automatically be redirected to the new, handle-based URL to create a better, more unified presence for creators on YouTube.
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