Custom YouTube URL: How to Set Up Your @Handle

In this guide

1. What a handle is and how it becomes your URL
2. Check the naming rules before you choose
3. Set or change your handle in YouTube Studio
4. What to do when your handle is taken
5. Changing your handle later
6. Share your new URL with one link
7. How this works with Olaa
8. Questions

The short answer

Your custom YouTube URL is your handle. Pick one in YouTube Studio under Customization, then Profile, and your channel lives at youtube.com/@yourhandle. Every channel can have one, and any user can choose one.

If you also want to know where to put links on your channel, see our main guide on adding links to your YouTube channel.

What a handle is and how it becomes your URL

A handle is a short, unique channel identifier that starts with "@", for example @youtubecreators. It is separate from your channel name. Your handle URL, youtube.com/@yourhandle, becomes your channel's URL.

Handles also show up in comments, mentions, Live Chat and Shorts. Viewers can find you by typing "@" followed by your handle in search.

Older personalized (custom) URLs continue to work, so you don't need to do anything to keep them alive. YouTube's help center says a channel can have only one handle.

Check the naming rules before you choose

YouTube's help center lists these rules:

• Length: generally 3 to 30 characters. Han and Hangul handles are 1 to 10 characters. Ethiopic, Hiragana and Katakana handles are 2 to 20.
• Characters: letters or numbers from one of the 75 supported languages. Handles are not case-sensitive.
• Symbols: underscores, hyphens, periods and Latin middle dots are allowed, but not at the beginning or end.
• Scripts: left-to-right and right-to-left scripts can't be mixed, except when numbers are added at the end.
• Not allowed: a handle that looks like a URL or phone number, one already in use, or one that breaks the Community Guidelines.

Selling or transferring handles isn't allowed. If a handle violates the guidelines, YouTube revokes it and generates a new one. YouTube also reserves the right to change, reclaim or remove a handle at any time.

Set or change your handle in YouTube Studio

YouTube's help pages on handles list no minimum subscriber count, channel age or verification step for choosing one. They don't say outright that none exists, so if you don't see the option, check youtube.com/handle. If you're also wondering about a verification badge, see how to verify your YouTube account.

On desktop:

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
2. Choose Customization in the left menu.
3. Choose Profile.
4. Find Handle and view or change your handle URL.
5. If you changed it, click PUBLISH to confirm.

You can also view or edit your handle at youtube.com/handle. YouTube may already have given you one: it can auto-assign a handle based on your channel name, for example when a channel is created by commenting on mobile. If YouTube notifies you that it's time to pick a handle, youtube.com/handle is where to do it.

Menu names on Android and iPhone aren't covered here, so use the desktop steps or youtube.com/handle if you want to be sure.

What to do when your handle is taken

If your preferred handle is taken, YouTube suggests adding periods, numbers or underscores. If it still says unavailable, another channel is probably using it or it doesn't meet the naming guidelines.

Keep it simple. Match your name on other platforms where you can, because people will type it by hand. Handles with characters outside A to Z can be harder to type, and some apps may not display the link correctly. Copied URLs get encoded, and sharing may use the channel ID URL instead.

Changing your handle later

You can change your handle up to two times in a 14-day period. Your previous handle is held for 14 days so you can switch back. During that time both the old and new handle URLs work. After 14 days, the old handle becomes available to other users.

Because the old handle is released after 14 days, update anything you've printed or posted with the old URL within that window. Our guide to finding your YouTube channel URL shows where to copy it from.

Share your new URL with one link

Copy your handle URL with the Share button on your channel, or from the address bar. Then put it where people look: your video descriptions (see links in YouTube descriptions) and your Instagram profile. You can also add it to a YouTube link in an Instagram story.

How this works with Olaa

A handle points to your channel and nothing else. If you also have a shop, a newsletter or a booking page, Olaa gives you one short link, olaa.im/yourname, that opens a page with all of it. The free plan includes unlimited links, YouTube and Spotify players that play on the page, and a QR code. Put that link in your Instagram or TikTok bio, and keep your YouTube handle as the link to your channel. See pricing for what Pro adds, or sign up to start.

Questions people ask

Do I need a certain number of subscribers for a custom YouTube URL?

YouTube's help pages on handles list no subscriber minimum, channel age or verification requirement. They don't say explicitly that none exists. Check youtube.com/handle to see whether you can pick one.

What happened to youtube.com/c/ custom URLs?

YouTube's help center says legacy personalized (custom) URLs continue to work. It doesn't say how long they will keep working, so share your @handle URL going forward.

Can I change my YouTube handle?

Yes. You can change it up to two times in a 14-day period. Your old handle is held for 14 days, and both URLs work during that time.

Is a handle the same as my channel name?

No. Your channel name is separate from your handle. The handle starts with "@" and forms your youtube.com/@yourhandle URL.

Can I sell or transfer my handle?

No. YouTube doesn't allow selling or transferring handles, and it can change, reclaim or remove a handle at any time.

Can I hide my handle?

YouTube's help page says you can delete or hide your channel, and it links to a separate article for that. It doesn't describe hiding the handle on its own.