One is permanent and unique. The other is decorative and changeable.
Confusing them is behind most failed searches on Snapchat, most cases of adding the wrong person and a fair amount of successful impersonation. The distinction takes thirty seconds to learn and saves a lot of irritation.
The Short Version
| Username | Display Name | |
|---|---|---|
| Unique | Yes. One per account, ever | No. Thousands can share one |
| How often you can change it | Once a year | Whenever you like |
| Character limit | No fixed public limit | 30 including spaces |
| Used to add friends | Yes | No |
| Part of the profile link | Yes | No |
| What it is for | Identifying the account | Being recognised by people |
Two names doing entirely different jobs. One identifies, one introduces.
What the Username Actually Does
This is the account’s real identity. The @handle.
- No two accounts can share one, ever.
- It forms part of the profile link people share.
- It is what you type to add somebody.
Snapchat’s documentation onusernames sets out the format rules too. Latin letters, numbers and one of a hyphen, an underscore or a full stop. Nothing else is permitted, which explains why so many attempted handles get rejected.
Usernames are also case insensitive, so capital letters make no difference to whether you find somebody.
What the Display Name Actually Does
This is the friendly label sitting above the handle. Often a real name, sometimes a nickname, occasionally a row of emoji.
Snapchat’s guidance onchanging your Display Name puts the limit at 30 characters including spaces. It also notes the field exists precisely because usernames are not always easy to make sense of.
- It does not have to be unique.
- It has no bearing on your profile link.
- You cannot add somebody using it.
Which means two accounts calling themselves the same thing is completely normal rather than suspicious in itself.
Changing Them Is Not Equally Easy
The gap here is enormous and worth planning around.
A username can be changed once a year, measured twelve months to the day from your last change. A display name can be changed as often as you feel like it.
For anyone running a Public Profile, Snapchat’s advice onPublic Profile names is to keep the display name clear, legible and representative, using a real name, a stage name or a company name.
So treat the username as close to permanent. Treat the display name as something you can revise whenever.
The Part Nobody Expects
Here is the detail that catches people out and it comes straight from Snapchat.
Changing your display name does not update it for people who already added you. Snapchat states that existing Snapchatters continue to see the display name you had when they first added you. Only new friends see the updated one.
There is a second layer to it as well. Anyone who has you saved in their phone contacts may simply see whatever name they wrote in their phonebook, regardless of what either of your Snapchat names says.
- You change your display name and think everyone can see it.
- Old friends still see the previous version.
- Some people see a name you have never chosen at all.
Which is why a friend insisting your name shows up differently on their phone is usually right rather than confused.
Snapcodes Sit Outside Both
Worth a mention because people assume the Snapcode is tied to the display name. It is not.
That ghost pattern encodes the account itself, so scanning one lands you on the right profile no matter what either name currently says. A friend who changed their display name last week still has the same working Snapcode.
- Scanning skips the search box entirely.
- It survives display name changes without any effect.
- A username change does not break a saved Snapcode either.
Which makes it the most reliable way to add somebody when names are getting in the way.
Which One Do You Need to Find Somebody?
Both work, but not equally well.
- Username.Exact, unique and reliable. If you have it, the search takes seconds.
- Display name.Searchable, but you may get dozens of near matches and no way to tell them apart at a glance.
When you only have a fragment of either one, a tool that checks both fields at once is the practical route. You canfind Snapchat username matches from a name, a nickname or a keyword rather than needing the handle letter for letter.
The full walkthrough of searching by name, username or display name covers each starting point in turn.
Where This Trips People Up
- Adding the wrong account.Somebody reads a display name off a screenshot and searches for it as a handle.
- Impersonation.Copying a display name is trivial. Copying a username is impossible.
- Broken links.A profile link built from an old username stops working after a change.
- Assuming a match.Same display name means nothing on its own. Check the handle.
When two accounts look identical, theSnapchat Profile Viewer lets you open each public profile and compare properly before deciding.
Username and Display Name FAQs
Can I have the same display name as somebody else?
Yes. Display names were never meant to be unique and plenty overlap.
Does changing my username lose my friends?
No. Friends, streaks, Snap score and Memories all carry over. Only the handle changes.
Can I get my old username back?
Not reliably. Once released it can be claimed by somebody else, so treat the change as one way.
Which one shows on my profile link?
The username. The display name plays no part in the URL at all.
One Identifies, One Introduces
The username is the account. Unique, permanent in practice and the only thing that reliably finds a person. The display name is the label on the front, changeable at will and shared freely with strangers who happen to be called the same thing.
Working from a name rather than a handle? Run it through theusername finder and let it match across both. Once you have the handle, thestory viewer takes over.