# Your name and @username on Telegram

How a name differs from a @username, how to set one and how to find people by it.

https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/telegram-username

Updated 2026-10-02 · 3 min read

A "nickname" on Telegram can mean two different things. Your **name** is what people see in chats: you can write anything there, even the same name as thousands of others. Your **username** — @username — is a unique address of your account: people find you by it in search and open you with the link t.me/username.

## Where to see your username

- **On a phone** — open Settings: under your name you'll see your phone number and your @username, if you have one.
- **On a computer** — menu ☰ → My Profile, or Settings → Edit Profile.

If the username field is empty, you don't have one yet — you can set it at any time.

## How to create or change a username

1. Open Settings → Edit (on a computer, Edit Profile).
2. Tap Username.
3. Type a username — Telegram tells you at once whether it's available.
4. Save.

Username rules:

- 5 to 32 characters;
- Latin letters, digits and underscores;
- case doesn't matter: @Username and @username are the same.

After you change it, your old username becomes available and someone else can take it. t.me links with the old username will stop leading to you.

## Collectible usernames on Fragment

Short and memorable names — from 4 characters — are sold as collectibles on the Fragment marketplace: they are bought and resold at auction for GRAM. A purchased name is attached to your account, and it can be sold or passed on through the same marketplace. More about it in [what Fragment is](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/fragment).

See also: [Buy or sell a Telegram username](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/buy-telegram-username).

## How to find someone by username

1. Open search in Telegram.
2. Type the username — with or without the @.
3. Tap the account you found.

You can also simply open the link t.me/username. You can't find someone by their display name alone — it isn't unique. Search by @username, or by a phone number from your contacts if the person allows being found by number.

## Why a @username is useful

- People can find you and write to you without knowing your phone number.
- A friend can send you Stars and Telegram Premium by your @username — for example, from the Shiba Bank bot.
- For `+boom` drops in chats, the bot picks participants who have a public @username — more in [Stars drops in chats](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/drops-in-chats).

[Buy Stars — Open the app](https://t.me/barboskich_stars_bot?startapp=site_ai_en_buy)

## FAQ

### How is a nickname different from a username on Telegram?
Your name is shown in chats and can be anything, while your username (@username) is the unique address of your account that people use to find you in search.

### How do I change my username on Telegram?
Your name is changed in Settings → Edit. In the same place, under Username, you change your @username.

### How many characters can a username have?
5 to 32: Latin letters, digits and underscores. Collectible usernames from Fragment can have 4.

### How do I find someone on Telegram by username?
Type their @username in Telegram's search or open the link t.me/username. You can't find someone by display name alone.