Naming yourself on Facebook might have been a daunting task when you first created an account. Often done years ago, you might have avoided your real name, but you might want to change your name for a variety of reasons. Fortunately, Facebook allows for such changes – but with some caveats.
Why change your name on Facebook?
There are many reasons to change your Facebook name. For many people, especially those a bit older, it was one of the first major social media platforms to join. Therefore, some have chosen names that might need changing after all these years – maybe you just want to change your old alias, or maybe you need a profile that shows your real name, not a made-up one.
Of course there also are instances where you need to change your name because, say, you get married. Increasingly, both partners are changing their last names officially, so doing the same on Facebook is a must. There are other resaons, of course, possibilities, so it’s great that the process that Facebook provides is quite a simple one.
Below, we’ll walk you through the whole process of changing your name on Facebook, whether you’re a mobile or desktop user.
Mobile: Navigate to Accounts Centre
Adrian Sobolewski-Kiwerski / Foundry
We’re using Android here, but the process is very similar on iPhone. The first thing to do is to navigating to the Accounts Centre. To do so, you have to first tap your small profile picture on the main Facebook page, in the top right corner. Then, scroll down and find Settings & privacy tab (merely and tap it. From this selection, tap on Settings. Next, at the top you should see “See more in Accounts Centre“. Tap it and you’re there.
Mobile: Choose your profile in Accounts Centre
Adrian Sobolewski-Kiwerski / Foundry
Now you need to choose the profile that will have its corresponding name changed. Simply tap on Profiles section in the Accounts Centre, and then select the profile that you want to update.
Mobile: Pick a new name and confirm it
Adrian Sobolewski-Kiwerski / Foundry
The next step is choosing what to change in this profile – this time it’s the Name, so choose this option. You should now be able to fill in a form, where Facebook will ask you to provide your first and surname(s), and optionally a middle name. Fill them in and then tap Review Changes You will have to confirm your choices again and voila – your name is changed!
Browser: Navigate to Accounts Centre
Adrian Sobolewski-Kiwerski / Foundry
On your browser, the basics of changing your name are essentially the same as on mobile. First, go to your Facebook homepage and navigate to the Accounts Centre. You’ll find it by clicking on your profile picture in the top-right corner of that main homepage. From the pop-up list choose Settings & privacy and the click on Settings. Next, in a new window, choose “See more in Accounts Centre“
Browser: Choose a profile
Adrian Sobolewski-Kiwerski / Foundry
Once in the Accounts Centre, you’ll have to choose which profile to change the name of. Simply pick the desired option and click on it.
Browser: Choose name
Adrian Sobolewski-Kiwerski / Foundry
Next, it’s time to choose what to change. Here it’s possible to change your Name, your Username, Profile Picture or Avatar. Obviously, you want to change your Name, so click on that.
Browser: Choose a new name and confirm it
Adrian Sobolewski-Kiwerski / Foundry
Finally you can fill out the form with your new name, surname and middle name. Once you’re happy with your changes, click on Review Changes and confirm your choices.
And it’s done – your Facebook name is changed. However, it’s worth remembering that you can do that only once every 60 days, and Facebook does not look kindly at people who change their names frequently. If you do that, it’s possible that the platform will ask you for proof that the name you put in is really yours, and you’ll have to authenticate it by providing some ID.
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Author: Adrian Sobolewski Kiwerski, Mobile Contributor
Adrian's interests lie mainly in portable electronics - smartphones, wearables, wireless headphones and everything in between. Covering both the everyday news and bigger-picture stories, he tries to stay on top of the ever-growing industry.