handle.tools
26 platforms

Username Rules & Character Limits by Platform

Every platform has its own length limit and allowed characters. Type a name to test it against all of them at once, or use the table below.

We test the format against every platform's rules as you type. Nothing is sent until you press Check.

A username that works everywhere

5–15 characters, letters and numbers only, starting with a letter. A name like that passes the rules on all 26 platforms here, so the only question left is whether it's free.

Shortest limits

  • Hacker News: 15 characters
  • X (Twitter): 15 characters
  • Minecraft: 16 characters
  • Bluesky: 18 characters

Username rules for every platform

Length limits and allowed characters, the same rules our checkers use.

PlatformLengthAllowed charactersOther rules
Instagram1–30Letters, numbers, . and _No consecutive periods; can't start or end with a period
Threads1–30Letters, numbers, . and _Always the same as your Instagram username
TikTok2–24Letters, numbers, . and _Can't end with a period
YouTube3–30Letters, numbers, . - and _Applies to @handles
GitHub1–39Letters, numbers and -Can't start or end with a hyphen; no double hyphens
Pinterest3–30Letters, numbers and _—
Linktree2–30Letters, numbers, . - and _—
Dribbble2–30Letters, numbers, - and _—
Dev.to2–50Letters, numbers and _—
GitLab2–255Letters, numbers, . - and _Must start with a letter or number; can't end with a period
Telegram5–32Letters, numbers and _Must start with a letter; no double underscores; can't end with _
Bluesky3–18Letters, numbers and -Can't start or end with a hyphen; your handle is name.bsky.social
Roblox3–20Letters, numbers and one _One underscore at most, not at the start or end
Minecraft3–16Letters, numbers and _—
Steam3–32Letters, numbers, - and _—
SoundCloud3–25Letters, numbers, - and _—
Mastodon1–30Letters, numbers and _Rules for mastodon.social; other servers can differ
Flickr2–32Letters, numbers, - and _—
Hacker News2–15Letters, numbers, - and _—
Medium2–30Letters, numbers, . - and _—
Blogger3–63Letters, numbers and -Can't start or end with a hyphen; becomes name.blogspot.com
Slack3–21Letters, numbers and -This is the workspace URL; can't start or end with a hyphen
PayPal.Me3–20Letters and numbers only—
X (Twitter)1–15Letters, numbers and _We can't check X availability yet
Twitch4–25Letters, numbers and _We can't check Twitch availability yet
Reddit3–20Letters, numbers, - and _We can't check Reddit availability yet

Why username rules differ from platform to platform

Each platform set its username rules years ago for its own reasons, and they rarely match. X caps handles at 15 characters, while GitLab allows 255. Instagram and TikTok accept periods, GitHub and Bluesky use hyphens instead, and PayPal.Me takes letters and numbers only. A name that's perfectly valid on one site can be rejected outright on the next.

That's why the same handle so often fails halfway through claiming it everywhere. Before you fall for a name, check it fits the strictest rules you'll meet: the shortest length limit on the platforms you care about, and characters every one of them accepts. The tester above does that in one go, and nothing is sent anywhere until you press Check.

Rules only tell you whether a name is allowed, not whether it's free. Once a name passes, run it through the username checker to see where it's still available, along with the matching .com domain.

Username limits FAQ

Quick answers to the most common questions.

Instagram usernames can be 1 to 30 characters long and can use letters, numbers, . and _. No consecutive periods; can't start or end with a period.

TikTok usernames can be 2 to 24 characters long and can use letters, numbers, . and _. Can't end with a period.

X (Twitter) usernames can be 1 to 15 characters long and can use letters, numbers and _.

YouTube usernames can be 3 to 30 characters long and can use letters, numbers, . - and _. Applies to @handles.

Threads usernames can be 1 to 30 characters long and can use letters, numbers, . and _. Always the same as your Instagram username.

Twitch usernames can be 4 to 25 characters long and can use letters, numbers and _.

Roblox usernames can be 3 to 20 characters long and can use letters, numbers and one _. One underscore at most, not at the start or end.

GitHub usernames can be 1 to 39 characters long and can use letters, numbers and -. Can't start or end with a hyphen; no double hyphens.

Telegram usernames can be 5 to 32 characters long and can use letters, numbers and _. Must start with a letter; no double underscores; can't end with _.

A name of 5 to 15 characters, using only letters and numbers and starting with a letter, meets the username rules on all 26 platforms on this page. Whether it's still available is a separate question: run it through the username checker to see.

Hacker News (15), X (Twitter) (15), Minecraft (16), Bluesky (18) have the shortest maximum lengths. If you want one handle everywhere, design it around those limits first.

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