YouTube now lets you change your channel name without changing your Google account

YouTube creators now have the option of having a channel name different than their Google account's display name.

YouTube  (Shutterstock)

YouTube is finally allowing creators to change their channel name and profile picture without affecting their Google account. YouTube creators will now be able to have a channel name and profile picture that is different from what is shown on their Google account. Until now, changing your YouTube channel name or profile picture would reflect on your Google account as well, and on Gmail.

The new update will be helpful for creators who want to keep only one Google account for YouTube, Gmail and other services. Now creators will not have to create another Google account just for YouTube because of the channel name issue. There is a big catch though. YouTube creators who have the verification badge will lose it if they change their channel name, The Verge reported.

YouTube creators will have to apply for the verification badge again if they choose to change their channel name after this update. This may disappoint creators who already have the verified badge on their YouTube channels. But others without the badge will not be affected by this change. Personal YouTubers and brand accounts can start changing their channel names now. YouTube is rolling out this feature today, and the decision comes as it's one of the most requested features by creators.

How to change your YouTube channel name

Open YouTube Studio on desktop.

Scroll down the menu bar, and select customization.

Select ‘Basic info' and tap on the pencil icon to change your channel name.

On mobile, tap on your profile picture.

Tap on ‘Your channel', and select edit channel.

Once here, tap on the pencil icon to change your channel name.