Okay, so you're trying to register an Instagram username, but it says it's unavailable.
I know how frustrated you are because I was in the same boat. But, I knew the username was, in fact, available...
So what gives?
Jump to:
My story
I had two Instagram usernames registered (@bykelseysmith and @modernmartha). I wanted to swap the two usernames.
I changed @bykelseysmith to something different to free it up. I planned to quickly change @modernmartha to @bykelseysmith, but Instagram said the username was unavailable.
Skip ahead to find out why...
The long version
My blog name changed from Modern Martha to Kelsey Smith this summer. I knew for more than a year that I wanted to make this transition, so I reserved my new username on Instagram (@bykelseysmith) in advance with a dummy account.
I've done this previously in my professional career, so I knew this was possible.
I planned to change the username on the dummy account right before the swap so @bykelseysmith would become available, and then quickly change my main profile.
Unfortunately, it told me the Instagram username was not available, even though it clearly was.
I panicked. Did a bot still my username? The answer it seemed was no.
When I searched @bykelseysmith, no one had the username.
So what gives?
Here are a few possible reasons you can't register a username that appears available:
On Hold
When you change your username, Instagram reserves your old username for 14 days. This is just in case you decide to switch it back.
When you go to "Edit Profile" and tap into the username field, a message reads, "In most cases, you'll be able to change your username back to (blank) for another 14 days."
I previously reserved usernames in the same method I mentioned above and didn't have any issues, but Instagram implemented this 14 day hold early-to-mid 2019.
A commenter suggested that bots can quickly register usernames after they're abandoned. This is actually why Instagram implemented the 14-day hold rule.
According to WeRSM, there was indeed an issue with bots registering usernames immediately after they become available. This 14-day hold feature, though annoying to username swappers, gives users more security with their usernames.
That means though, if you're reserving a username like I did, you'll have to wait 14 days to make your final switch.
Better set a calendar alert.
Recently, I received a comment that said they received the message I shared above, but it said 12 days, not 14. So, which is it?
This article was originally written in October 2019, but as of June 2020, the message on my app still reads 14 days.
The truth is, Instagram changes its app constantly, and they often roll out updates to select groups of users as a test. If you receive a message that says 12 days, trust the app.
So, what happened to me, you ask?
After 14 days, I was able to register my old username on my main account.
Victory!
I set a calendar alert to remind myself because I didn't want a bot coming in and stealing my thunder. I was incredibly relieved when it worked.
Once my old username (@modernmartha) was freed up, I had to wait another 14 days to register it on my dummy account.
Why did I reserve my old username, you ask?
On my dummy account, now outfitted with my old username, I added a "moved" notice to the profile. This saves you for two reasons:
1: There may still be links floating around the internet to your old username. Since I'm a blogger and a YouTuber, I link my Instagram in every single video I upload.
2: Someone may manually look up your old username, so it's best to have a "redirect" of sorts in place.
I searched to see if Instagram has an anti-squatting policy that makes this against the rules, but I couldn't find any evidence that it is.
Deleted Username
Deleting an account removes the username from the pool of available usernames. If someone had that username registered at some point in time but deleted the account, it's possible that username has been taken off the market for good.
This is from Instagram's help website:
If your account was deleted by you or someone with your password, there's no way to restore it. You can create a new account with the same email address you used before, but you may not be able to get the same username.
via Instagram Help Center
Banned Username
Though unlikely, it's possible the username you are trying to use has been banned. I haven't read confirmation from Instagram, but this is the word on the street.
If a user is banned for bad activity, their username does not go back into the pool of available names.
I've read that deleted account usernames may also fall into this bucket. Or usernames containing blocked or inappropriate words.
This scenario really stinks because there's no way to confirm if the desired username is banned.
There does not seem to be a resolution if this is the case other than selecting a slightly different username. Try adding periods, numbers, underscores, or abbreviations.
It's In Use
Maybe triple check that username one more time to be sure it's not connected to an active account...
Your Stories
Share your success (or failure) story in the comments, and feel free to leave your Instagram link or username. I'm going to list anything that I think would be helpful to a wider audience below.
- @anestidest said he had an old account and a new account. He changed the username on the old account and then deleted the old account. After 14 days he was able to register the old username on the new account.
Check Out My Instagram Tutorials
Check out my Instagram tutorials, including how to use questions on Instagram Stories.
Nikunj Joshi says
Did you get the username available to you exactly after 336 hours or its 14 days meaning bang after midnight on the 14th day?
Kelsey Smith says
I did not time it to the hour, so I can't be sure.
Rachel says
My business account @/discoafterhours was randomly disabled or possibly deleted in April.
Had multiple hacking issues leading up to it, and was always notified of others trying to log in through email. One day I woke up and it was gone and couldn’t log in. Got no email from Instagram notifying me that it was disabled or deleted. I’ve tried to log in multiple times, it tells me my password is wrong, so I hit reset password, and it says my username doesn’t exist. Tried creating a new account with the same username and couldn’t because it was “taken”. I know they may do this because of accounts that went against the community guidelines, but I have sent multiple appeals with no response at all regarding this situation. Can’t even find out from Instagram if it was hacked or deleted by someone else, or disabled by Instagram themselves.
Any advice? I feel like I’ve tried everything. And their “policies” don’t line up with what happened.
Kelsey Smith says
There's really nothing you can do or any way to find out information about your situation without Instagram support. From what I've read, Instagram will tell you if it was a terms violation, so it sounds like that was not the case. This is the best form to use if you haven't already.
Crack_dove_64 says
Note warming insta help me
Vikas verma says
I have two accounts with different username, i want to swap username, how can i do it? Please help.
Kelsey Smith says
This post explains how to achieve this. Give it another read and that should help.
Kelly says
I did this and it's been longer than 14 days, but it still says it's not available. It's not taken when I search, so I wonder if they've changed the timing again but didn't update the message? My message still said 14 days.
Kelsey Smith says
I can't say for sure why that is happening, but I don't think they've changed the time frame.
Wiktoria says
I had the exact same issue and today I discovered someone took my name I was using for over 6 years. i wanted to start a fresh acc and waited 14 (ok) and when I tried to change it still declined. And it was like this every time I checked. And today I saw someone, with no posts, 3 followers and following 4 people has taken my username. I'm so angry rn at instagram
Kaemon says
Did you ever figure this out? This is the same situation I am having
Sara says
I want to change my username but instagram won't let me. I tried to change it but it says it is taken. Then I tried to make a new account with that exact username and it says it's available, but on my main account it is not. I really wanna change it with that one and I don't understand why it won't let me do so. Please help!
Kelsey Smith says
That is the first I've heard of this scenario. It's a risk, but you could secure the username with the new account and then try to do a 14-day username swap (like my story). It wouldn't be a sure thing though, and it would take time. I don't know why it would allow a username to be newly registered but not by your existing account.
Don Jordan says
Here is my story and it is so frustrating, I am a realtor, in 2013 I had the IG acct smartwayamerica but never really did anything there are 3 posts recently I decided to start doing IG but ofcourse cant remember my password, I have followed all the instructions , it says an email is sent to me at d*****[email protected]*****.com I have tried every email acct I have ever had that would match that, no luck so I decide to register a new acct using my full co name smartwayamericarealty it says it is taken BUT it is not, only thing I see is 2 hashtags using that name.. It just sucks there os no way to contact IG and get this workedout
Kelsey Smith says
Hey Don. Though it seems unlikely, it's possible someone used that full username smartwayamericarealty at some point and deleted the account. Deleted usernames cannot be restored. Your best bet is to keep trying to get access to your old smartwayamerica account. Don't forget to check your spam folder. Wish I could be of more help!
Adriel Ruiz says
I am trying to change username to a name that has never been taken but for some reason it keeps showing me error message even if i try to just edit any part of my profile. Bio or anything it shows error message. I don’t even have to change anything just every time i hit “edit profile” then hit “done” the error shows up. My first time ever trying to change the username this problem started. Do you know what i can do to fix this issue?
Kelsey Smith says
I'm not familiar with this issue. I wish I could be more helpful.
Tonsy says
I had this issue, i want to register a name that ends with .org as my website is.
Instagram keep telling me the name is taken but it is not. i don't know shall i still wait for 14 days, and if so, started from when? i checked and the name is not taken. but Instagram's rules are very weird.
Kelsey Smith says
The 14 day window only applies to usernames that have been recently changed. If the username continues to be unavailable even though no one uses it, it’s possible the previous owner deleted their account. Deleted usernames are not restored.
Corners says
for years I've been trying to get ahold of either @corn or @corners, @corners has been taken up by some random dummy spam account for years, while @corn has just sat unavailable with no clear account connected to it, I wonder if maybe it was used by a meme page or something which then got banned
Kelsey Smith says
That's possible. It's also possible the previous owner deleted the account. When accounts are deleted, the username is taken off the market.
Xander Culnane says
Hey Kelsey, so my account was deactivated and i am trying to put in a request to get it back. the only issue is its says my username is not in their records, do you know this issue. Thanks
Kelsey Smith says
Did you use the Temporary Disable Account feature or did you delete the profile? If you temporarily disabled it, you should be able to log in and re-enable it. But if you deleted it, it is my understanding that you cannot restore it.
Adam says
I deleted my account, but I wanted to make the same account with the same email/username. It says unavailable, but its available. Is there any information on when you delete it?
Kelsey Smith says
Deleting an account removes the username from the pool of available usernames. This is from Instagram's help website:
Javier says
Thank you very much for doing this blog. I did the exact same thing as you and was very worried. I changed the name of my main account to release it and put it in another account but Instagram told me that it was not available. Thanks to you, I have discovered the 14-day rule. I guess I'll set an alarm too. Again, Thank you very much.
Vikas verma says
I have got two accounts, i secure a username with my new account now i want to swap the username with my old account, what can i do, please help.
magdalena kolodziej says
Somebody has changed my username and I can’t get access to my account.
Nora says
Hi Kelsey, thank you for this very interesting post! I just need some help, unfortunately. I've been trying to get the username "mellova" for a while, but there's no account with that name, yet I can't get it. Here's the weird part: it has never been used before, I'm pretty sure? I used the wayback machine to see if something like that might have happened, but they didn't find anything! So I'm kind of lost 🙁
Kelsey Smith says
Hey Nora. I wish I knew more, but everything I know is shared in this post. I hope you are able to get your username one of these days.
Valentine says
It's possible that the user deactivated the account. I did this with my other account to reserve a username. So let's say I used "Mellova" as a username but deactivated, you still won't be able to use it.
radan says
so if we talking to support cant take this username?
John Queen says
I wanted to share my experience.
I asked an stranger if they would mind changing their name, which matched our business name. It is a 5 letter name. She very kindly agreed.
I patiently waited for 14 days after she changed her instagram name but no luck, I tried again everyday for the following days with no luck.
Today I could change it. It is 1 month after the initial name change. 29 June - 29 July.
As I didn't know the time of the initial name change I could not pay attention to it, I just tried it a couple times a day and it worked fine. I did not have any trouble with angry bots taking names or anything.
Hope it helps!
Kelsey Smith says
Thanks, John. This should give people who aren't able to secure a username after 14 days some hope.
Frida says
Hi baby, i had an account and i changed the name to put that name on my new account and it's not available, if i wait 1 month it'll be able to put that username on another account?
Ekene Ikwudogu says
Can you please check the situation with the username "ekene"? It is definitely available and there is no one on Instagram who has the name but I am unable to change my name to it. I've been observing the username for years and can tell you that the former person who has this username was ekene_07 and has been inactive since 2014. What might be the case with this account? The change and adjustment were fairly recent because I remember still seeing the username taken in 2021, and as you may know, it is nearly impossible to get any word back from Instagram after calling and emailing them. My current username is "eikwudogu" and I'm almost at the point of trademarking the name just to see if that may work, after all, it is available. It will definitely help to uplift my personal brand and persona on the platform. I'm eager to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
Kelsey Smith says
I've heard that when people terminate their accounts, sometimes Instagram takes the username off the market permanently. So, if the previous account holder of "ekene" deleted their account, that username may be unavailable permanently. I don't have any details on why they do this but it could explain why Instagram won't let you register it.
Ekene Ikwudogu says
Fast forward a year later. I got the username @ekene. Thanks for all your help! 🙂
Miller says
Hello, Kelsey Smith Thank you for your information. I tried one of the username many times form more than 6 months, but it still says, the username is not available. I tried to search that username by typing the URL. That account is not taken. It's still available, but it says it is not available, Can we say it's banned account? I reported it to Instagram last week but it's still not working.
Kelsey Smith says
If the person who previously used the username deleted their account, the username is out of commission permanently from what I've been told by other comments.
Miller says
Okay, Thank you!
Sofia Castegren says
SO USEFUL!!!! I had the same issue!! Now I know the answer 🙂
Sanne Smits says
I want to change my account to 'sewsmits', my initials and name, but is says it's taken for about a year now. If i search it, it doesn't come up with an account and the direct url gives this 'Sorry, this page isn't available. The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed. Go back to Instagram.'
I'm pretty sure the account is non-existent. Is there something, you know of, that I can try?
Kelsey Smith says
Hey Sanne! From what I understand, if the previous owner of that username was banned or deleted their account, the username is forever unavailable.
Shafeeya says
I changed my username name and waited for 14 days to get back my old username, when I type the old username I get a tick next to it which indicates that they name is still available. I tried checking it in various ways to findout it's still available. Now when I try to change it back I am getting "restriction message" from Instagram. What do I do?
Kelsey Smith says
What is the exact message you receive? I found a thread on Reddit of people who received a Restriction 49 message, and several people said the error stopped the next day.
Eli says
i'd like to change my username to something but it says its unavailable, i searched for it and couldnt find it, i tagged it and it said the user doesnt exist, i put it into an instagram url and it said it didnt exist, did the old user of the name get banned or something? It's a pretty simple name and I was surprised no one had taken it
Pol says
Hi Atem.
Thanks for your reply, appreciate it a lot! The username I am trying to change to is also 4 letters, and also wrote the exact time down. Hope the name becomes available like you said at the 28 days 🙂
Atem says
Alright good luck. Update us if you get it to work 🙂
J says
Hey Pol
were you finally able to get your username within the 28 days?
L says
Did you get it after 28 Days?
Amir says
hi dear, thanks for your guidance, actually that was my problem and you helped me.
I really liiiike you if visit my youtube channel so: @amirp10
Antonio says
Is it 14 days exactly at midnight on the 14th day or exact time yoj changed it on the 14th day? Ex: changed at 2PM so at 2PM on the 14th it is available?
Kelsey Smith says
Sorry Antonio, I didn't time it precisely, so I'm not sure.
Nyanda says
Thank you SO much for your post. What you did is exactly what I’m trying to do and it’s so nice to know I’m not the only one having an issue.
I’ll try and change it in 14 days (my message says 14). How frustrating though when you’re mentally ready for the change and can’t.
Instagram also does alpha and beta testing so even at the same point in time people could get different experiences. Not surprising some say 12/14 etc.
Atem says
Hey to answer your question and everyone who could not change their name after 14 days. I had the same issue lol. I waited for 28 days before it allowed me to change my name. Crazy right. You just gotta wait it out sometimes it takes more than 14 days which I’m not sure why. But as soon as 28 day hit, I was able to change my name back the exact minute and second which it was charged 28 days ago.
Kelsey Smith says
Whoa! 28 days is a long time, but I'm glad you persisted.
Pol says
I have the same problem and am in the third week (22 days). But, let's say I had account A with @a and account B with @b. I wanted the username of @a on the B account, and I had access to both accounts. After 15 days, I couldn't claim, so I tried to claim the username again on the A account. After 5 tries it let me change it back to the original username @a. I immediately changed the username back to something else, to check if I could claim on the B account but I couldn't. Now I'm scared the username is bugged out, and will never be claimed anymore.
Also when changing the username, it went from "this username isn't available" to "this username @a isn't available" which is one of my big concerns.
Atem says
Hey Pol. Give it 28 days and it should be able to work. What I’ve realized in my attempt in name changes is either you can change it after 14 days and if it Doesn’t work you’ll have to wait another 14 days making it 28 days. I don’t know if it’s a glitch with Indy but apparently it happens to a lot of people. You just have to be patient and wait it out. Also the name I got was a 4 letter name with an underscore and no bot was able grab it lol because I knew the exact time and second the name would be available to grab lol
L says
Hello atem
Was it not possible for you to the second 28 days, or was it possible from 00:00 after 28 days?
Thanks for your answer
Atem says
Hey Pol did you finally get your username to work ?
Travis says
Thanks to you I added an additional 14 days for the end time in my calendar lol. Hoping i don’t have to wait any longer than than 14 though. I’m 4 days away from my initial 14 days lol.
amanda says
my 14th day of waiting will be 5/6/21 - keep us updated!
Gianni Lozarus says
Hi Kelsey, I just come across this article and it may help my problem.
I just started an Instagram account for my Grandma's food business. It was going well until I misspelled the username. I can't change the username until two weeks is up, but the business will launch tomorrow. I have no choice to delete the account and create another new one. Fast forward, I created the second new account, but when I want to use the deleted account username, it was not available. I panicked because I can't find a solution to change the username. Until I read your article.
I felt assured that the deleted account's username might be on hold for two weeks. I hope this is true. For now, I'm using a temporary name with a "." until two weeks is up. I hope I can use the original username I intended to use.
Kelsey Smith says
Hi Gianni! I hope it becomes available, too. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.
Eliana says
Hi Kelsey, I have just come across your account because I cannot seem to find out, why I can´t create a new IG page with the desired username.
I want to create a IG page for my company. I have done lots of research for possible usernames and the ones that I proposed to my boss, are all free in terms of, there are NO accounts with these possible usernames. Now, that I wanted to go ahead and create the page, it says that the username we wanted to go ahead with, isn´t available. But upon another research run, I still cannot find ANY account that is even similar in writing, or the exact same.
Do you have an idea, what the issue can be here, as there is NO account with that exact username? I mean, it should be possible to look up a username when tiping it in the search bar, right? I tiped it in, on my phone, and on my laptop, but IG only suggest other accounts that come nowhere near to the same spelling.
Kelsey Smith says
Hi Eliana, The username could be banned/off-limits. It's possible someone had that name previously and their account was frozen or shut down. There's no way to know for sure. Try to contact Instagram support, but I'm under the impression it's difficult to get in touch. You'll most likely need to move forward with another name. Rather than typing usernames in the search bar for availability, it's better to go through the registration process to check availability.
Robert Bernstein says
None of this applies to me. I have almost zero interest in Instagram. I just want to look at one post. It says I need an account. But every single user name I have tried it claims is already taken. This is simply not possible. WTF?
Kelsey Smith says
Sounds like a glitch to me. I would try registering on both mobile and desktop and see if one lets you through.
Stephanie G Jaramillo says
Hi! So I'm actually having a completely different issue... So my user name was @stephinhighdef
and i just wanted to see how another name would look, just being curious so I changed it to the name I wanted to try out and didn't like as much so I went back to try and retrieve my original name (mind you this was all within like 5 minutes) and it said that the name was taken... So i went to search for it and some random dude with like 600 followers has it but how?? I'm pretty irritated and I don't know what exactly to do. Any suggestions? I wish I had done what you did with your dummy account but honestly I have no idea how someone would have taken it that fast, it has to be a bot right?
Eriquita says
I’m having the same issue. But when I search my old username, nothing comes up. Ugh. Hope you got yours back.
m b says
Did you ever figure anything out about this? I had basically the same thing, I registered an account and was setting it up when IG banned me out of nowhere. Was able to recover with a recovery phone number, but when I logged in different elements started disappearing one by one (profile picture, display name, etc) and now the display name is "Instagram User". (This is how it happened when I was legitimately banned for accidentally breaking the rules on a different account like a year ago). Instagram says they are reviewing the current ban because I challenged it. Meanwhile I search the username (that I'd just registered successfully moments earlier) and it's an established account with a ton of posts, a realistic bio, and like 900 followers. What gives? I figured I'd just modify the username and start over, and my account was immediately banned again. Now it's under the 24-hour review again.
Q says
My business partner accidentally set up a new account attached to his personal account. Is there a way to remove it from his personal account completely so it is solely under the new business name?
Kelsey Smith says
Sorry, I'm not sure I completely understand the details of what's going on. Can you provide a little more detail? I'll see if I can help.
Carolyn Unwin says
A very helpful article thank you! Unfortunately I made a mistake on an initial username and immediately tried to change it, but Instagram said that the username was unavailable immediately (I really don't think so because it looked totally available to me & was quite unusual). Now even though I've waited way more than 2 weeks, everytime I retry it keeps saying it's unavailable. So frustrating that an initial slip of the keyboard seems to have permanently locked out my desired name. I would really appreciate if you could let me know the best way to reach out to support. Do they actually have support!!?
Kelsey Smith says
Hi Carolyn! Sorry to hear that, that's a bummer. Here are instructions from Instagram about how to report a problem. I wasn't able to find a direct email address.
Gabriel says
Is there any news about why after 14 days Instagram keeps holding the username you want to change? 16 days have passed and I still can't change it, I read that others have had the same problem
Kelsey Smith says
Thanks for your DM on Instagram. I do not know why Instagram is not releasing usernames after 14 days.
J says
so i have a long story please help me out, i have always wanted this username since 2018, i kept texting that person but they were inactive so i texted their family friends whom they followed and requested them to inform the og person whom i wanted the username of.
it took about 2 months for all the communication but on 21 Aug they changed their username, due to the 14 day rule thing i waited, after 14 days today being 4th i tried filling it in, yet it says its unavailable :(((
i have been waiting 2 years for this username and yet i cant get it, pls pls help
Kelsey Smith says
Sorry J, I don't have an answer. Several people have left comments similar to yours, and it's unclear why Instagram is holding back usernames.
L says
Does it work now?
Alek Zavala says
Is there ANY chance that a username is on hold for more than 14 days? I got someone else to change their username so that I could use it and I waited EXACTLY 14 days, and the minute the 14 days were up it still didn’t allow me to take it. It’s been days since and there’s no active accounts with the name. I try everyday but it won’t let me. The name wasn’t anything bad it was normal name from a normal user.
Kelsey Smith says
I haven't heard of anyone having success at that point -- but I can only speak from my experience and those shared in the comments.
J says
I HAVE THE SAME STRUGGLE PLS TELL EM IF YOU FIND A SOLUTION
Isaac says
Something really weird happened to me, I didn't know if I should use "_" for my account, I did and then I wanted to have the whole name without it, and I checked before and both were available, and now I can't, but I never used the name. What happened! It's a really weird name so i don't think anybody would use it.
Kelsey Smith says
Sorry Isaac, I haven't run into this issue before.
P Tucker says
Hi Kelsey, thanks for this post. I'm trying to update my IG profile info, since I registered my username ages ago and haven't used IG until now. I haven't touched my username, just added photo, bio, etc.
But when I click "submit," I get an auto-response that my username isn't available and that I should choose another. My username is my unique name, and when I search IG for that name, I'm the only one who comes up. I really don't want to choose another username since this one is unique to me.
I'm baffled. There seems to be no way to ask IG directly about this problem. Any ideas?
Kelsey Smith says
Hmm. That's so weird that it's trying to force you into a new name. Have you tried editing your profile on both mobile and desktop? That's the only thing I can think of.
V4N5H says
I have the same problem!
Alicia says
Is the 14 days counted down to the hours/minute/second? Or you can only change it on the 15th day? (Past midnight..?) When after the 14 days did u manage to change the name back?
Kelsey Smith says
There is no counter, that would be lovely. I was able to change mine on day 14 from my own count.
Rob says
Here’s a humdinger for you.. someone with the username I wanted was kind enough to vacate it for me so that I could take it (14 days later)... but after those 14 days it still says it is unavailable. It’s now been 15 days and still no luck, and I know that it hasn’t been taken - because it says “This Instagram name isn’t available”... whereas if I was to try and take a username that is in use it shows the message “This Instagram username isn’t available. Please try another one”.
If you have any pearls of wisdom I’d love to hear them, because I’m pulling my hair out at this point haha!
Thanks.
Kelsey Smith says
I wish I had wisdom to share on this one! I tried searching "This Instagram name isn’t available" in quotes, and there are zero results for that exact phrase. My only thought is the person didn't actually release it when they said they did... but it sounds like that's unlikely since you probably saw the change.
Emma says
Hey! I’m in the exact same situation right now. Owner switched to a new username, we waited 14 days (until it didn’t show up on her profile anymore), but now it still says it’s unavailable.
It’s clearly not taken and just seems inaccessible for whatever reason - have you had any luck since this post?
Josh says
has anyone in this thread had any more luck with obtaining the usernames?
J says
SAME PLS TELL IF YOU FIND OUT
R. H. says
similar thing happened to me
i reserved a username on my second account
i changed it more than 2 weeks ago because i want to use that name on my main accout
16 days later, i still can't use that username
i can't even use that name on my 2nd account anymore
and i know that noone took that name
Alshammaa says
did you have the ability to get your username back even after it being lost after the 14 day period because I am facing the same issue as well. Thank you
Diana says
Hi there,
I find myself in a similar situation, when the person who held the username i wanted agreed to vacate it for me; I have waited exactly 14 days to make sure the username isn't taken by someone else the second it gets available - however I couldnt change mine into this new one. It appears that it is not used by someone else either. It's been more than a month already.
Anyway, I have reported this problem through the app, although I highly doubt they would even consider answering my query 🙁 If someone finds out how to troubleshoot this, would be much appreciated!
jennifer omigie says
I had my business name, I tried creating an account the name was available. In the process of creating the account I received an error message and the name is no longer available. I have done multiple searches and I can’t see the username in use which is quite confusing.
Priyanshu Sharma says
Thnks for This Information, Kelsey
Neil says
I've been going back and forth with this problem for a few years now, I often get frustrated in launching my business on social media because i cannot get my company name on Instagram. I've been hammering away at them regarding my company name, with or without dots and underscores but none are available but aren't taken. I find it frustrating and confidence sapping.
Kelsey Smith says
My only guess is someone had that username and was banned. But that's just a guess. I checked what alternates I could come up with for @devmatters and found @dev.matters and @dev_matters are both available to register. I hope that helps.
Sayna says
This was so incredibly helpful, I googled how to swap instagram usernames out of pure frustration, and your post pulled through! 🙂
I've set my reminder for 14 days time. Thank you for sharing.
Travis says
Lol me too. There’s hope for me afterall. Set a reminder for 14 days and just hoping it actually works when I try again on that day. 🤞🏼
Cryptiant says
So how to make sure that the username is on hold
Ross says
Thank you for the article!
Karen says
so were you able to change into your new username after the 14 days? I'm having the same issue, so I want to know if my previous one would be made available after 2 weeks. Thanks!
Kelsey Smith says
Yes, I was.
K says
I am trying to get a username which it is saying is not available. When I search for that username as profile link it shows page not exists. It means that it has not been registered yet. How to get more information on this.
Kelsey Smith says
Hi K. As my article mentioned, it's possible this username is currently in an on-hold period (perhaps someone recently abandoned this name) or it could be permanently unavailable for other reasons mentioned in the article (banned user, etc).
Joe karam says
This is really frustrating, I'm facing the same issue...
I tried changing from A to B on my first account, then back to A on the same account and it worked instantaneously. So, I decided to change A back to B and use A on my second account, unfortunately it did not work.
ALSO, changing B back to A did not work! so what gives
Kelsey Smith says
The only thing I can think of (and this is just a guess) is that Instagram saw the activity as suspicious and put the usernames on hold. Try again in 12-14 days (someone in the comments said they received an alert that it was 12 days for them) is the only suggestion I have. I hope you can switch your usernames soon!
Edie says
I'm trying to sign up for a new Instagram account and I've entered 6 different usernames and each time it comes back saying "this username isn't available - please try another. The 6 I tried are quite unique and contained letters and numbers. What am I doing wrong?
Kelsey Smith says
At this point in time, there are 1 billion monthly active users, and even more accounts that are inactive, so it's possible they are taken, or there's inadvertently an off-limits word in your username (probably not, but just trying to spitball here), or the names you're trying to register are blacklisted for other reasons.
Richard says
The instruction inside the Instagram app says that it'll hold your username available for 12 days. Are they just being safe and it's actually released at exactly 14 days, like you say in this article?
Thx!
Kelsey Smith says
Hi, Richard! It is possible Instagram has changed its policy. At the time I made my username switch late last year, the message in-app read “In most cases, you’ll be able to change your username back to (blank) for another 14 days.” If you received a different message in the app, I would trust that message as being more current.
Amy says
Hi! I have the same case as you have and I have waited for 14 days too. However, my username is still unavailable. Do you know what I should do? Or should I go to the help center and report this?
Kelsey Smith says
I'd so go ahead and reach out to support, I don't know how responsive they are, so it could take a while to hear back from them, or you may only get an automated reply even if you do get a response. Have you checked to see if someone else has registered whatever name you're trying to switch to? Hopefully, that is not the case, which would be a good sign.
Malcolm T Pinckney says
Hey, I had someone change their name on instagram so that I could have the name for my brand. They did it and this is the 15th day and it's saying still that it is unavailable. I have been searching to see if a bot has taken it and it hasn't. I don't know what to do.
Kelsey Smith says
Hey Malcolm! My only suggestion would be to contact Instagram support if possible.
Pol says
Hello Malcolm, I am facing the same problem at the moment. At 15 days I still cannot change my username to that one username I changed 15 days ago. Also no one has claimed it yet.
I was wondering if you solved it. Thanks.
Running man says
Let me know if you every figured this out. I’m in the same Situation, I got someone to change it and they’re still active with a different user but my name is saying unavailable, it’s freaking me out😭
kai says
im dealing with the same issue but its been more than 2 weeks and it still says that its not available i dont know what to do
Kelsey Smith says
If it's been more than the 14 day period, and it's still not working, I don't have any advice. I'm sorry, I wish there was a way to submit a ticket to Instagram or talk to someone over there.
kai says
the girl was able to put it back so i told her to change it again to see if i'd be able to put it and it worked, thank you tho.
Alanis says
Well, I've waited for freaking 5 years to catch that nickname. Finally, the account owner gave me an answer: yes, you can have my username. I tried to switch names between two accounts and then got this rule about 14 days. It reminds me about The Ring Movie and VCR which able to kill you after watch after 7 days since you watched it.
So I have 3 days on the account with an original username. I'm SO nervous to change it for my second account. I will tell you what happen next.
Vicky says
Hi! I have just experienced the same thing with the username being unavailable. So, by the time I changed my old username to my new one, it should be 14 days to get my old username back?
Kelsey Smith says
Instagram holds your old username for 14 days. So if your username was A, and you changed your account to be called B, you would have a 14-day window to switch back to A before Instagram releases the username. But, if you're in a situation like I was where I had two separate accounts, and I was trying to use one account to reserve a username, I had to wait 14 days to try to nab the username on my second account.
Taylor says
Thank you for the info! How do you know and ensure that bots won’t snag it as soon as it comes up after the 14 days?
Kelsey Smith says
As far as I know, there is no way to prevent a bot from snagging a username.
cryptiant says
How do I ensure that Instagram holds it
Kelsey Smith says
If you give up a username, it will automatically be held for 14 days. At the end of this period, it is released and open for anyone to register it.
sachin says
Hi ma'am i have done the steps i have waited for 14 days and i tried to do it again but it did not work and i checked that has someone taken the name, but no one has taken the name, no what to do?
Kelsey Smith says
Everything I know is included in this blog post. Sorry that I'm not able to be more helpful. Best of luck!
Running man says
Did you ever figure it out? Because I’m in the same boat
Adriano says
Same here…
Namrata Tanwar says
i changed my username by mistake and now i want my old username on the same account but when i tried that it showed the 14 day hold but wouldn't let me change it back
Kelsey Smith says
I'm sorry, I'm not sure why Instagram wouldn't allow you to switch back if you're within the 14 day window.
Shubh says
Hi ma'am. I recently accidentally changed my username and I wanted to change it back today itself. But it shows this username isn't available. As you said you can reserve the username on a second account, I couldn't understand how that works. Could you please explain how to do it so my username is safe and I can get it back after 14 days. I'm really worried.
Kelsey Smith says
Hi there! When you change your username, it's on reserve for 14 days for the original account. You should be able to get the username back if you change it within 14 days.
The second account situation is a totally different thing, that's related to username swapping.
Shea Benson says
I was trying out a different username on my account It didn't look good so I tried to switch back to the original a min later to find Instagram username not available. I looked on Instagram and cannot find this username anywhere. This is the same account I was not trying to switch accounts or anything I have never been banned or anything of that nature either.