How to get the Twitter username you REALLY want

Facebook averages over 1.6 billion active users and Instagram over 400 million. 

But even though Twitter claims the third spot with 320 million active users, it is the international powerhouse. More than three-quarters of its users live outside the United States and with a platform supported by 35 languages, it's arguably the easiest way to see what’s going on in the world in real time.

Twitter launched in 2016 and unless you were one of the first to sign up, it's unlikely that you have the username (or @handle) you really want. 

That’s because Twitter distributes usernames to the first person who requests them, and then prohibits their resale. Now, eleven years after the service’s launch, it has become extremely difficult to secure short handles without resorting to the inclusion of middle initials, dashes, numbers, or abbreviations. 

If the handle you want is taken, there are ways to negotiate with its owner to transfer it to you. Twitter will help in the case of impersonation or trademark violations. And, despite Twitter’s prohibition, there is an unsanctioned secondary market.

Here’s everything you need to know to get the best new Twitter handle or upgrade your current one:

Is the username available?

You can use a service like Namevine to check whether the username you want is taken and test out different variations.

Know your limits

You probably aren’t going to get a one-letter account name, your first name, or an extremely popular noun in the absence of Twitter ruling that it represents trademark infringement - particularly if it’s an active account. So be realistic.

If the username you want is taken

Try just asking and being nice.

This should be the first step, regardless of the status or situation of the username. If you have a good reason to use a handle, the current holder might be willing to give it up or swap. 

Check for signs of life

If the holder of a username isn’t actually using the account, Twitter could potentially make the handle available. 

Twitter says that in order to keep an account active, a user needs to log in and tweet at least once every six months, or risk permanently losing an account.

But Twitter’s standards for inactivity can be more complicated than tweets alone. The company also says: “Inactivity is based on a combination of tweeting, logging in, and the date an account was created. Please note that you may not be able to tell whether an account is currently inactive, as not all signs of account activity are publicly visible.”

So an account might appear unused, but someone might be an active reader of others tweets. Twitter might also not want to delete an account that’s less than a year old without giving someone a chance to use it again.

Know the Twitter rules

One important rule when it comes to getting hold of a handle is that Twitter doesn’t sanction 'buying handles': “Attempts to sell, buy, or solicit other forms of payment in exchange for usernames are also violations and may result in permanent account suspension.”

The company is serious about the idea that accounts come on a 'first come, first served' basis, except for instances of abuse. That doesn’t mean that such transactions don’t happen. 

Set up alerts to know when Twitter releases inactive usernames

If you’re waiting for an account to become available, there are a couple of services that promise to keep track of usernames for you and alert you if they become open. 

Tweetclaims is a service which claims to have helped users secure names like @beer, @autos, @launch, and @chat. A free version checks once a day to see if the username you want is available, and the $20 (£16) per year service will check every 30 minutes. 

Twitter Counter offers a similar free email alert service, but you have to go through a lengthy set-up process and provide contact details. 

While Twitter’s rules mean it can be hard to tell whether an account is inactive, there is evidence of many accounts seemingly lying dormant for years.

More impatient people can submit requests to Twitter’s support team, but there’s no guarantee of success or a response.