What Does an Instagram Handle Mean?

In case you’ve never heard of a handle, you may be wondering what it is. In informal English, a handle is commonly known as a nickname. This brings us closer to what we are looking for.

Instagram handles are the names that individuals use as the address of their Instagram accounts. You can find them under your profile as the part after the @ sign. This feature is similar to a unique link to a user’s Instagram profile. Two accounts with the same handle cannot exist at the same time.

The handle you use for your IG account can be your real name, a nickname, or any other combination of letters and numbers that you want. The number of characters that can appear in your username is limited to 30.

If you are searching for other people on the platform, you can use their Instagram handles to find them.

How to Create a Catchy IG Handle

• Keep it short. Even though you can use up to 30 characters to create your handle, make it short. The ideal handle should have 5-10 characters.
• Keep it simple. You want your handle to be easy for other people to find you on IG, so keep it simple. Having a handle that’s easy to remember will help people find your Instagram account quickly.
• Use domain-related keywords. You can also use terms that have a specific meaning in your field of activity. It may be a good idea to add ‘tech’ to your handle, for example, if you are promoting your tech blog.

Can You Use Special Characters in Your Instagram handle?

Special characters cannot be used in your Instagram handle. Only letters, numbers, periods, and underscores can be used. In case you use symbols or other punctuation marks in your handle, Instagram will prompt you to change to a handle that does not contain those characters.

What Happens When You Change Your Instagram Handle?

If you get bored with your current handle, you can change it at any time. It is important to keep in mind, however, that external URLs containing your handle will not redirect to your new handle.

It is for this reason that changing your handle is not a good idea, especially if you intend to use IG for business purposes.