Discord Profiles Are Getting A Twitter Makeover: What Users Should Know

Discord is overhauling the platform's username and display name system, making it fall more in line with social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Specifically, Discord wants to eliminate the four-digital numerical identifiers at the end of each username and solve the confusion stemming from case-sensitive names. While the initiative seems positive, it also happens to be mandatory for all users across the globe, with a bit of extra love reserved for long-time Discord users.

The new username format on Discord will only be alphanumeric without any number identifier. Moreover, the format only accepts lowercase letters and supports only two special characters — a period (.) or an underscore (_) — to make things easier for everyone. Discord will still allow users to change their username but warns that it shouldn't happen "too frequently."

So, if your previous username was ZeBra#0987, Discord will want you to change it to something more linear and easy-to-remember variation, such as @zebra0987. The company argues that "they'll be much easier to remember, verbalize and share with your friends." However, remember that each username still has to be unique, which means you might have to try a few variations that haven't already been taken.

Next in line is the display name format, which can be anything of your liking. You can play with space, emojis, special characters, and non-Latin characters. The display name is how you will be visible in your community interactions. But unlike the username, Discord will let users change their display name as frequently as they want. Or, as the company puts it, "even minute to minute."

It is also worth noting here that Discord is asking users to adjust their username as per the new policy, but the display name will remain more or less the same. The only difference is that moving ahead, the default display name will be your old username, but without the four-digit numerical identifier at the end. So, if your old username was ZeBra#0987, the display name will default to ZeBra.

Finally, if you happen to be a member of a Discord community, the server nickname will be your primary identifier instead of the display name. Discord users will get an in-app prompt in the coming weeks, notifying them about the new policy to change their username to adhere to the new format. The tweak will be rolling out in a phased manner spanning the next few months. However, if you've been a Discord loyalist for a long time, you will get priority to pick a username of your choice.