Change Your YouTube Channel URL Easily

You can change the custom URL of your YouTube channel within a minute by following the below steps.

You will feel like no proper URL appears on your channel URL, like the below image.

Don’t worry. I will explain here how to change it to a readable channel URL name from a non-readable URL.

Generally, the channel URL is nothing but the web link address of your channel. When someone clicks it, it will redirect them to your channel.

Mentioning your channel URL on different platforms, such as Instagram, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, helps boost your channel traffic 3X to 4X.

So, let’s see how to change your YouTube channel’s custom URL.

How To Change YouTube Channel URL

Recently, YouTube launched a new feature called Handles, which helps to change or add the custom name URL for your channel within a few seconds.

In a nutshell, handles is the place to add or change the profile name URL of the channel that appears in the web link URL. Also, note here that the handle name is not the channel name.

If you want to know more about the channel name and how to change it, read the article below.

How To Change Channel Name on YouTube: Desktop & Mobile

Let’s look at the step-by-step process of changing the channel URL using YouTube Handles.

1) Channel Customization

Step 1 is to enter into your channel dashboard and click the customization option on the left-hand sidebar, like the image below.

Now, switch over to the “Basic Info” tab.

2) Change URL by YouTube Handle

When you scroll down a little bit, here you will see the option called Handle.

For instance, if this is the first time you’re seeing the Handle means, YouTube will automatically pick & select the channel URL name for your channel.

However, you will see some text on the handle, and this is where you need to change and write the expected name that needs to appear on your channel URL.

If you’re okay with that handle name, don’t touch anything, and copy the URL mentioned at the bottom of the handle box. That’s all your channel’s custom URL. Refer to the below image.

Otherwise, you can change it as you wish. For example, here is my channel; YouTube already picked my channel handle, and it’s something like the one above in the picture.

But I don’t want to use these numbers after my channel name, so I deleted those and kept my channel name as I wanted in the Handle box.

Unfortunately, if someone chose your channel name, then you need to create a new & unique name. Right now, in my case, it’s available. As you have seen in the above image, the message shows on the right side as “Handle available,” in my case.

Note: These handle names are unique for each YouTube channel. Two different YouTube channels don’t have the same handle name.

Finally, you can see the URL https://www.youtube.com/@strangershow in the above image. It is my custom URL on YouTube.

Once you change the YouTube URL, click the PUBLISH button.

3) Verify Handle

Once you have completed the above steps, you can recheck or verify that the handle name is reserved for you. All you need to do is click here and see the success message of your channel, like the below image.

Handle additional or Custom URL suggestion Page on YouTube

Also, if you want to change the Handle from here, click the Change Handle button and repeat Step No: 2.

Finally, I hope you’ve completed the above steps without any issues. If you’ve faced any problems, kindly let me know in the comments section or ping me through my email.

Also read,

How To Verify YouTube Account: 2-minute Process

Bonus Tips

Generally, there are no requirements to create a custom channel URL. You can do it from day 1 of your channel creation.
You are allowed to change the handle’s name twice every 14 days.
A custom URL is also known as an additional URL
Apart from the custom URL, the standard channel URL is available, and we can’t modify it.

FAQ of Changing YouTube URL

1) What is YouTube Handle?

YouTube Handle is the concept of a profile name, like a username on Twitter. An easy way for audiences to find the channel effortlessly on YouTube.

2) How do I access YouTube Handle and change my URL?

Go to https://www.youtube.com/handle and change Handle. This way, it will change your channel’s custom URL.

3) Will YouTube redirect my old URL to a newly changed URL?

Suppose you’ve given your old handle name URL on any promotion page and recently changed the new handle name. That means no problem. If today, any user clicks that old handle name custom URL on YouTube; it will redirect to your channel without any Page not found, 404 Error page. Cool!

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