Whatever your reasoning, finding out how to assess your WhatsApp username isn’t necessarily as easy as it sounds, and so – whether you use WhatsApp on the PC or mobile app – all you need to do to find your WhatsApp username is to follow our simple tutorials below.
Essentially, there’s not really any such thing as a username on WhatsApp, but the closest thing to it is your registered phone number, which we’ll explain how to find, alongside what you’re probably thinking of when you think of your username – your display name.
For additional information, and any unanswered queries, see our FAQs at the end of this article.
Table of Contents
How to find your WhatsApp number and display name on the mobile app
- Open up the WhatsApp app on your mobile or tablet device, and if prompted, sign in
- Now, from the main screen, tap the three vertical dots in the upper-right corner
- From the drop-down menu, select ‘Settings’
- Now, tap on where you see your profile picture and name at the top
- You’ll be taken to your ‘Profile’ page, and can see your ‘Name’, ‘About’ section, and ‘Phone’ (your registered phone number). Below ‘Name’, you’ll see a message: “This is not your username or pin.” As we discussed in the introduction and FAQs, there’s not really any such thing as a WhatsApp username, there’s only your registered phone number (which you can see here, and change if you need to) and your display name
- If you want to edit your number, tap on it and follow the on-screen instructions
- If you want to edit your display name, tap the ‘Edit’ icon (pen-shaped) next to your name, and then type in your new name, followed by tapping ‘Save’
How to find your WhatsApp display name on the desktop app
- Open up the WhatsApp app on your PC, and if prompted, sign in
- Now, from the main screen, tap the three horizontal dots in the upper-left corner
- From the drop-down menu, select ‘Profile’
- You’ll be taken to your ‘Profile’ page, and can see your ‘Name’, and ‘About’ section. Below ‘Name’, you’ll see a message: “This is not your username or pin.” As we discussed in the introduction and FAQs, there’s not really any such thing as a WhatsApp username, there’s only your registered phone number (which you can see on the mobile app only, and change there if you need to) and your display name
- If you want to edit your display name, tap the ‘Edit’ icon (pen-shaped) next to your name, and then type in your new name, followed by tapping ‘Save’
And there you have it! Whilst there’s not really any such thing as a WhatsApp ‘username’, there is still your registered mobile number and display name, both of which you can find and edit on the mobile app (whilst on the desktop app you can only find and edit your display name).
To get more in-depth, and additional information regarding your WhatsApp account, we recommend that you ‘Request account info’ by navigating on the mobile app thusly: Menu > Settings > Account > Request account info > Request (the process of receiving this information can then take about 3 days.
For any additional information or any unanswered queries, please see our FAQs below.
Frequently asked questions
What is WhatsApp?
WhatsApp is one of the world’s leading and most popular instant messaging (IM) social networking apps, now owned and operated by Facebook. WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption on chats, meaning that your conversations with friends, family, and colleagues are kept safe and private.
WhatsApp allows you to connect with anyone who has the app via their mobile numbers, provided you have a connection to the internet. Through WhatsApp, you can create and join groups, created for special occasions, or just to keep grouped together a particular group of friends, or a household, say.
You can connect with as many people as you like through WhatsApp, in as many different combinations of groups, and luckily, all of your conversations and their histories can easily be backed up to the cloud, meaning even if you were to lose or break your phone, you could still retrieve your WhatsApp conversations when you next were able to.
What is my WhatsApp username?
Your WhatsApp username is technically your registered phone number since this is what your contacts and new friends will add you on the app using. However, what you’re probably thinking of is your display name, which is the name you set when you first set up your WhatsApp account, and it is the name that your friends will generally see whenever they start a conversation with you, search for you in the app, or get messaged by you.
However, your friends will not see your display name if they have previously saved your phone number (which WhatsApp requires in order for you to use it) under a different name (a nickname say). In other words, your mobile phone contacts will see you on WhatsApp with the name they’ve saved you as on their phone, outside of the app.
Your display name will still display on your WhatsApp profile, however, and will be visible to those who have not yet saved your number in their phonebook.
Why would I need to find out what my WhatsApp display name is?
You’ll want to find out what your display name is so that you can tell other people – allowing them to search for you more easily, and also to know who it is they’re talking to if, for example, you’ve given yourself a silly or strange WhatsApp display name that doesn’t necessarily correspond or bear any relation to your real name.
It’s also just handy to know how and where to see your WhatsApp username, should you wish to change it at any point in the future. But remember, the closest thing to a username on WhatsApp is your registered phone number.
Can I change my WhatsApp display name?
Yes, absolutely. To do so, you simply have to follow the tutorial above, and when you get to the page on the WhatsApp app with your display name and phone number and profile picture, tap the little pen-shaped ‘Edit’ icon to edit your name.
WhatsApp will let you know if there is anything prohibiting you from changing your display to your new input name; otherwise, you can go ahead and confirm the change, and you’ll have successfully changed your WhatsApp display name. There is no limit to how many times, or how often you can do this.
You can also change your registered phone number, but to do so is more complicated. To begin the process, tap on your phone number in the Profile section of Settings, and follow the on-screen instructions to change your registered number (AKA username).
