Got a Handle on YouTube’s Latest? Here’s Help

Say goodbye to long, ugly YouTube channel links. YouTube has introduced personalized handles to the masses.

What exactly is a YouTube handle?

Your YouTube handle is a unique identifier, or the personalized portion of your channel URL. As with other social platforms, it’s preceded by the @ symbol. The handle name eases the process for others to search for, engage with or tag you within YouTube.

In most social platforms, the @ symbol is omitted from the channel URL, but YouTube handles it differently: The @symbol is retained within your channel name, which is formatted as follows:

https://www.youtube.com/@yourhandle

So, your channel name is the full URL string shown above, and your handle is the @yourhandle portion.

While multiple YouTube channels may have the same channel name, a handle is unique, easing the process for users to confirm that they're engaging with the intended person.  

Is your channel eligible for a personalized handle?

Previously, a custom YouTube URL was available only to channels with 100 or more subscribers. That restriction has been removed; now all channels will have a unique URL based on their personalized handle. Your handle will be used by others to tag you, and to identify you in YouTube when you make comments.

YouTube has been notifying channel owners of the ability to choose a personalized handle name. For those channels which have not created a new handle, YouTube will begin assigning handle names in mid-November 2022. Because there are literally billions of YouTube channels, the process may take some time. The timing for updating your handle will be based on your channel presence and level of YouTube activity.

What’s the process to create your YouTube handle?

YouTube is enabling channels to select their personalized handle based on various factors, including “overall YouTube presence, subscriber count and whether the channel is active or inactive.” Creators will be notified when they are able to choose a personalized handle. When you select your unique handle, YouTube will create a matching URL — structured as youtube.com/@yourhandle.

If you already have a personalized URL for your channel, YouTube will automatically create your default handle — but you can opt to modify the handle portion if desired.

In fact, YouTube handles are not permanent. All YouTube channel owners have the ability to edit their YouTube handles. Details at youtube.com/handle.

Pointers for choosing your YouTube handle

There’s no way to overstate the importance of a meaningful and memorable business name. A well-honed, succinct and intuitive name can be used online to increase your visibility (and findability) across multiple social platforms.

Our company name, Online Amplify, shares our key deliverable for our clients — increasing their visibility on the web. Our YouTube handle https://www.youtube.com/@onlineamplify, easily meets the YouTube character limitations. In YouTube, the handle (or personalized part of your channel address) is limited to 30 characters.

In some cases, your web address (or URL) may differ from your business name, such as a very common name (Premier Painters, for example) or a franchisee site. In these cases, your desired YouTube handle may not be available, and you’ll need to modify your handle in some way. To optimize your presence on YouTube, seek creative naming alternatives, and strive for consistency with your other social channels and your website URL.

Ready to dig into YouTube?

Here are a few resources that you may find useful:

• YouTube’s announcement introducing handles.
• More details about your personal handle status can be found at youtube.com/handle.
• Once you get active on YouTube, it’s important to optimize your YouTube videos with cards and end screens. Check out our tutorial post (and video).
• And here’s the full scoop on YouTube handles, directly from the source:

Want more tips on using YouTube and other social media to optimize your online presence?

Check out our blog and YouTube tutorials, or