How to Change Your Xbox Gamertag

Every Xbox account gets one free gamertag change. From the second change onward, Microsoft charges a fee — $9.99 in the US, with regional pricing elsewhere. The purchase happens inside the change flow itself, so you will see the price before anything is charged.

If you were assigned an auto-generated gamertag when you created the account (common for accounts made during Game Pass sign-ups), the first proper change is still free.

Press the Xbox button to open the guide. Go to Profile & system, select your profile, then My profile. Choose Customize profile, then select your current gamertag. Enter the new name and pick Check availability.

If the name is taken, Xbox offers it with a numeric suffix (shown as small numbers after your name, like #1234). You can accept the suffix or keep trying different spellings until you find one that is fully free.

In the Xbox mobile app: tap your profile picture, open your profile, then look for the customize or change-gamertag option. On the web, sign in at xbox.com and open your profile settings — Microsoft also runs a dedicated change-gamertag page on its social site.

Whichever surface you use, the free-once rule tracks your account, not the device. Changing on mobile uses up the same free change as changing on console.

Your friends list, game saves, achievements, and Game Pass subscription all stay attached to your account — nothing resets. Friends see the new gamertag automatically, though people who knew you by the old name may not recognize you until you tell them.

Some older games cache your gamertag and may show the old one until you relaunch them. If you stream or play in clans, update your Discord nickname and roster entries so the identity stays consistent.