How to Change Your Substack Handle (Step-by-Step Guide)
Guide to changing your Substack publication handle — your {handle}.substack.com subdomain and substack.com/@{handle}.
Why Change Your Substack Handle?
Your Substack handle is both your subdomain and your @handle. Changing it can help you:
- Match your Patreon/Medium/X handle for a consistent writer brand
- Move to a shorter newsletter URL people can type
- Rebrand after a publication name change
- Claim a premium subdomain the moment it frees up
- Fix a handle with an underscore (not allowed — hyphens only)
📋 Step-by-Step: How to Change Your Substack Handle
- 1
Open Substack Settings
Sign in at substack.com, click your publication → Settings → Publication.
- 2
Edit Publication URL
Find the subdomain / handle field — this controls both {handle}.substack.com and @handle.
- 3
Check availability
Enter 3-30 chars: letters, numbers, hyphens (-). No leading/trailing hyphen, lowercase.
- 4
Confirm
Save. Your new subdomain is live — old subdomain links will redirect for a period but update them everywhere.
Comprueba si tu nombre de usuario está disponible
Enter a username and get alerted the moment it becomes available on any platform.
⚠️ Important Things to Know
🔗 Two URLs, one handle
Changing the handle changes both {handle}.substack.com and substack.com/@{handle} together.
🚫 No underscores
Substack bans underscores (_) — use hyphens (-) or plain letters.
✏️ Hyphen rule
Cannot start or end with a hyphen. Use letters at the edges.
⏳ Old subdomain grace
Old subdomain may redirect briefly, but don't rely on it — update newsletter links, site, and social bios.
✅ Best Practices
🎯 Want a Substack Handle That's Taken?
Monitor both {handle}.substack.com and @handle 24/7. Get alerted the moment your publication URL opens.
Comprueba si tu nombre de usuario está disponible
Enter a username and get alerted the moment it becomes available on any platform.
⚡ Free monitoring • Hourly checks available • Track across all 38 platforms