How to change your PlayStation Network username

It hasn't always been easy to change your PlayStation Network (PSN) account name. In fact, it wasn't until April 2019 that Sony allowed account holders to do this. Now, each account is allowed to change their username once for free. Any subsequent changes have a cost:$4.99 if you are a PlayStation Plus subscriber or $9.99 for everyone else.

ContentsUsing a web browserUsing a PlayStation 4 Using a PlayStation 5 How do I get my old username back?

Whether you've outdated your username or just want to change it, we'll guide you through the process. However, there are a few caveats to go through first.

If you primarily play newer games (specifically, games released after April 1, 2018), Sony says you shouldn't experience much, if any, issues with the change in username since these games were developed to support this feature. But if you still love games from the early PS4 era, that's another story. Sony has created a list of games with known issues that you may encounter if you change your username.

Just before you change your name, Sony will tell you many ways that some of your valuable game save data could be affected, whether stored locally or in the cloud:

• Your previous online ID may remain visible to you and other players in certain areas
• You may lose your game progress, including saved in-game data, leaderboard data, and trophy progress
• Some parts of your game and apps may not work properly online and offline
• You may lose access to content (including paid content) that you may have acquired for your games, including content such as add-ons and virtual currency

If you still want to change your username, here's how:

Using a web browser

• Your first step is to sign in to your Sony account. Once you've done that, you'll see your PSN account name (Sony calls it your "online ID") as the first option in the window. Click "Edit" to change your username.

• Before you can proceed, Sony will trigger the warnings listed above. Tap "I Agree" if you want to continue.

• There are more warnings in the next step. Sony informs you that if you encounter any problems, you can undo the change and recover your old username. However, he also warns that this may not solve problems if they arise. In other words, there is a chance that something will go wrong. If you're cool with risk, go ahead.

Using a PlayStation 4

• On the main dashboard of your PS4, navigate to "Settings" and select it

• Scroll down the list until you find the "Account Management" option. Click on it, then select "Account Information"> "Profile"> "Online ID".
• You will see the same warnings Sony displays to browser users before allowing a username change
• After accepting these warnings, you can enter a new username

Using a PlayStation 5

The process for changing your username on the PlayStation 5 is similar to what you would see on the PlayStation 4, with a few small changes to the menu layout and navigation.

• On the main dashboard of your PS5, navigate to "Settings" and select it
• Select "Users and Accounts"> "Accounts"> "Profile"
• You will see the same warnings Sony displays to browser users before allowing a username change
• After accepting these warnings, you will be prompted to enter your existing PSN credentials before entering a new username

How do I recover my old username?

According to Sony, you can revert to an old username for free by contacting the PlayStation Support team. They are available by phone weekdays 6am-6pm PT and online chat weekdays 6am-10pm PT and weekends 7am-8pm PT.

As I mentioned before, remember that Sony does not guarantee that switching back to your old username will solve any issues you may have had with the new username.

Updated March 8, 2022, 2:20 PM ET: This article was originally published on August 15, 2019 and has been updated to add a section on changing your username on a PS5.