To change your name in Fortnite, change your Epic Games display name: sign in on the Epic Games website, open Account settings, select the pencil icon next to Display name, and enter a new one, which Epic allows once every two weeks. On PlayStation and Xbox, though, the Fortnite lobby shows your PSN Online ID or Xbox gamertag, so console players have to change that name on the console instead.
Below we cover which name shows where, the exact steps for each platform, the cooldown and naming rules, and what to do if Epic resets your name.
Which Version This Covers
This guide reflects Fortnite as of Chapter 7 Season 4, Fortnite Override, on the v42.20 update. Your name belongs to your Epic Games account, not to any season, so nothing here changes when Override ends. The steps apply to every Fortnite experience, from Battle Royale to LEGO Fortnite and Festival, because they all share one account.
Which Name Fortnite Shows on Each Platform
Epic’s help center is clear about this, and it explains most “my name did not change” complaints:
- PC, Nintendo consoles and mobile: Fortnite always displays your Epic Games display name.
- PlayStation and Xbox: the lobby shows your console account’s name, meaning your PSN Online ID or Xbox gamertag.
Epic adds that changing your Epic display name does not affect your PSN or Xbox name, so your in-game name may differ depending on the console you play on. Your Epic display name still matters on console, though: it is the name friends on other platforms use to add you, and the one Epic recommends friends type when they gift you skins or the Battle Pass.
How to Change Your Epic Games Display Name
This is the name for PC, Switch and mobile players, and the cross-platform name for everyone. Epic’s instructions send you to your account page on the Epic Games website, not to a menu inside Fortnite:
- Go to the Epic Games website and sign in. If you only ever played on a console, choose that platform on the sign-in screen and log in with your console account. If the account was never fully set up, Epic shows a Finish Setting Up Your Account prompt, which is where you add an email address.
- Make sure your email address is verified. Epic says you cannot change your display name until it is.
- Open Account settings.
- Select the pencil icon next to your display name.
- Enter your new name in the Display name box and confirm.
The Two-Week Cooldown and the Naming Rules
Epic limits display name changes to once every two weeks. If you see a lock icon instead of the pencil, you have changed your name within the last 14 days. Hover over the i icon beside your current name to see when the last change happened. Epic’s help center is blunt about typos: Player Support cannot override the 14-day cooldown, so double-check the spelling before you confirm.
Per Epic’s rules for display names:
- A name must be between 3 and 16 characters.
- It cannot contain vulgarity, hate speech, or offensive or derogatory language.
- It cannot directly reference an Epic Games employee, product, service or character.
- It cannot include private personal information, such as phone numbers, addresses or real names.
A name that breaks these rules may be rejected outright or reset later. If Epic resets yours, the account is given a random display name and nothing else changes. Epic says not to try switching back to the old name, because it has already been flagged, but you can change the random name to a new one that follows the rules. If you think the reset was a mistake, Epic points players to its Sanctions and Appeals page.
How to Change Your Name on PlayStation and Xbox
Because the console lobby shows your platform name, this is the change most PlayStation and Xbox players are actually after.
PS5: go to Settings, then Users and Accounts, Account, Profile, and Online ID. Enter the new ID, select Confirm, choose whether to show your previous ID next to the new one for 30 days, and select Order and Pay. Per Sony’s Online ID help page, your first change is free and later changes cost a fee, and you are signed out of all devices once it goes through. Sony also warns that some PS4 games can have problems after an ID change, and lets you switch back to your old ID for free if that happens.
Xbox: your gamertag belongs to your Microsoft account. Microsoft makes the first change free and charges for later ones. Our guide on how to change your Xbox gamertag walks through every step.
After a console name change, Epic notes that the name listed on your Epic account’s linked accounts page can take a while to update, because the platforms have to sync. That delay does not stop you playing.
If You Just Want to Hide Your Name
If the goal is keeping strangers from seeing your name rather than picking a new one, Fortnite has an anonymous mode that swaps your name for “Anonymous” for players outside your party. Our guide on whether you can appear offline covers where it lives and its limits. For everything else, see every Fortnite guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often can you change your Fortnite name? Once every two weeks. Epic’s help center says support cannot shorten the 14-day cooldown.
Why didn’t my name change on PS5 or Xbox? The console lobby shows your PSN Online ID or Xbox gamertag, not your Epic display name, so change the console name instead.
Is changing your Fortnite name free? Changing your Epic display name is free. On PlayStation and Xbox the first console name change is free, and later ones cost a fee.
Why is there a lock icon next to my display name? You changed your name within the last two weeks. Hover over the i icon to see when the last change happened.
Can I change my Fortnite name inside the game? Epic’s instructions use the Account settings page on the Epic Games website, not an in-game menu.