How to change your Xbox One Gamertag

By Matt Brown
last updated

Change your Gamertag and get a fresh start on Xbox Live with these simple steps.

Xbox One S
Xbox One S (Image credit: Windows Central)

Gamertags are the unique display names dished out across Xbox Live, representing players across Xbox One, Windows 10 and a growing range of additional devices. Spanning all corners of Microsoft's gaming network, it's best to find a name suits you.

But everyone deserves a second chance – and if you're not happy with your Xbox Live Gamertag, you're in luck. Microsoft allows Xbox Live users to change their name on the service, although sometimes with a small fee. Change up your Gamertag and start fresh by following the steps below.

Changing your Gamertag: Free or paid?

After creating an Xbox Live profile, players are permitted to one free Gamertag change. This provides the opportunity to change the automatically generated name assigned by Microsoft during the account creation process.

For those already with a custom Gamertag, changing it requires a small fee to be paid. At $9.99, or an equivalent value in your local currency, you'll be granted one Gamertag change.

How to change your Xbox Gamertag on Xbox.com

The easiest way to change your Xbox Live Gamertag is directly through Xbox.com (opens in new tab). Alongside a simple interface to quickly check availability, any changes will be soon reflected on other consoles and devices. After signing into your Xbox Live account, follow the steps below.

  1. Navigate to account.xbox.com/changegamertag (opens in new tab)
  2. Sign into your Microsoft account.
  3. Enter your preferred Gamertag.
  4. Click Claim It! if your chosen Gamertag is available. If taken, try a new Gamertag.
  5. Click Confirm to complete the transaction.

How to change your Xbox Gamertag on Xbox One

To avoid booting up a web browser, Microsoft also allows Gamertags to be changed on your Xbox One. Accessed through your profile's settings, this allows your console's existing payment methods to be used. Follow the steps below to change your Gamertag on your Xbox One.

  1. Press the Xbox button on your Xbox One controller.
  2. Press the LB button four times.
  3. Select your profile from the list of profiles.
  4. Choose My profile.
  5. Choose Customize profile.
  6. Select the tile with your Gamertag.
  7. Enter your preferred Gamertag.
  8. Click Yes to claim your chosen Gamertag if it's available. If taken, try a new Gamertag.

Recently made a Gamertag change to your Xbox Live profile? Drop into the comments section below and let us know what you got.

More: Xbox Help

Matt Brown
Matt Brown

Matt Brown was formerly a Windows Central's Senior Editor, Xbox & PC, at Future. Following over seven years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Microsoft's gaming efforts. You can follow him on Twitter @mattjbrown.

7 Comments
  • When changing on the Xbox, you need to press LB four times, not RB. ;)
  • ... you saw nothing
  • I think it's a bit rich for them to charge for this if you have a gold subscription. It's charging for the sake of charging. There is no cost for them to reclaim.
  • Think the idea of charging is to prevent people changing too often. Trolls for one reason, and each GT that is used, even after being swapped out, can't be used again. Again to prevent people from trying to steal others identities... If it were free or part of a sub. You'd have people changing constantly, just to use up all the comprehensible GT's.
  • They could enforce a timed limit. Once per year or something. There's other ways apart from cash grabbing.
  • Agree with Kieran here. And $10 is really nothing. How many time a year a person wants to change his/her GT anyway?
  • My nephew probably changed his 8 times over the past two years. You would be surprised.