how to change your xbox gamertag

You have the power to be anyone you want in an online environment, and that includes creating your own persona in the gaming community. Choosing the right Xbox Gamertag is your first step in showing the world who you are (or wish to be).

How To Change an Xbox Gamertag

Sometimes, though, the Gamertag players choose doesn't sit quite right, whether they've outgrown it or it simply doesn't suit them. Fortunately, changing your Gamertag for Xbox is a relatively straightforward process.

In this article, we'll take a look at a few ways to change your Xbox Gamertag, as well as other features you may want to change, like your Gamerpic.

Change an Xbox Gamertag on the Xbox App

Back in 2019, Microsoft updated its Gamertag policy that affects how we choose to create our tags. The change that was made gives you more freedom in defining your tag. Make sure your Gamertag is in line with the below guidelines:

Your Gamertag has to be in the required alphabet (13 available) with a 12-character limit.
For users with the same Gamertag, Microsoft introduced a suffix system. It provides you with up to five unique digits in case your desired tag already exists. In that case, the digits will be displayed smaller compared to the tag text.

Besides a couple of these basic rules, there are a few more that might interest you here.

When you first sign up for a Microsoft account, you'll get an automatically assigned Gamertag. You have the right to change it once; after that, the fee is $9.99.

To change your Gamertag:

Open the Xbox app.
Select "Menu."
Click on your Gamerpic.
Select the "Customize" option.
Choose the "Change Gamertag" option.

As previously mentioned, you can change your Gamertag for free one time. If you've already used up your free pass, you'll be charged the $9.99 fee based on your account's billing details.

Change an Xbox Gamertag from a PC

Microsoft and Xbox are fully integrated, so you should have the Xbox app already installed on your Windows 10 operating system. To change your Gamertag, follow these steps:

Open the Xbox app from the Start menu.
Click on your picture (top left corner).
Click "Customize" (located below your image).
Go to "Change Gamertag."

For some unknown reason, sometimes Windows won't allow you to change it. If you find that this is the case, you can contact Windows support.

Other Options

If you've already changed your Gamertag once, there are two ways you can proceed: either create a new Microsoft account or pay for a new Gamertag.

Click the gear icon in the bottom left corner of your Xbox app.
Select "Sign Out."
Try to log in again, but this time click on the "Sign in With a Different Microsoft Account" option.
It's best to have another account that hasn't already been connected to Xbox for this.
Log in with the new account, and set up a new Gamertag.

Remember that the new account you create won't have any achievements, friends, and other data associated with your previous one.

Of course, you can always pay the fee to change your online name. Simply go through the process of changing your Gamertag as described above, and pay the $9.99 fee associated with the change.

Change an Xbox Gamertag Email

The email connected to your Xbox account is the one that's provided when first making your Microsoft account. If you'd instead associate your Xbox account with another email, follow these steps:

Open a web browser on your computer/Xbox.
Log in to your Microsoft account.
Click "Your Info."
Select "Manage how you sign in Microsoft."
Then "Add email" and add a different email address.
Click "Add Alias."
Verify the new email address.

Change an Xbox Gamertag Profile Picture

Your avatar pic is just as important as your Gamertag. If your current picture just isn't doing it for you, there are a few ways you can change it on your Xbox console.

Press the Xbox button on the controller. Go to "Profile & System."
Select your profile, then "My profile."
Click "Customize Profile" then "Change Gamerpic."
You will have three options to select, either select a photo from the selection that shows up, "Take a picture of my avatar," or "Upload a custom image."

If you choose to go with either of the second two options to change your Gamerpic, check out the steps listed below.

Take a picture of my avatar:

Open the Xbox Avatar Editor app.
You can customize your avatar's pose in the app.
Choose "Save as Gamerpic."

Upload a custom image:

For this, you can either connect a USB device to your console or connect your console to OneDrive. If you don't have a OneDrive app on your console, install it. Store an image you want to be uploaded there.
Press the Xbox button.
Find "Profile & System."
Find your profile, then select "My profile."
Click "Customize profile."
Select "Change Gamerpic."
Opt for "Upload a customized image" and upload the image either from a USB device or OneDrive.
Click "Upload."

The custom images feature is only available for adult accounts.

Everything Has a Price

Microsoft charges for Gamertag changes to track its users and make sure everyone complies with its user policy. Sometimes that comes in handy with harassment cases where people change names frequently to avoid getting detected. While paying a fee for something as simple as a name change may be a hassle, getting some added security is priceless.

Do you change your Gamertag frequently? How do you choose your Gamertag? Let us know in the comments section below.