How to Claim Your Handle on Threads and Bluesky

Threads and Bluesky both launched as alternatives to X, and both let you pick a handle. The way they handle names could hardly be more different. A Threads username lives in the same pool as Instagram. A Bluesky handle is a domain name, either a free name.bsky.social address or a domain you own.

If you want to hold the same name on both, it helps to know those mechanics before you start. This guide covers each app, then how to check the name everywhere else.

Claiming a username on Threads

Threads profiles have always been connected to Instagram. For most people, the fastest way in is still to log in to Threads with an Instagram account, which brings the Instagram username across as the Threads one. Your profile then lives at threads.com/@name.

That has started to change. At the time of writing, the Threads privacy policy describes profiles created with an email address or phone number instead of an Instagram account, so in at least some regions you can now sign up without Instagram. Whether the app offers you that option depends on where you are. If you do sign up that way, you choose a username during signup like any other app.

One pool of names with Instagram

Threads and Instagram share one username pool and one inactive username policy. In practice, a name taken on Instagram is usually taken on Threads too. If you already own the name on Instagram, you are in the best position to claim it on Threads.

Threads usernames follow Instagram's character rules: letters, numbers, periods and underscores. If the name you want is gone, the same tricks apply as on Instagram, such as a period between words or a short suffix.

What happens if your Threads and Instagram names differ

You can use a Threads username that is different from your Instagram one. According to Instagram's help center, changing a Threads username so it no longer matches your Instagram username turns off several features:

• The Threads badge on your Instagram profile, and the Instagram link on your Threads profile.
• Sharing posts from Instagram or Facebook to Threads.
• Your Meta Verified badge carrying over to Threads.
• The paid partnership tool for branded content on Threads.

For businesses, mismatched names in Meta Business Suite pause existing Threads ads and stop cross-posting to Threads. Meta says that from September 2026 matching usernames will no longer be required to run Threads ads, rolling out gradually. To use the same name on both apps, the two profiles need to be in the same Meta Account. Details are on the Instagram Help page about username changes between Threads and Instagram.

To change your Threads username, go to your profile in the Threads app, tap Edit profile, then tap your username. The app warns you about the features above before you save.

To see whether a Threads name has a public profile, use our Threads username checker. Meta guards Threads closely against automated traffic, so expect more "Blocked" results here than on smaller sites. Opening threads.com/@name in your browser settles it.

Claiming a handle on Bluesky

Bluesky handles look like web addresses. When you sign up, you get a handle ending in .bsky.social, such as mia.bsky.social. Bluesky's support pages say the first part can use letters, numbers and hyphens, but not underscores or periods, and some handles are reserved for system use. Our Bluesky handle checker looks up the bsky.social version through Bluesky's public API and lists the length rules.

You can change the handle later in Settings, under Account, then Handle. Your followers stay with you, because Bluesky accounts are identified by a permanent ID (a DID) rather than by the handle itself.

Using your own domain as your Bluesky handle

This is the part that makes Bluesky different. If you own yourname.com, you can drop the .bsky.social suffix and be @yourname.com. Anyone who sees the handle knows the account is controlled by whoever runs that domain, which is a useful signal for brands, journalists and organizations.

The AT Protocol, which Bluesky runs on, allows two ways to prove you control the domain:

1. A DNS TXT record. In Bluesky's handle settings, choose the option to use your own domain. Bluesky shows you a TXT record to add at your DNS provider, with the host _atproto and a value that starts with did= followed by your account's DID. Add it, wait for it to take effect, then verify in the app.
2. A file on your website. If you cannot edit DNS, the protocol also accepts a plain text file served at https://yourname.com/.well-known/atproto-did containing your DID.

The check works in both directions: your account must claim the domain, and the domain must point back to your account. Only one TXT record should exist for the handle at a time, so remove any old one before adding a new one. Subdomains work too. A company can give staff handles like mia.example.com under its own domain.

Want to know whether your domain is still available to buy? The name checker looks up .com, .net, .org, .io, .us, .app and .dev through public RDAP data, next to the username results.

Getting the same name on both

Here is a practical order if you want matching handles:

1. Check the name everywhere first. The WhatsMyName Apps username search checks one name across 3,165 sites, free and without sign-up, and you can compare up to five variations per search.
2. If the name is free on Instagram and you plan to use both Meta apps, claim it there, then on Threads, so the two match.
3. Claim name.bsky.social on Bluesky. If you own the matching domain, you can switch to it later.

Our results are leads, not guarantees. "Not found" means we saw no public profile; the signup or edit form on each app has the final word. For more on picking a name that holds up across platforms, read how to choose a unique username.

Also see our guides to finding an Instagram account by username and searching X by username.

WhatsMyName Apps is not affiliated with Threads, Instagram, Meta or Bluesky. Platform names and trademarks belong to their owners.