How to Change an Xbox Gamertag

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

Sometimes, however, the Gamertag players choose doesn't fit, whether they've outgrown it or it just doesn't work for them. Fortunately, changing your Gamertag for Xbox is a relatively simple process.

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

Modifier an Xbox gamertag on the Xbox application

In 2022, Microsoft updated its Gamertag Policy which affects how we choose to create our tags. The change made gives you more freedom in defining your tag. Make sure your gamertag meets the guidelines below:

• Your gamertag must 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 the desired label already exists. In this case, the numbers will be displayed smaller than the tag text.

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

When you first create a Microsoft account, you get an automatically assigned gamertag. You have the right to change it once; after that the fee is $9,99.

To change your gamertag:

1. Open the Xbox app.
2. Select “Menu”.
3. Click on your Gamerpic.
4. Select the "Customize" option.
5. Choose the “Change gamertag” option.

As mentioned earlier, you can change your gamertag for free once. If you have already used your free pass, you will be charged a fee of $9,99 based on your account billing details.

Change Xbox Gamertag from 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:

1. Open the Xbox app from the Start menu.
   
2. Click on your image (top left corner).
   
3. Click "Customize" (located below your image).
   
4. Go to “Change gamertag”.
   

For some unknown reason, sometimes Windows won't let you change it. If you find this to be the case, you can contact Windows Support.

Other options

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

Sign in with a new Microsoft account:

1. Click the gear icon in the lower left corner of your Xbox app.
2. Select "Sign out".
3. Try signing in again, but this time click on the “Sign in with another Microsoft account” option.
4. It's best to have another account that hasn't already been signed into Xbox for this.
5. Log in with the new account and set up a new Gamertag.

Remember that the new account you create will not have achievements, friends, and other data associated with your previous one.

Of course, you can always pay the fee to change your name online. Simply follow the process for changing your gamertag as described above and pay the $9,99 fee associated with the change.

Xbox gamertag e-mail modifier

The email connected to your Xbox account is the one provided when you first create your Microsoft account. If you'd rather link your Xbox account to another email, follow these steps:

1. Open a web browser on your computer/Xbox.
2. Sign in to your Microsoft account.
3. Click on “Your information”.
4. Select "Manage how you sign in to Microsoft".
5. Then "Add Email" and add another email address.
6. Click on “Add an alias”.
7. Verify the new email address.

Change an Xbox Gamertag profile picture

Your avatar picture is just as important as your gamertag. If your current image just doesn't do it for you, there are several ways to edit it on your Xbox console.

1. Press the Xbox button on the controller. Go to “Profile and system”.
2. Select your profile, then "My profile".
3. Click on “Customize profile” then “Edit Gamerpic”.
4. You will have three options to select, either select a photo from the selection that appears, "Take a photo of my avatar" or "Upload a custom image".

If you choose one of the second two options to change your Gamerpic, see the steps below.

Take a picture of my avatar:

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

Upload a custom image:

1. To do 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 upload there.
2. Press the Xbox button.
3. Search for “Profile and system”.
4. Find your profile, then select “My profile”.
5. Click on “Customize profile”.
6. Select “Change Gamerpic”.
7. Opt for "Upload a custom image" and upload the image from a USB device or OneDrive.
8. Click "Download".

Custom images feature is only available for adult accounts.

Everything has a price

Microsoft charges for Gamertag changes to track its users and ensure everyone is complying with its usage policy. Sometimes this comes in handy in harassment cases where people frequently change their names to avoid detection. While paying a fee for something as simple as a name change can be a hassle, getting extra security is priceless.

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