How to Transfer Profile Username to a Facebook Page
August 13th, 2010 by lee 
63 Comments NOTE: Random results surfaced when one tries to transfer their username starting Nov,2010 – works for some and not. Unable to identify why and how. Be forewarned there may be risks involved.
Often times we created a username for our personal profile, then later figured we should reserve that for our fan page! Even though it is not advisable to use company name for a personal profile, but some company accounts have long started and now since there’s no way to transfer fans or content, at least one can migrate a better username for page promoting, sounds fair right?
When it comes to Username:
- Facebook profile can only have one-time edit
- Facebook fan page has given NO edit once been set
Quite strict, but in fact Facebook has given us opportunity to make this happen without having to break this rule. Let’s say you have already set a vanity url for your personal account: facebook.com/companyname. To transfer your existing username over to the fan page, here’s what you should do:
Change your existing profile username to another:
- Go to Account > Account Settings
- Look for Username > Change
3. Type in your new username for profile account > Check availability. Confirm your username if it is available (this edit will be permanent once finalized).
Friendly reminder: username can only contain alphanumeric characters or a period (“.”). Generic words are not usable as a username (example: pizza).
4. Now the previous username ‘companyname’ is available. Grab it quickly from this link: http://facebook.com/username
5. Click ‘Set a username for your Pages’ will reveal a drop down box for you to select your page.
6. Make your pick and type in your desired username. Check availability and confirm it.
You are all set with a facebook page that equips a business name as your vanity url. As how page category works, page username can never be changed after this. You will have to delete the fan page and start all over. But as much you can fix it with the same page name, its old username can never be retrieved.
NOTE: Random results surfaced when one tries to transfer their username starting Nov,2010 – works for some and not. Unable to identify why and how. Be forewarned there may be risks involved. Will update.
Hi, I'm Lee from Faebook.org. Faebook provides latest facebook news and resources, Facebook Fan Page tips and facebook applications, facebook 101, how-tos. Don't forget to sign up as subscriber to receive the latest Facebook tips and Facebook tutorials.
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Posted under: Facebook 101, facebook fan page, Facebook Tips
oh.. now can change username once izzit? i thought it’s permanent.. cool =)
@Ken: Nice to see you here, man. Yup, but the change is only for personal profiles. Fan Pages’ are fixed for life.
Wow, I didnt know that we could do this. Great tip dude.
@Thristhan: Thanks for visiting. Stay tuned for more posts to come.
I need to be 100% sure that FB will release the vanity url if i change my username. I heard that it doesnt if you delete your profile and I really need this vanity for the fanpage.
If anybody can confirm this before I proceed with changing my profile username, this would be greatly appreciated.
@michael: I had experienced this process myself few weeks ago & it worked. My profile took the username that was meant to be for fan page. So once my fan page had enough fans, I quickly switched the username over to page by using the above method. Since I did not delete any profile/page, the username was reserved.
@Michael, have you tried this yet and did it work? I have a client I need to do this for but an very reluctant to try it out.
It worked! A person in my company created our profile page and by mistake assigned the company username to the profile and not to the fanpage. We were finding out ways to redirect the profile to the fanpage but it was almost impossible, till we found this forum. We were worried this didn´t work, but it was our last chance and we assumed the risk. And it just worked! Just make sure you have the 25 fans required to assign a username to your page in facebook before changing the name. Thanks a lot!!!
I have two pages. I already named one with a specific username. Now I want to delete this page and change the username of my other page with this exact same name. But to do so I must be sure: does the username of the first page become available again when I delete this page? thanks!
Hmm. This is our situation: Personal Page is facebook.com/businesname while fanpage has vanity URL SET ALREADY facebook.com/sillyname
Your post suggests that this technique is a workaround for this situation, but reading on, it looks like we’d need to delete our fan page first, create a new one, then transfer username. Correct?
@Susan: There are some who have tried and got it fixed: http://www.facebook.com/help/?question=758026
@Edgardo: You are welcome, Edgardo. I’m happy you got the username fixed.
@Rob: I cannot vouch for page-page username changing. But my opinion is that, before deleting the page you can firstly change the page username to something else. That way you can free its previous username for later use. Another thing, your other page must NOT be set with a username before (page url cannot be changed once you set it). Again, I must confess I never tried page-page username change so there may be risks involved.
@Dennis: This work around is for a page that is never been set with a vanity url before. Theoritically it can work for your case but you need 25 fans first for the new page before taking this step.
It definitely worked, thanks so much for this great tip!
I have tried, but its not working.
I tried this and it did not work. I released my first name but it didnt free it up and now the main name is in limbo. Grrrrrr. I will repost if this changes.
I tried the above. After I changed the username on my personal profile, I went to calim the ‘spared’ username for my business page and kept getting the massage ‘username not available’. Can someon tell my why?
Same thing as @Sidhu, @Chad, and @En Jie Rudd….I changed my profile username is order to “free” it up for my fan page….but now the username is completely unavailable and apparently I’m screwed. Sweet. Thanks, Facebook, for being ridiculous.
I am having the same problem with my username. After releasing it, now it says “username not available”.
This is not working- same for me the username is now in limbo and now i am screwed as well-facebook is ridiculous-
Bad Luck. I just released my vanity url from my personal page to free it up for my fan page and it says username not available. That was a bad move. Anyone know how to get Facebook to release it again?
Damn! I released my username and I can’t grab it for my page. I am screwed!!!
Anyone have any luck after November 13th in gettign this to work? I need to do the swich but am now scared @hitless.
same problem with my username, but it was released a few days later – impossible to tell exactely how many, I didn’t try for one week – and I was able to register it.
Jeff, please DO NOT do it. I will keep trying for the next few days as Ann suggested. I will let you know. Ann, I will continue every day for the next few days and if it does not work, will stop for a week and try again.
Sounds too risky regarless. My profile vanity I wanted to transfer to a businees was reddotimaging.
Instead of taking a chance I decided to go with RedDotFanPage instead. I actualy like that better and now I can sleep. thx all
CRUD!! Changed my personal username to free it up but now I can’t get it for my business. This really stinks!! I am going to keep trying but if it doesn’t become available, I am screwed.
I should have read this post AND user’s PROBLEM here!!!
Now, I release it (so that I can use for facebook page) and I can’t get it back. WORST still as you all know, we ONLY get a chance to change username for profile ONCE!!!!
It’s so ridiculous not able to use what we already own in just few seconds earlier.
Howard, Josh
I have been trying for the past 4 days but isn’t available yet. Wish we knew if it will work after a few days or Facebook has again changed their policy. Seems like Ann was able to do it after Nov 13th
5 days so far and I still can’t get it back.
DAMN! I really wish I would have read this page BEFORE I deleted my fanpage. Like Rob, I was trying to do a page-page switch on the username. Wow… this really blows.
I was notified by a user today from help center that he was able to re-claim his username after 2 weeks of trying, you can read about it here: http://www.facebook.com/help/?question=867064
I’m so happy for Adam and perhaps you guys could check it out and see if your usernames are available?
Wish you all the best.
And thanks Fae for the alert posted on top of the post for inconsistency – it’s much needed for many to know the possible consequences.
Thanks a lot Ching. It has been a week now and I can’t get it back but looking at your post I am hopeful it will work in a week or so. Will keep everyone posted
Yippee, it works!!! http://www.facebook.com/EscentikaSpa
I lost it on Nov 24th and got it back today Dec 2nd (9th day)
Hi all,
To all the others who’ve had this issue has there been any success from your last post(s)? I’m in the same boat but am very reluctant to release the personal profile user name in case it doesn’t come back. Please, please, please let me know your experience. My user name on the business page is crucial for my business. Thx!
Yeah, didnt work for me… gona try some days before quit …
If my old username does not become available again does anyone know where/how to contact Facebook to explain the situation? My business is incorporated in Canada so we are, and have been, a legal entity for some time.
Based on what I saw and what others have indicated, the username does free up. Mine got freed up in 9 days. Have patience and keep trying.
http://www.facebook.com/EscentikaSpa
@ AG, I am hoping this is the case and after a few days I can get my required username back. Facebook should release the usernames instantly.
I released my username and like most people here, see that it is not available immediately. Has anyone else seen their name freed up within one or two weeks?
Hi all,
I’ve done some testing with friends and the username seems to become available in about two weeks. I suspect facebook refreshes usernames every so often.
Can anyone else confirm this experience besides users kind enough to already post about their positive experience?
I still have one username pending (in limbo) and will post in a few weeks if successfully retrieved again.
Hope you all have success with this issue!
Well, it’s safe to say a 2 week turnaround time is the trick. So for those of you who’ve dropped their profile name give it a try again and you’ll most likely be in luck!
It worked for me.
a) changed profile username.
b) wait 10 minutes or so.
c) Have at least 25 fans on your page
d) Reclaim it. This action be only done one time..
http://www.facebook.com/JohnShaniDesign
Great site !
@John: Glad to hear it works for you.
well i waited 10 mins hasnt been available yet
Do not panic (like I did). Indeed, two weeks and one day after wrongly assigning our username to the profile instead of the page (then rapidly changing the username of the profile to free it up for the page), the username became available again and is now working like a charm. Phew.
It’s been 15 days and mine still isn’t available, but it redirects to my profile…
My username is in “Limbo”…a week into this waiting game and still nothing…
I actually didn’t assign it to a personal profile, but a “Group”…Then, I “changed” the username for the group, and then closed the group “deleted” that account.
A week and a day has gone by and the username is still unavailable.
Will update here after TWO weeks and a day. Maybe I shouldn’t have “deleted” the other account? I hear conflicting reports on that.
If you’ve had similar experiences with GROUPS and USERNAMES, please post here. Tx everybody and good luck!
Here is another solution that does not require you to change or delete your username and it was all sorted within 24 hours.
http://bit.ly/eWMoJ3
Sarah – did your username become available? Anybody else have any updates on this and whether they still release the username after 2 weeks? I am scared to try it!
Does any one have an update on this, is it still possible to change the profile username and have it released in order to assign it to the fanpage?
This worked for me just now! I only had to wait 8 days for my username to be released. Yay!!