How to Claim Your Handle on Threads, Bluesky and Mastodon

Threads, Bluesky and Mastodon all grew as alternatives to X, and all three let you pick a handle. The way they treat 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. A Mastodon handle has two parts, @name@server, and the name only has to be unique on one server.

If you want the same name on all three, it helps to know those mechanics before you start. This guide covers each network, then the order that works best for claiming them.

Claiming a username on Threads

Threads profiles are tied to Meta accounts. Instagram's help center says you create a Threads profile by signing in with your Instagram or Facebook account, and you can have one Threads profile for each of those accounts. Signing in with Instagram brings your Instagram username across as the Threads one. Your profile then lives at threads.com/@name.

Meta also describes signing up with an email address or phone number in some regions. Whether the app offers you that 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 Accounts Center. 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.

Threads and the fediverse

Threads can share your posts with Mastodon and other fediverse servers. According to Instagram's help page on fediverse sharing, it is available if you created your profile with an Instagram account, are 18 or older, have a public profile and live outside the European Region. Turn it on under Settings, Account, Fediverse sharing. Mastodon users can then search for you and follow you, and tapping the Fediverse sharing label on your profile shows the fediverse username they need.

To see whether a Threads name has a public profile, open threads.com/@name in your browser; a name with no profile sends you to the login page. Our Threads username checker lists the rules and links you to the right page.

Claiming a handle on Bluesky

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 be 3 to 18 characters of letters, numbers and hyphens, but not underscores or periods, and some handles are reserved for system use. 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.

How to check whether a name is really free, including the cases where a handle looks open but is not, is covered in Bluesky handle availability: how to check and claim yours. For a quick lookup, use our Bluesky handle checker.

Using your own domain on Bluesky

This is the part that makes Bluesky different. If you own yourname.com, you can drop the .bsky.social suffix and be @yourname.com. You prove you control the domain with a DNS TXT record at _atproto or a small text file on your website. Anyone who sees the handle then knows the account is controlled by whoever runs that domain, which is a useful signal for brands, journalists and organizations. The full steps, and fixes for when verification fails, are in our guide to getting a custom Bluesky handle with your own domain.

Claiming a username on Mastodon

Mastodon is not one site but thousands of independent servers that talk to each other. Your handle combines a username with your server's domain, like an email address: @[email protected]. Mastodon's sign-up guide puts it plainly: the same username can be registered on different servers, and there is no way to claim all of them ahead of time.

Pick the server first, then the name

Because names are per server, the first decision is where to join. A large general server is easy to find. A smaller server built around a topic, a region or a language often has a friendlier local feed and a better chance that your usual name is free. Mastodon usernames take letters, numbers and underscores, up to 30 characters; hyphens and periods are not allowed.

To check a name, open https://server/@name on the server you want. Our Mastodon username checker looks up mastodon.social and lists the 44 servers our full search covers.

You cannot rename, but you can move

Mastodon does not let you change a username on the same server. If you want a different name, you create a new account and move to it. Mastodon's guide to moving accounts describes the process: add an alias on the new account, then redirect the old one and choose to move your followers. Followers transfer automatically, but posts stay behind, and there is a 30-day cooldown before you can move again. Deleting an account makes its username unusable on that server forever, so think twice before deleting just to rename.

Since @mia alone is ambiguous on Mastodon, always share your full handle, @mia@server, in your other bios.

Getting the same name on all three

Here is a practical order if you want matching handles:

1. Check the name everywhere first. The FreeUsername username search checks one name across 3,450+ sites, including Bluesky and dozens of Mastodon servers, free and without sign-up. 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.
4. Choose a Mastodon server where the name is free and register it. You cannot rename later, so get the spelling right.

Our results are leads, not guarantees. "Not found" means we saw no public profile; the sign-up 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.

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