How to Change a Facebook Link Name

Trying to change a Facebook link name can feel like a moving target, especially since what that means - and how to do it - has changed quite a bit over the years. Whether you're rebranding your business Page, personalizing your profile URL, or trying to customize the preview of a link you're sharing, we’ll walk you through exactly how it’s done. This guide breaks down each scenario with clear, step-by-step instructions.

What Exactly Are You Trying to Change?

First, let's clarify what "Facebook link name" you want to update. People usually mean one of three things:

• Your Personal Profile URL: This is the unique web address for your personal Facebook profile (e.g., facebook.com/your.username).
• Your Facebook Page URL: This is the custom URL for your business, brand, or community Page (e.g., facebook.com/yourbusinessname).
• The Link Preview in a Post: This is the title, description, and image that appear automatically when you paste a URL into a new post.

Each of these requires a different method. We'll cover all three, starting with your personal profile.

How to Change Your Facebook Profile URL (Username)

Your Facebook username creates a custom URL, also known as a vanity URL, that makes it much easier for people to find you. Instead of a long string of numbers, you get something clean and memorable. Changing it is simple, but there are a few rules to keep in mind.

Your username helps form your unique URL, like facebook.com/john.smith.123. A good username is professional and easy to share.

Step-by-Step Guide (Desktop)

1. Navigate to your Facebook account and click your profile picture in the top-right corner.
2. Select Settings &, Privacy, then click Settings.
3. On the left-hand menu, under Meta Accounts Center, click See more in Accounts Center.
4. Select the profile you want to update.
5. Click on Username.
6. Enter your new desired username and review the change. You may need to enter your password to confirm.
7. Click Done to save your new username.

Step-by-Step Guide (Mobile App)

1. Open the Facebook app and tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the bottom-right corner.
2. Scroll down and tap Settings &, Privacy, then Settings.
3. Tap the Accounts Center box at the top of the screen.
4. Tap on your Profiles at the top.
5. Select the profile you wish to edit.
6. Tap Username.
7. Type your new username and tap Done.

Things to Remember When Changing Your Profile Username:

• Uniqueness is a must: Your username must be unique. If someone else has it, you'll have to try a different one.
• Character rules: Usernames can only contain alphanumeric characters (A-Z, 0-9) and periods (.). No special characters or spaces.
• Don't get it confused with your display name: Your username is for your URL. Your display name is what shows up on your profile and in posts, and it can be changed separately.
• Be professional: If you use your profile for networking, choose a username that reflects your personal brand, like your full name or a professional alias.

How to Change Your Facebook Page URL (Username)

For businesses, creators, and public figures, having a custom Page URL is essential for branding. It makes your Page look more credible and is much simpler to use on business cards, emails, and other marketing materials. A URL like facebook.com/MyAwesomeBakery is far better than facebook.com/pages/my-awesome-bakery/123987456.

You must be an admin of the Page to change its username. The process is straightforward with Facebook's New Pages Experience.

Step-by-Step Guide to Change a Page URL

1. First, make sure you are interacting as your Page. Click on your profile picture in the top right and select See all profiles, then select the Page you want to manage.
2. Once you're on your Page's feed, click your Page's profile picture in the top right again.
3. Select Settings &, privacy, then click Settings.
4. In the General Page Settings, you will see your Page's name and username. Click Edit next to Username.
5. Enter your new desired username in the field. Facebook will check if it's available.
6. If the username is available, a green checkmark will appear. Click Save Changes. You might need to enter your password to confirm.

Important Considerations for Page URLs:

• Eligibility: New Pages may have restrictions on creating a username right away. Sometimes, you need to have a certain number of followers (typically around 25) before Facebook allows you to set a custom URL. If the option isn't available, focus on growing your follower base first.
• Breaking old links: Once you change your username, the old URL will no longer work. Be sure to update the Facebook link on your website, email signature, social media bios, and any printed marketing materials.
• Consistency is key: Try to use the same username across all your social media platforms (Instagram, X, TikTok, etc.). This makes it incredibly easy for your audience to find you everywhere.

How to Change a Link Preview in a Facebook Post

This is where things have gotten tricky. Years ago, Facebook allowed anyone to edit the headline, description, and thumbnail image of a link they were sharing. It was great for marketers but also became a major tool for spreading misinformation and clickbait. To combat this, Facebook removed that feature for most users.

Today, you can only customize link previews for content from a website domain that you own and have verified with Meta.

If You DON'T Own the Website Domain

Let's get this out of the way first. If you are sharing a link to an article from the New York Times, a YouTube video, or any other website you don't own, you cannot change the link preview.

Facebook automatically pulls the information from the website's Open Graph (OG) meta tags. These are bits of code on the webpage that tell social platforms what title, description, and image to display. Whatever the publisher of that site has set is what you will see, and it cannot be edited.

What to Do Instead:

• Write a compelling caption: Your own text in the post is your best tool. Introduce the link, add your own perspective, or ask a question to engage your audience. Use your caption to provide the context you wanted to add to the title.
• Use a "link in bio" service: For platforms like Instagram that push this model, you can direct traffic to a single link that houses all your important URLs. This gives you more control over the initial click experience.
• Create a custom graphic: Design an image with the headline you want, share it as a photo post, and put the URL in the caption. This gets more visual attention but adds an extra step for the user to click the link.

If You DO Own the Website Domain

If you're trying to share links from your company's blog, your portfolio, or any other website you own, you're in luck! By verifying your domain through Meta Business Suite, you gain the ability to control how your links appear on Facebook and Instagram.

Step 1: Verify Your Domain with Meta

Domain verification proves to Meta that you are the legitimate owner of your website. This is a one-time setup process done in Meta Business Suite.

1. Go to Business Settings in your Meta Business Suite (business.facebook.com/settings).
2. In the left-hand navigation menu, click on Brand Safety & Suitability, and then select Domains.
3. Click the blue Add button and then select Create a new domain.
4. Enter your domain name (e.g., yourwebsite.com) and click Add.
5. Now, you have to prove you own it. Meta provides three ways to do this:

• Add a meta-tag to your HTML source code: This involves copying a line of code Meta provides and pasting it into the `` section of your website's homepage. This is often the easiest method if you use a website builder like WordPress, Squarespace, or Shopify, as they usually have a section for adding header code.
• Upload an HTML file to your root directory: Here, you'll download an HTML file from Meta and upload it to the main folder of your website server using an FTP client or your web host's file manager.
• Update the DNS TXT record with your domain registrar: This is a slightly more technical option where you'll add a TXT record to your domain's DNS settings via your domain provider (like GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.).

After completing one of these steps, go back to your Business Settings page and click the Verify Domain button. It can sometimes take up to 72 hours to find the records, but it's often much faster.

Step 2: Customize Your Link's OG Tags

Once your domain is verified, controlling the link preview is all about controlling the OG meta tags on the specific page you're sharing. You need to tell Facebook exactly what to show. The main tags are:

• og:title: The title/headline of your link preview.
• og:description: The short description that appears below the title.
• og:image: The URL of the image you want to show in the preview.

If you use a CMS like WordPress, a plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math makes this incredibly easy. On each page or post editor, you'll find a Social or Facebook tab where you can type in a custom title, description, and upload a specific image you want to be shown when that link is shared on social media.

Step 3: Clear the Cache with the Facebook Sharing Debugger

Sometimes you might update your OG tags, but Facebook still shows an old, cached version of your link preview. This is a common issue! To fix it, you need to tell Facebook to re-fetch the new information.

1. Go to the Meta Sharing Debugger tool.
2. Paste the URL of your webpage you want to share and click Debug.
3. The tool will show you what information it currently has stored for that link. You'll see any errors and a preview of how it looks.
4. If it's showing old information, click the Scrape Again button. This forces Facebook's crawler to revisit your page and pull the latest OG tags. Scrape it a few times if needed until it correctly displays your new title, description, and image.

After debugging, your link should now display correctly whenever it's shared on Facebook.

Final Thoughts

Knowing how to update a Facebook link name helps you maintain a professional, consistent, and recognizable brand identity, whether for your personal profile, business Page, or website content. Changing your usernames is simple, but customizing link previews now requires a technical step of domain verification that ultimately provides more security and authenticity across the platform.

At Postbase, we believe in making social media management as streamlined as possible so you can focus on building your brand. Properly managing your Pages, including ensuring your content displays perfectly every time, is part of a strong content strategy. Our platform’s scheduling tools are built for modern content formats, with a visual calendar to help you plan everything at a glance and analytics to show you what’s working, eliminating the guesswork.