https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/3/23710259/discord-new-username-discriminators-number-tag

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Discord is growing up, so everyone needs to pick a new username

Discord is growing up, so everyone needs to pick a new username

/

Discord is getting rid of the four-digit suffixes appended to
usernames and pushing users to grab new handles on the service.

By Emma Roth

May 3, 2023, 8:57 PM UTC|

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A graphic of Discord's new username setup
Image: Discord

Discord is taking away the four-digit tag that it puts after its
usernames as it looks to make it "easier to connect" with other
users. As noted in a post on Discord's blog, this change will force
most users to change their usernames, as Discord will no longer have
the four-number tag that distinguishes one person with the same
username from another.

Instead of having a four-number discriminator appended to your
username, you will now have a unique alphanumeric username with the
"@" symbol in front of it. You'll also get to choose a non-unique
display name that can include special characters, spaces, emoji, and
non-Latin characters, making the platform a lot more like other
mainstream social networks, such as Twitter and Instagram. It also
makes it less like the gaming platform it started life as, with
suffixes similar to the ones used on services like Steam, Battle.net,
and Xbox.

Unfortunately, this process means everyone on Discord will need to
select a new username.

According to Discord, you can update your username gradually "in the
coming weeks," and the platform will notify you when you're able to
do so. The company says it will prioritize longtime Discord users,
which means the longer you've been on Discord, the sooner you'll be
able to choose a new name.

[yH5BAEAAAA][discord_ne]
[yH5BAEAAAA][discord_ne]
Image: Discord

Additionally, Discord notes that your previous username and
discriminator will still work as an alias after it starts getting rid
of the numerical tag. This means your friends can still find you
under your old username.

While Discord says it initially launched with the goal of letting
users choose any username they wanted, the four-number tags
eventually "became technical debt" that it didn't "address
adequately," noting that usernames are often "too complicated or
obscure" to memorize and share with friends.

"We recognize that this is a big change," Discord co-founder
Stanislav Vishnevskiy writes in the blog post. "There may be hiccups
with this process, and it may be tough to part ways with that '#0001'
that's meant a lot to you over the years. We'll be doing everything
we can to manage things as smoothly as possible."

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