YouTube introduces handles for channels

YouTube to allow creators and users to create their account handle, in a bid to ease the process of tagging and finding accounts.

YouTube in a recent blog announced the launch of Handles, a new way for people to easily find and engage with creators and each other on the platform. This new feature will enable every channel to have a unique handle for themselves which will enable their audience to find them and their content easily.

Handles will appear on channel pages and Shorts, so they'll be instantly and consistently recognizable. It’ll soon be simpler and faster to mention each other in comments, community posts, video descriptions, and more. With this new update, the audience can tag the creators' handles in comments or tag them in the title of a recent collab, helping them increase visibility and reach with new audiences.

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In the post, YouTube also said that in the coming months they will notify creators when they can choose a handle for their channel. If a channel already has a personalized URL, that will automatically become their default handle, or they can opt to change the handle for their channel as soon as the notification in YouTube Studio comes through.

The timing of when a creator will get access to the handles selection process depends on a number of factors, including overall YouTube presence, subscriber count, and whether the channel is active or inactive.