A Minecraft username is taken the moment any Java account holds it. It stays taken until that account renames and a waiting period runs out. That gives you three possible answers when you ask if a name is free. It's free now, it's taken, or it's locked and about to be released. Watch that last group closely. In 2026, names coming off a lock are the only way to get a short or common name without buying an account. Below we cover how to check each state and the rules that decide when a name changes hands.
Quick answer
Every number in that table comes from Mojang's own name-change rules, and they haven't changed since name changes launched in February 2015. The 37-day lock is deliberately longer than the 30-day rename cooldown. That extra week means a player who renames by accident can always change back.
The rules a username has to follow
- 3 to 16 characters. Two-character names exist from the pre-2015 era, but you can't create one now.
- Letters, digits and underscore only. No spaces, hyphens, dots or accented characters. Bedrock gamertags can contain spaces, so a space in a name tells you you're looking at a Bedrock account and not a Java one.
- Case is kept but not unique.
Notchandnotchare the same name. The owner's chosen spelling is what gets displayed, and nobody else can register a different capitalisation. - One rename every 30 days. After a change, the account has to wait 30 days before it can change again.
- Old names are held for 37 days. When an account renames, Mojang reserves its previous name for 37 days, and only the original owner can take it back in that window. After that, anyone can claim it.
Mojang also blocks a list of offensive terms, and it can reclaim names that impersonate Mojang or Microsoft staff after the fact. If a name passes the character rules but trips the filter, the rename screen just throws an error.
How to check whether a name is taken
1. Search it on Crafty
Type the name into Crafty's player search. If a profile comes back, the name is in use. The profile lists the account's whole username history and marks each past name as available or not. That's the quickest way we know to find dropped names that have already cleared the 37-day lock.
Don't assume a profile is abandoned because the skin or username hasn't changed in years. Inactive accounts keep their names indefinitely, and Mojang doesn't recycle names for inactivity.
2. Check the name history for the lock date
If the name you want belonged to someone who recently renamed, their profile's name history shows the date they changed. Add 37 days and you have the moment the name becomes claimable. Set a reminder for that day. Names that belonged to known players are gone within minutes of unlocking.
3. Try the rename screen
Mojang's own check is the final word. Sign in on minecraft.net, open your profile, choose Change name, and type the candidate. The form tells you whether the name is available before you confirm. Mojang caps this at about 20 attempts per 5 minutes per account, so shortlist with the search above first.
How to claim a name that is about to free up
- Find the previous owner's rename date on their Crafty profile and work out the release date.
- Make sure your own account won't be inside its 30-day cooldown on that date. If you renamed 10 days ago, you can't take the name for another 20.
- On release day, go straight to the Change name form. Don't wait for a third-party site to confirm the name is available. By the time a tracker updates, it may be gone.
There's no queue and no reservation system. If several people want the same name, whoever submits the form first after the lock expires gets it.
Why a name can show as taken but no profile exists
There are three usual causes. The first is the most common.
- The name is inside its 37-day lock. The old account already renamed, so a search for the old name might return the account under its new name, or nothing at all. The name itself is still reserved.
- The account is a legacy or unmigrated account that never moved to a Microsoft account. It holds the name but has no public profile. Since Mojang's migration deadline these accounts can't log in, so the name is effectively frozen.
- The profile is hidden. Account owners can ask Crafty to remove their profile from search. The name is still taken.
FAQ
How long after someone changes their name is it available?
37 days. Until then, only the original account can take the name back. On day 37 it opens up to everyone, and nobody gets priority. The window runs a week past the 30-day rename cooldown, so an accidental rename can be undone before the name goes public.
Can I check if a Minecraft username is taken without an account?
Yes. Any public profile site, Crafty included, queries Mojang's public name lookup and shows a profile if the name is in use. You do need an account to claim the name. Also keep in mind that availability on third-party sites can lag Mojang by a few minutes.
Do old Minecraft names get released if the account is inactive?
No. Mojang has never freed names for inactivity and hasn't announced any plan to. A name only becomes available when its owner renames the account, or in rare cases when Mojang pulls it for breaking the naming rules. Short names held since 2010 will stay held.
Can I have the same name on Java and Bedrock?
Yes, but nothing ties the two together. They're separate systems. Java checks your username against other Java usernames only, and Bedrock checks your gamertag against other gamertags. Plenty of people hold a Java name while a complete stranger has the same string as a gamertag.