YouTube Handles: @Mentions Finally Come to Channels, Shorts, and Comments

YouTube has announced a new feature that makes it easier to tag people with an @handle on channel pages, in Shorts, and in comments.

YouTube is giving viewers a new way to find and interact with content creators by making them easier to identify. Announced on the platform’s official blog in October 2022, the feature gives every channel a unique handle in the “@username” format.

Handles will work in comments, video descriptions, and channel pages, among other places, so people can quickly tag other users on the platform.

According to YouTube, mentioning each other in comments, community posts, video descriptions, and more will soon be simpler and faster. Creators could, for example, be mentioned in comments or tagged in the title of a recent collaboration, helping them grow their visibility and reach new audiences.

YouTube also said the feature would roll out over the following month and that creators would be notified when they could choose their handle. Channels that already have a custom URL will get it as their default handle, though they can change it for a short period after receiving the notification.

YouTube added that when a creator gets access to handle selection depends on several factors, including the channel’s overall presence on YouTube, its subscriber count, and whether it is active.

Handles and Channel Names Become One

Earlier in 2022, YouTube had started letting creators change both their channel name and their channel URL. That opened up new branding opportunities to help channels stand out.

Unlike channel names, however, each handle is unique, which gives creators a stronger way to set their brand apart. The feature works much like the handles and usernames already common on other social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Before this update, YouTube offered only limited support for the @ symbol. Viewers could use it to mention others in live chat, while creators could use “@” to mention channels or video titles. As a result, the only way to tag other users was to reply to their comments.

YouTube Takes Aim at TikTok

With more than one billion users worldwide, TikTok has become a major player in social media. Other platforms have responded by looking for ways to compete with the most popular short-form video app (here’s how brands grow a TikTok following), including Facebook with Reels and YouTube with Shorts.

One of TikTok’s strengths is how easily users start conversations directly through posts. By adding @handle mentions to channels and Shorts, YouTube hopes to encourage the same kind of engagement.

Make YouTube Part of Your Social Strategy

Handles make it easier for viewers, partners, and other creators to find and mention your brand, so pick a short, consistent handle that matches your other social profiles, along with visuals sized to each platform’s social media image sizes. Your videos also deserve the same care as your web pages: our guide to video SEO for AI search explains how to make them easier to find. Référenceur, a French-speaking digital marketing agency from Belgium and Luxembourg, helps businesses build that kind of consistent presence through social media marketing, working with U.S. companies remotely. Want an outside view of your channels? Request a free assessment.

Where things stand in 2026: Handles are now standard across YouTube. Every channel has a unique @handle, which also serves as its channel URL (youtube.com/@handle) and is used for mentions in comments, descriptions, and Shorts.