Discord is removing the four-digit tag it puts after its usernames, as it appears 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-digit tag that distinguishes one person with the same username from another.
Instead of adding a four-digit discriminator to your username, you now have a unique alphanumeric username prefixed with the “@” symbol. You can also choose a non-unique display name that can contain special characters, spaces, emoji, and non-Latin characters, making the platform much more similar to other mainstream social networks, such as Twitter and Instagram. It also makes it look less like the gaming platform it started with, with suffixes similar to those used on services like Steam, Battle.net, and Xbox.
Unfortunately, this means process everyone on Discord must select a new username.
According to Discord, you’ll be able to gradually update your username “over the next few weeks,” and the platform will notify you when you can do so. The company says it will prioritize old Discord users, meaning the longer you’ve been on Discord, the sooner you can choose a new name.
In addition, Discord notes that your previous username and discriminator will still act as an alias after it starts removing the numeric tag. This means that your friends can still find you under your old username.
While Discord says it was initially launched with the goal of letting users choose any username they want, the four-digit tags eventually became “technical debt” that it failed to “address adequately”, pointing out that usernames are often “too complicated or obscure.” . to remember and share with friends.
“We recognize that this is a major change,” Discord co-founder Stanislav Vishnevskiy writes in the blog post. “There can be issues with this process, and it can be hard to say goodbye to that ‘#0001’ that has meant a lot to you over the years. We will do everything we can to make everything run as smoothly as possible.”