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Your Signal profile contains your display name, photo, and a short about blurb. This information is end-to-end encrypted and shared only with your contacts and anyone you message — Signal itself cannot read it.

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Edit your profile

1

Open profile settings

Tap your avatar in the top-left corner of the chat list, or go to Settings and tap your name at the top of the screen.
2

Edit your name

Tap Edit (pencil icon) next to your name. Signal stores your name as a given name and a family name separately. For CJKV scripts, Signal automatically displays the name in family-name-first order.
Each name field has a maximum length. Signal trims input that exceeds the limit automatically, so keep your name concise.
3

Change your profile photo

Tap your avatar to open the photo editor. You can choose an image from your gallery, take a new photo, or select one of Signal’s built-in avatar illustrations.
4

Add or update your About text

Tap About to write a short blurb — for example, your preferred contact hours or a brief bio. This text is visible to your contacts.
5

Save changes

Tap Save. Signal uploads your encrypted profile to its servers so your contacts can fetch it.

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Signal username

A username lets people find and contact you on Signal without knowing your phone number. Your username is formatted as nickname.discriminator — for example, alex.42 — where the discriminator is a number appended automatically to make the username unique.
Usernames are separate from your display name. Your display name is shown in conversations with your existing contacts; your username is used by people who want to start a new conversation with you.

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Create a username

1

Go to Settings

Open Settings and tap your profile at the top of the screen, then tap Username.
2

Choose a nickname

Enter a nickname. Nicknames must start with a letter (not a number), can contain letters, numbers, and underscores, and must meet minimum and maximum length requirements. Signal checks availability in real time as you type.
3

Optionally set a discriminator

Signal assigns a discriminator automatically. If you want a specific number, tap the discriminator field and enter your preferred value. Discriminators cannot be 00, and cannot start with 0.
4

Confirm

Tap Save. If the username is available, Signal reserves it for your account and generates a shareable QR code and link.

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Change your username

Open Settings → Username → Edit. Enter a new nickname; Signal will reserve a new username when you save. Changing your username immediately releases the old one — anyone who had your previous username link can no longer reach you through it.
If you already have a username set, Signal prompts you to confirm that you understand the old username will stop working before applying the change.

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Delete your username

Open Settings → Username and tap Delete username. Once deleted, your username and its associated QR code and link are invalidated. People who knew your username can no longer find you through it, though existing conversations are unaffected.

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Share your username

After setting a username, tap Share username to copy your link (formatted as signal.me/#u/…) or display your QR code. Anyone who scans or opens the link can start a conversation with you.

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Profile sharing settings

Signal controls who can see your profile based on how you interact with them:
Your Signal contacts — anyone whose number is saved on your phone — can always see your profile name and photo.
When you send a message to someone who is not in your contacts, Signal shares your profile with them automatically so they know who they’re talking to.
When you join a group, your profile is shared with all other members of that group, even if you are not individually connected to them.
Your own profile is always visible in your Note to Self conversation.
Your profile name, photo, and about text are end-to-end encrypted with a profile key. Signal’s servers store an encrypted copy so your contacts can fetch your latest profile, but they cannot read the plaintext content.