When do Minecraft names free up? The name hold explained
A taken Minecraft name frees up when its owner changes it to something else. But it does not become available that minute: by player reports the old name is held for about 37 days first. Players call the end of that hold the name drop. Here is how it works and how to catch it.
When a name becomes available
There is one common way a Minecraft name comes back: its owner changes it. The change is free and allowed once every 30 days, so names do move, including short and old ones.
What does not free a name:
- Not playing. An account that has been idle for years keeps its name. Minecraft has no rule that returns names from inactive accounts.
- A ban on the account. A banned account still holds its name.
- Asking the owner to sell. Selling an account breaks the Microsoft terms, and the buyer is the one who loses it. More in our guide to OG Minecraft names.
So the realistic plan is to watch the name and be ready on the day it drops.
The hold after a name change
At once
the old name leaves Mojang profiles
About 37 days
the old name is held, by player reports
30 days
before the owner can change again
When someone changes their name, the old one disappears from Mojang profiles immediately. According to players, it can only be taken by someone else about 37 days later (Minecraft Wiki). The owner, who can change names every 30 days, has those extra days to go back.
This is community data. Mojang does not publish the length of the hold on a page we could verify, so treat 37 days as a good estimate, not a guarantee.
During the hold a lookup of the name finds no profile, exactly as it does for a name nobody ever used. From the outside the two look the same.
What “probably free” means
We check a name by asking Mojang whether a profile with it exists. There are two clear answers:
- A profile exists. The name is taken.
- No profile. We show the name as probably free.
We say probably because “no profile” covers three cases: the name was never used, the name is on hold after a change, or the name is banned. Telling them apart needs a signed-in Microsoft account trying to take the name, and we never ask for your account.
A “no profile” answer still counts as a check: Mojang gave a clear answer and we report it honestly. For most ordinary names it does mean free. For a short or famous name, assume a hold until you have tried to take it.
The drop window in your watchlist
A watchlist turns the hold into a date. We check each watched name on your interval and remember when we last saw it taken:
- The window opens about 37 days after the last check that still found a profile.
- The window closes about 37 days after the first check that found no profile.
The name drops somewhere between those two moments. The shorter your check interval, the narrower the window: with a check every 5 minutes it is 5 minutes wide, with a check every 6 hours it is 6 hours wide.
You get one alert when the name leaves Mojang profiles and another when the window is reached and the name may already be free to take.
If we started watching a name after it had already left Mojang profiles, we cannot know when the hold began. Then we only show the latest date it should end by.
How to be first
Add the name to your watchlist while it is still taken
That is what gives a precise window. A name added after it disappeared has only a rough end date.
Pick a short interval for names that matter
A 5-minute interval costs more checks than a 6-hour one, so keep it for the few names you really want.
Be ready on the day
Make sure your own 30-day wait is over before the window opens: you cannot take the name if you changed yours last week.
Take the name on minecraft.net
When the alert comes, change your name the usual way. The steps are in how to change your Minecraft username.
No tool can promise a name
Other players may be waiting for the same drop, and whoever saves the change first gets it. A watchlist tells you when to try. It does not take the name for you.
Clmify watches Minecraft names on our servers around the clock and shows the drop window for each one. Start on the Minecraft page, compare plans on pricing, or read how to find an available Minecraft username if you have no name in mind yet.