How Spotify Usernames Work
Spotify has two different concepts that people often confuse: the username (or user ID) and the display name. Understanding the difference is key to finding any specific Spotify account.
When Spotify first launched and for many years after, users could choose a custom username when they signed up. As of 2022, Spotify switched to assigning auto-generated alphanumeric user IDs to new accounts — strings like 31qiuvklfzabcdefgh12345678. These aren't meaningful strings, just unique identifiers. Older accounts created before this change may still have custom, human-readable usernames.
The display name, on the other hand, is what appears on your profile and in search results. This is fully customizable and can be changed anytime. It's the name people know you by on Spotify, but it's separate from the underlying user ID.
Display Name vs. Username (User ID)
Here's the practical distinction. For a step-by-step guide to actually finding people using either method, see our post on how to find someone's Spotify profile.
- Display name — What you see on someone's profile card. Searchable in Spotify's search. Example: "Alex Johnson." Can be shared and changed at any time.
- Username / User ID — The internal identifier used in profile URLs. Example: 31qiuvkl... or alexjohnson (for older accounts). Not directly searchable in Spotify's search — you need to know it to navigate to a profile directly.
When someone shares their "Spotify link," it typically uses their username in the URL format: open.spotify.com/user/[username]. This is the most direct way to reach a specific account.
How to Find a Spotify User by Display Name
If you know someone's display name (the name they use on Spotify), here's how to find them:
- Open the Spotify app (mobile or desktop) or go to open.spotify.com
- Click or tap the Search icon
- Type their display name in the search bar
- In the results, look for a "Profiles" section or use the Profiles filter
- Scan the results for their name — if they use a common name, you may need to scroll through several results
Tips for narrowing down results: if you know any part of their display name that's distinctive, search for that. If they have the same name as a famous artist, try adding a distinguishing word. If they've shared their profile on social media, find the link there instead.
How to Find a Spotify User by Username
If you have someone's Spotify username or user ID, you can navigate directly to their profile:
- Open a browser and go to: https://open.spotify.com/user/[their-username]
- Replace [their-username] with their actual username or user ID
- If the account exists and is accessible, their profile will load
This method bypasses search entirely and takes you directly to any account whose username you know. It works even for accounts that are hard to find via name search due to common names or special characters.
To find your own username: go to your Spotify profile, and look at the URL when viewing it in the web player. The string after "/user/" is your username.
How to Get Someone's Spotify Profile Link
The cleanest way to share or receive a Spotify profile link is through the app's built-in share feature:
- Open the person's Spotify profile
- Tap the three-dot menu (⋯) in the top right
- Select "Share"
- Choose "Copy link" — this copies the direct profile URL
The resulting link format is https://open.spotify.com/user/[username]. This link works for anyone — they can open it in a browser without needing a Spotify account to view the profile, though they'll need to log in to follow or interact.
Spotify also offers a QR code option from the Share menu — useful for in-person sharing where someone can just scan the code.
Check Your Own Account Stats
Once you've found your own profile (or someone else has found yours), the public profile only shows a fraction of what your Spotify account contains — your follower count, public playlists, and display name. To see your full listening data — top artists, top tracks, listening history — you need to connect through the authenticated API.
Music Profile Viewer does this for your own account: connect with one click, and see your complete Spotify stats in a clean dashboard. Your follower count, top artists across three time ranges, most-played tracks, and recent listening history — all in one place.
Found your Spotify profile? Now see what's behind it. Music Profile Viewer is free — connect your account to see your top artists, top tracks, and full listening history. No signup, no data stored.