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There is no universal list of characters banned from usernames. Each service sets its own rules, and a sign-in name may follow different rules from a public handle, display name, or nickname. Check the current guidance for the exact service and field you are creating.
Why a username can be invalid
A service may reject a name because of its characters, but characters are only one possible restriction. It may also limit length, punctuation placement or repetition, capitalization, reserved names, or prohibited content. A name rejected for impersonation or abuse is a policy issue, not necessarily a character-syntax issue.
- Field: Confirm whether you are entering a sign-in ID, public username, email-style account name, or display name.
- Syntax: Check permitted letters, digits, punctuation, and any rules about where punctuation can appear.
- Other limits: Check length, capitalization, repeated characters, reserved terms, and content rules.
For a video-game account, the game or platform’s current signup or help page is the authority. A display name visible to other players may allow more expressive characters than the account name used to sign in.
How username rules differ across services
These examples show why a rule that works on one service may fail on another. The Google and Microsoft examples concern managed or organizational account identifiers, not every consumer account or product from those companies.
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Logitech G213 Prodigy Wired RGB Gaming Keyboard - Black
- Personalize 5 customizable lighting zones with over 16.8M colors to match your setup or game and synchronize backlit lighting effects with other Logitech G devices using Logitech G Hub
- G213 Prodigy is a full-sized keyboard designed for gaming and productivity, with a slim body built for gamers of all levels and durable construction to repel liquids, crumbs, and dirt for easy cleanup
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| Service and field | Allowed characters and punctuation | Length and case | Other restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace managed usernames | Letters, digits, dashes, underscores, apostrophes, and periods are listed; accents and some other symbols may also be allowed subject to restrictions. | Primary email address username: up to 64 characters. Secondary email addresses and aliases: up to 100 characters. Usernames are lowercase; uppercase is converted to lowercase. | Repeated periods and repeated instances of certain symbols are restricted. “abuse” and “postmaster” are reserved. Google advises minimizing symbols because older systems may have synchronization issues. See Google Workspace’s name guidelines. |
| Microsoft 365 User Principal Name (UPN) | Letters, digits, apostrophe, period, hyphen, underscore, exclamation point, number sign, caret, and tilde. An at-sign separates the username and domain; ampersand is disallowed. | 113 characters total: up to 64 before the at-sign and 48 after it. | A period cannot immediately precede the at-sign. Underscore may appear at either end. Number sign is permitted in some group-name contexts but not in distribution-group or shared-mailbox email addresses. Microsoft’s article was updated April 18, 2025; see its UPN special-character guidance. |
| Discord username | Lowercase Latin letters, digits, underscore, and period. Other special characters are not allowed under the support guidance. | 2–32 characters; usernames are lowercase. | Consecutive periods are disallowed. See Discord’s username and display-name guidance. |
| Discord display name | Can include spaces, emoji, uppercase and lowercase letters, and non-Latin characters. | 1–32 characters. | Must comply with Discord’s Community Guidelines. The display-name rules are not the username rules. See Discord’s guidance. |
Why Discord documentation can appear to differ
Discord’s support page gives the practical rules for ordinary current account creation: lowercase Latin letters, digits, underscores, and periods, with a 2–32 character range and no consecutive periods. Its developer documentation separately describes names that can contain most valid Unicode characters, while also noting restrictions on zero-width and non-rendering characters, prohibited substrings, and reserved values.
Those documents may describe different contexts or validation rules, so they should not be combined into a broader claim that every Unicode character is accepted in a current username. For an edge case, rely on Discord’s current signup validation or help guidance and distinguish the username from the display name. See the Discord API User Resource.
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AULA F75 Pro Wireless Mechanical Keyboard,75% Hot Swappable Custom Keyboard with Knob,RGB Backlit,Pre-lubed Reaper Switches,Side Printed PBT Keycaps,2.4GHz/USB-C/BT5.0 Mechanical Gaming Keyboards
- Tri-mode Connection Keyboard: AULA F75 Pro wireless mechanical keyboards work with Bluetooth 5.0, 2.4GHz wireless and USB wired connection, can connect up to five devices at the same time, and easily switch by shortcut keys or side button. F75 Pro computer keyboard is suitable for PC, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, PS, XBOX etc, to meet all the needs of users. In addition, the rechargeable keyboard is equipped with a 4000mAh large-capacity battery, which has long-lasting battery life
- Hot-swap Custom Keyboard: This custom mechanical keyboard with hot-swappable base supports 3-pin or 5-pin switches replacement. Even keyboard beginners can easily DIY there own keyboards without soldering issue. F75 Pro gaming keyboards equipped with pre-lubricated stabilizers and LEOBOG reaper switches, bring smooth typing feeling and pleasant creamy mechanical sound, provide fast response for exciting game
- Advanced Structure and PCB Single Key Slotting: This thocky heavy mechanical keyboard features a advanced structure, extended integrated silicone pad, and PCB single key slotting, better optimizes resilience and stability, making the hand feel softer and more elastic. Five layers of filling silencer fills the gap between the PCB, the positioning plate and the shaft,effectively counteracting the cavity noise sound of the shaft hitting the positioning plate, and providing a solid feel
- 16.8 Million RGB Backlit: F75 Pro light up led keyboard features 16.8 million RGB lighting color. With 16 pre-set lighting effects to add a great atmosphere to the game. And supports 10 cool music rhythm lighting effects with driver. Lighting brightness and speed can be adjusted by the knob or the FN + key combination. You can select the single color effect as wish. And you can turn off the backlight if you do not need it
- Professional Gaming Keyboard: No matter the outlook, the construction, or the function, F75 Pro mechanical keyboard is definitely a professional gaming keyboard. This 81-key 75% layout compact keyboard can save more desktop space while retaining the necessary arrow keys for gaming. Additionally, with the multi-function knob, you can easily control the backlight and Media. Keys macro programmable, you can customize the function of single key or key combination function through F75 driver to increase the probability of winning the game and improve the work efficiency. N key rollover, and supports WIN key lock to prevent accidental touches in intense games
Unicode standards do not create one rule for every account
IETF RFC 8265 describes Unicode username profiles that help implementations handle strings consistently. It says that the exact form used by an application or deployment is an implementation matter. A standard profile therefore does not require every service to accept the same alphabet or punctuation. RFC 8265 also encourages developers to consider more restrictive account identifiers separately from more expressive display names or nicknames.
URL rules are not a substitute for a service’s username rules. IETF RFC 3986 defines URI syntax, whose “unreserved” characters include letters, digits, hyphen, period, underscore, and tilde. Other characters can have delimiter roles, and applications may specify additional syntax. Being usable in a URL does not make a character valid in an account name, and a username need not follow URL rules.
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GEODMAER 65% Gaming Keyboard, Wired Backlit Mini Keyboard, Ultra-Compact Anti-Ghosting No-Conflict 68 Keys Membrane Gaming Wired Keyboard for PC Laptop Windows Gamer
- 【65% Compact Design】GEODMAER Wired gaming keyboard compact mini design, save space on the desktop, novel black & silver gray keycap color matching, separate arrow keys, No numpad, both gaming and office, easy to carry size can be easily put into the backpack
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TECKNET Wired Gaming Keyboard, RGB Backlit Keyboard with Metal Panel Design
- 【Ergonomic Design, Enhanced Typing Experience】Improve your typing experience with our computer keyboard featuring an ergonomic 7-degree input angle and a scientifically designed stepped key layout. The integrated wrist rests maintain a natural hand position, reducing hand fatigue. Constructed with durable ABS plastic keycaps and a robust metal base, this keyboard offers superior tactile feedback and long-lasting durability.
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- 【25 Anti-Ghost Keys & 12 Multimedia Keys】Enjoy swift and precise responses during games with the RGB gaming keyboard's anti-ghost keys, allowing 25 keys to function simultaneously. Control play, pause, and skip functions directly with the 12 multimedia keys for a seamless gaming experience. (Please note: Multimedia keys are not compatible with Mac)
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SteelSeries Apex 3 Gaming Keyboard - Black
- Ip32 water resistant – Prevents accidental damage from liquid spills
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- Whisper quiet gaming switches – Nearly silent use for 20 million low friction keypresses
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- Dedicated multimedia controls – Adjust volume and settings on the fly
What to do when a username is rejected
- Identify the field. Check whether the form asks for an account or sign-in username, an email-style identifier, a public handle, or a display name.
- Open the service’s current rules. Use its official help page or the instructions shown during signup, rather than applying another service’s character list.
- Check the whole name. Look for length limits, case conversion, repeated or edge punctuation, reserved terms, and content restrictions—not just the character that looks unusual.
- Try a simpler variation. If the service’s rules permit it, remove unsupported punctuation or replace it with an allowed character. If the name is rejected despite meeting the published syntax, check for a reserved name or content-policy restriction.
- Keep display names separate. If the service offers a display name, it may allow characters that are not accepted in the sign-in username.
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