How to check social media handle availability across all platforms
To check social media handle availability across every platform, search the username once on a tool that queries them together. Do not open each app by hand. account.name checks a handle across 27 social, creator and developer platforms in one search and tells you which are free, taken, or could not be verified.
Checking by hand does not scale. By the time you have opened Instagram, X, TikTok and YouTube, ten minutes are gone and you have skipped the platforms you will later wish you had reserved. One search hands you the whole namespace at a glance.
The platforms worth checking
| Category | Platforms |
|---|---|
| Social | Instagram, Threads, X, TikTok, YouTube, Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram, Pinterest |
| Creator and publishing | Substack, Patreon, Linktree, SoundCloud, Vimeo, Tumblr, Dribbble, Behance |
| Code and developer | GitHub, GitLab, Hugging Face, npm, PyPI, crates.io, RubyGems, Docker Hub, Keybase |
How to spot a checker that is guessing
Some platforms, Instagram, X and TikTok among them, actively block automated checks from servers. A tool that always returns a confident answer is guessing on those, and a wrong "available" is the expensive one. You build the brand, then learn the handle was taken the whole time.
A checker you can trust tells you when it does not know, instead of guessing.
That is why account.name shows a plain "couldn't verify" for any platform it cannot read cleanly, with a direct link so you can confirm with your own eyes. It never dresses a taken handle up as free.
Claim the free handles today
When a username is open, reserve it the same day, even on platforms you have no plans for. A username costs nothing to hold, and reserving it now stops both squatters and the slow slide into a different handle on every network.
When a handle is taken
Pick one variant and use it everywhere. @brandhq, @brandapp or @getbrand beats a different spelling on each platform. The goal is that anyone who finds you on one network can guess your handle on the next. Re-check your chosen variant in a single search so you know it is free across the board before you start claiming.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if a username is available on all social media platforms?
Search the username once on a tool that queries every platform together. account.name checks a handle across Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube, Bluesky, Threads, Telegram, Pinterest and more in a single search, instead of making you open each app to look.
Why does one tool say a handle is free and another says taken?
Some platforms block automated checks from servers, so weaker tools get rate-limited and guess. account.name returns an honest "couldn't verify" with a link to check by eye, and it never reports a taken handle as available.
Should I claim handles on platforms I do not use yet?
Yes. A username is free and takes a minute to reserve. Claiming your name everywhere now blocks squatters and keeps you consistent the day you expand to a new platform.
What counts as a social handle for a brand?
More than the big networks. It includes creator platforms like Substack, Patreon, Linktree and SoundCloud, and developer namespaces like GitHub and npm. account.name groups all of them so you see your whole namespace at once.
What if my exact handle is taken on one platform?
Choose one variant and use it everywhere. @brandhq beats a different spelling on every network, because consistency is what makes you findable. Re-check the variant in one search before you start claiming it.