How to Change Your Name on Upwork: Profile Name vs Verified Name

On desktop, go to Account settings, select Contact info under User settings, choose Edit next to your account information, change your name and press Update. In the mobile app, tap your profile picture, go to Settings > Contact info, select the pencil icon and choose Update. That is all it takes to change the name on your profile.

What that does not change is your verified name, the one taken from the ID you used for identity verification. Upwork lists it as something you cannot edit in your account settings. If your legal name itself has changed, the route is re-verification through Upwork support, covered below.

Everything factual here comes from Upwork's own help center articles on changing your profile name, editing freelancer account information, verified names, representing yourself authentically, and withdrawal name matching, all checked on the day this was written. Upwork edits these pages often, so if your settings screen looks different, trust your account.

Most confusion about name changes on Upwork comes from not knowing there are two separate names on every account. Upwork describes the profile name as your nickname and the verified name as the name on your legal documents.

So the honest answer to 'can clients see my real name' is: not in search, but yes once they hire you. Upwork shares your verified name with a client at the point you agree to a contract, because a contract needs legally binding details. If that matters to you, know it before you accept the first offer, not after. The acceptance flow itself is in [how to accept an offer on Upwork](/blog/how-to-accept-an-offer-on-upwork).

You have real freedom in what you call yourself, but Upwork enforces guidelines, and it says that if your profile name breaks them it may restrict your account until you update it and may ask for documents to verify your identity. The rules:

Upwork's own examples of acceptable variations: Elizabeth to Betty, Mohammed Rahman to Rahman, María Rosa to Rosa. A company name is only allowed as a client profile name, after identity verification, and only on an account used strictly as a client.

If your legal name changes, for example through marriage or divorce, Upwork says you need to re-verify and asks you to contact support to request it. Upwork describes the verified name as one that typically cannot be changed, and the help center routes these requests through support rather than through a settings field.

Upwork also states that it makes exceptions for transgender and non-binary people who have not been able to obtain a legal name change because of legal or other barriers, and that documentation may be required. If that applies to you, contact support directly rather than leaving a mismatched name in place.

Treat re-verification as paperwork, not a red flag. The verification process itself, what Upwork checks and what happens if you miss the deadline, is covered in [Upwork identity verification](/blog/upwork-identity-verification).

This is the part that costs freelancers money if they ignore it. Upwork requires your verified name to match the name on any bank account or withdrawal method you use, including middle names, family names and special characters. If you are not verified yet, the name on your tax information has to match instead. You also need to be an account holder or authorized signer on that account.

Upwork's Identity Verification team reviews mismatches and lists the cases it can often resolve:

If Upwork's team finds an issue, it says it will email you within three to four business days with instructions. One more detail for wire transfers: Upwork sends the name from your tax information, and if that does not match the name on your bank account, the receiving bank may reject or delay the wire. If you are outside the U.S., keep the name on your tax form identical too; see [the Upwork W-8BEN form explained](/blog/upwork-w-8ben-form-explained). For how payout methods and their costs compare, see [Upwork withdrawal fees explained](/blog/upwork-withdrawal-fees-explained).

Upwork lists two things you cannot edit in your freelancer account: the Upwork User ID it assigns you, and your verified name. Your email, password, security options, address, phone number and time zone can all be updated in settings. Upwork asks you to use your real, permanent address for tax purposes.

Two rules sit underneath all of this. Upwork accounts are personal, so you cannot share an account or transfer it to someone else, which means a name change can never be a way to hand your account to a friend or a buyer. And a 'fresh start' under a new name on a new account is a multiple-accounts violation. The full rules are in [can you have two Upwork accounts](/blog/can-you-have-two-upwork-accounts).

This part is my opinion, not Upwork policy. Use the name a client will actually say on a call. If everyone calls you Mo, put Mo. A name that matches how you introduce yourself makes the first video call smoother and makes your profile feel like a person instead of a form, and Upwork explicitly allows it.

What I would avoid is changing your profile name repeatedly. Your reviews and client history follow your account, but clients who search for you or recommend you by name need to find the same name they remember. Pick the one you will keep and leave it alone. If your profile is getting views but not hires, the name is rarely the problem; start with [why am I not getting jobs on Upwork](/blog/why-am-i-not-getting-jobs-on-upwork).