Does Changing Your Xbox Gamertag Delete Achievements? No—Here's Why

Short answer: No. Your Gamerscore, achievement unlocks, and progression are bound to your Microsoft account, not the display name. Swapping gamertags is purely cosmetic.

What Actually Happens

• Your profile URL, friends list presence, and leaderboard entries update to the new tag.
• All historical data—completion dates, timestamps, rare achievements—remains intact.
• Game saves, cloud data, and licenses are unaffected.

Minor Caveats

• Friends need to re-add/search you under the new name; old friend requests/party invites may reference the old tag temporarily.
• Rare edge case: A handful of older titles (mostly pre-2010) stored save identifiers locally with the gamertag string. If a game misbehaves, contact the publisher's support.

First gamertag change is free; subsequent ones cost $9.99. Change away—your legacy is safe.