Finding it is the easy part. The part nobody tells you is what happens after you share it. A payment through your link can arrive two different ways, and one of them takes a cut while the other does not. If you hold a business account, you do not get to choose. This guide covers where the link is on Android, iOS and desktop, what you actually receive after fees, how to request a specific amount with one character, PayPal’s naming rules, and how to switch the link off when you no longer want payments arriving.
To find your PayPal link on the app, open PayPal, tap your profile icon, go to Account Settings, and look under Profile for PayPal.Me. If no link appears there, you have not created one yet, and links are made at paypal.me rather than inside the app. A link cannot be renamed once created, each account gets exactly one, and setting it up is free.
Table of Contents
Where to Find PayPal Link on App, Step by Step
The link sits in Account Settings on every platform, but it has to exist before it will appear there. PayPal creates PayPal.Me links at paypal.me, not inside the app, so a first-time user searching the app menus will find nothing and assume the feature is missing.
On Android and iOS
The path is the same on both.
- Open the PayPal app and sign in.
- Tap your profile icon, usually top left or top right depending on your app version.
- Open Account Settings.
- Scroll to the Profile section and look for PayPal.Me.
- Tap your link to copy it, or use the share option if your version shows one.
On desktop
Sign in at paypal.com, click the settings icon, open Account Settings, and find PayPal.Me under Profile. Desktop is the easier place to work if you are pasting the link into invoices or a website footer, because you can copy it straight into whatever you are editing.
If no link appears anywhere
You have not created one. Go to paypal.me, sign in with your PayPal account, and claim a username. The link activates immediately and then shows up in Account Settings on every device.
This is worth stating plainly because the app gives no prompt. There is no “create your link” button buried in settings waiting to be found. If PayPal.Me is absent from Account Settings, the feature is not broken and your account is not restricted. The link simply does not exist yet.
What You Actually Receive After Fees
This is the section most guides skip, and it decides whether the link is useful to you. A PayPal.Me payment arrives as either a personal payment, often called friends and family, or as a goods and services payment. The fees differ, the protection differs, and your account type can remove the choice entirely.
The rule that catches freelancers
PayPal states that all account types can use PayPal.Me, but business accounts can only accept goods and services payments. If you run a business account, every payment through your link is a goods and services payment, carries the seller fee, and there is no personal-payment option to fall back on.
That is the single most useful fact about PayPal.Me for anyone invoicing clients, and it is why “it’s free” is only half true. Creating the link is free. Receiving money through it usually is not.
What each payment type costs
| Payment type | Who pays the fee | US cost | Protection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friends and family, funded by PayPal balance or linked bank | Sender | No fee | None |
| Friends and family, funded by card | Sender | 2.9% + $0.30 | None |
| Friends and family, international | Sender | Above, plus 5% (min $0.99, max $4.99) and a 4% currency spread | None |
| Goods and services, domestic | Receiver | Seller transaction fee applies | Buyer purchase protection applies |
| Goods and services, international | Receiver, plus 4% conversion spread on the buyer side | Seller fee plus cross-border costs | Buyer purchase protection applies |
Fee structure per PayPal’s published personal and merchant fee pages, checked October 2026. Exact seller rates depend on your account and transaction type.
The honest read
For splitting a dinner bill with someone in the US paying from their balance, PayPal.Me is genuinely free. For a freelancer invoicing a client, it is not, and it should not be: a goods and services payment is what gives the client purchase protection, and asking a client to pay as friends and family to dodge the fee breaches PayPal’s user agreement and strips your own seller protection.
If fees across your whole account are the concern rather than this one link, the full set of levers is in how to avoid PayPal fees when receiving money.
How to Request a Specific Amount
Add the amount to the end of your link and PayPal pre-fills the payment screen. This is the most useful feature of PayPal.Me and it does not appear anywhere in the app interface, so almost nobody knows it exists.
The format
Append a slash and a number:
paypal.me/yourname/25requests 25.00 in your default currency.paypal.me/yourname/25AUDrequests 25.00 Australian dollars.
Adding a currency code works, but some countries restrict which currencies can be transferred, so confirm with the sender before relying on it for a cross-border payment.
Why it matters
A bare link makes the payer type an amount, which invites a typo and an awkward follow-up message. A link with the amount built in removes that step entirely. For anyone sending the same figure repeatedly, such as a monthly retainer or a fixed class fee, save the full link with the amount rather than the base one.
PayPal’s Naming Rules and What Cannot Be Undone
Choose carefully, because a PayPal.Me link cannot be changed once it is created. PayPal’s own wording is unambiguous: “A PayPal.Me link or username cannot be changed once it’s created.” You can contact PayPal about changing or deleting one, but there is no self-service rename.
The constraints
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Characters allowed | Letters and numbers only. No symbols, dashes or spaces |
| Length | Up to 20 characters |
| Case | Not case-sensitive, though mixed case is easier to read |
| Links per account | Exactly one |
| Reservation | Links are not reserved. First to claim it gets it |
| Prohibited | Profane, offensive, defamatory names, and names that are reserved trademarks |
| Expiry | Never expires |
A trademark violation is not a soft rule. PayPal states that breaching the naming policy can lead to account suspension, so naming your link after a brand you do not own is a genuinely bad idea rather than a cheeky one.
If your preferred name is taken
PayPal does not hold names in reserve, so popular ones go early. Try a variation or accept one of PayPal’s suggestions. Since you only get one link per account and cannot rename it, spending two minutes on this decision is time well spent.
How to Turn Off Your PayPal Link
You cannot delete a PayPal.Me link yourself, but you can switch it off. Log in at paypal.me and select turn off My Link. Payments stop arriving through it immediately, and you can turn it back on whenever you like.
What switching off does and does not do
The link stays attached to your account permanently. Nobody else can claim it once it has been yours, which means you are not freeing the name up for someone else by disabling it.
This matters in two situations. If you shared your link publicly and now regret it, turning it off is the fix and it is instant. And if you are closing a PayPal account, switch the link off first, because a live link pointing at a closed account is a dead end for anyone who tries to pay you.
If your account has already been limited or closed and you are trying to sort it out, how to reopen a closed PayPal account covers that path.
Who Can Pay You Through Your PayPal Link
Anyone in a country where PayPal.Me is available can pay you, and they do not need a PayPal account to do it. They can create one if they want, but it is not a requirement, which is the main advantage over asking someone to send money to your email address.
Where the money lands
Payments go into your PayPal balance. From there you can spend it, send it on, or move it to a linked bank account. Moving it out is its own small decision, since the instant option carries a fee while the standard one does not, covered in why PayPal instant transfer stops working along with what each route costs.
If you have no bank account linked yet, verifying PayPal without a bank account covers the alternatives for getting money out, and what stores let you withdraw PayPal cash covers taking it out over the counter.
When Your PayPal Link Is Missing from the App
If PayPal.Me does not appear in Account Settings, the most likely explanation is that you never created one. That accounts for most cases. The rest break down into a short list.
What to check, in order
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No PayPal.Me section in settings at all | Link never created | Go to paypal.me and claim one |
| Section exists but shows nothing | App version out of date | Update the app, sign out and back in |
| Link exists but payments fail | Account limitation | Check Account Settings, then Account Limitations |
| Link works for some senders, not others | PayPal.Me unavailable in their country | Ask them to pay another way |
| Cannot select friends and family | You hold a business account | Expected. Business accounts accept goods and services only |
| Preferred username rejected | Taken, too long, or contains symbols | Letters and numbers only, 20 characters maximum |
Account limitations block more than the link, so if payments are failing across the board rather than just through PayPal.Me, the limitation is the thing to clear first. Your transfer limits are a separate ceiling again, covered in how much you can send on PayPal.
Sharing It Safely
A PayPal.Me link only lets people send you money. It does not let anyone withdraw funds, see your balance, or access your account, so sharing it is far safer than sharing bank details.
The real risks are social, not technical
The exposure is in what the link reveals and who acts on it.
- Your name is visible. The PayPal.Me page shows the name on your account. If you use a personal account under your legal name, anyone with the link sees it.
- Public posting attracts scams. Posting the link openly invites refund scams and overpayment schemes, where someone sends money, claims a mistake, and asks you to return more than arrived.
- Friends and family requests from strangers are a warning sign. If a buyer asks to pay as friends and family, they are asking you to give up seller protection. Decline.
- Turn 2FA on. Two-step verification protects the account behind the link, which matters more than the link itself.
None of this argues against using PayPal.Me. It argues for sharing it in direct messages and invoices rather than pinned to a public profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is my PayPal link in the app?
Open the PayPal app, tap your profile icon, go to Account Settings, and look under Profile for PayPal.Me. The path is the same on Android and iOS. If no PayPal.Me section appears, you have not created a link yet, and you create one at paypal.me rather than inside the app.
Can I find my PayPal link without the app?
Yes. Sign in at paypal.com, open Account Settings, and the link is under Profile. You can also go straight to paypal.me and sign in, which shows your link and the option to turn it on or off. Desktop is easier if you are pasting the link into an invoice or website.
Is PayPal.Me free?
Creating a PayPal.Me link and opening a PayPal account cost nothing. Receiving money through it is a separate question. Friends and family payments funded by a balance or bank account in the US are free, card-funded ones cost the sender 2.9% plus $0.30, and goods and services payments carry a seller fee you pay.
Can I change my PayPal.Me username later?
No. PayPal states that a PayPal.Me link or username cannot be changed once it is created. You can contact PayPal about changing or deleting one, but there is no self-service rename and each account gets only one link. Choose carefully the first time, because you do not get a second attempt.
How do I request a specific amount with my link?
Add the amount to the end. Sending paypal.me/yourname/25 requests 25.00 in your default currency. Adding a currency code, as in /25AUD, requests that currency instead. Some countries restrict which currencies can be transferred, so confirm with the sender before using a currency code across borders.
Does the person paying me need a PayPal account?
No. Anyone in a country where PayPal.Me is available can pay through your link without an account, though they can create one if they prefer. That is the main advantage over sending someone your email address, which generally assumes they are already a PayPal user.
Can someone take money from me using my PayPal link?
No. The link only accepts incoming payments. It does not allow withdrawals, show your balance, or give access to your account. The genuine risks are social rather than technical: refund and overpayment scams, and buyers pressuring you to accept friends and family payments that remove your seller protection.
Why can’t I choose friends and family on my PayPal.Me payments?
Because you hold a business account. PayPal allows all account types to use PayPal.Me, but business accounts can only accept goods and services payments. There is no setting to change this. If you want the option, that requires a personal account, and using one for business income carries its own problems.
How do I delete or turn off my PayPal.Me link?
You cannot delete it yourself. Log in at paypal.me and select turn off My Link to stop payments arriving. The link stays tied to your account permanently and nobody else can claim it, so switching it off does not release the name. You can turn it back on at any time.
What characters can I use in my PayPal.Me link?
Letters and numbers only, up to 20 characters. No symbols, dashes or spaces. Links are not case-sensitive, though mixed case reads better. Profane, offensive, defamatory names and reserved trademarks are prohibited, and PayPal states that violating the naming policy can lead to account suspension.
The Bottom Line
Finding your PayPal link takes thirty seconds once it exists: profile icon, Account Settings, Profile, PayPal.Me. The reason so many people search for this and find nothing is that the link is created at paypal.me, not in the app, and the app gives no hint of that.
Two things are worth more than the location itself. Adding an amount to the end of the link, as in /25, removes the most common point of friction in getting paid, and almost nobody uses it. And knowing which payment type your link accepts decides what you actually keep, because a business account has no friends and family option and every payment carries a fee.
The link cannot be renamed and you only get one, so treat choosing it as a decision rather than a formality. Given that, is the name you are about to claim one you would still want printed on an invoice in three years?
