How to hide your phone number in a UPI ID

If your UPI ID looks something like 98xxxxxx12@upi, 98xxxxxx12@ybl, or another handle that clearly exposes your mobile number, you are not the only one who wants to change it.

For freelancers, creators, consultants, and small businesses, sharing a payment ID publicly often means sharing it:

• in WhatsApp
• on Instagram
• in invoices
• in email signatures
• on websites and portfolios

That makes privacy matter.

The short version is this: you usually cannot "hide" the phone number inside the same UPI ID. What you can often do is stop sharing that number-based UPI ID and move to a different UPI ID or virtual payment address that does not reveal your number.

First, what a UPI ID actually is

NPCI describes a UPI ID as a virtual payment address, or VPA. In simple terms, it is the payment address people use to send you money without needing your bank account number and IFSC code.

That matters because a UPI ID does not have to be your mobile number. It can be a separate virtual identity, depending on what your bank app or UPI app supports.

Steps to hide your phone number in the UPI ID you share

Paytm

If you want to switch away from a number-based UPI ID

1. Open the Paytm app.
2. Tap your profile icon.
3. Go to UPI & Payment Settings.
4. Open the UPI ID section and tap View.
5. Tap the three dots next to the UPI ID you want to use.
6. Tap Change Primary UPI ID or Set as Primary.
7. Choose the cleaner handle you want people to pay.
8. Confirm the change.
9. Generate a fresh QR and replace old payment links.

If you want to create a personalized UPI ID first

1. Open the Paytm app.
2. Tap your profile icon.
3. Go to UPI Settings.
4. Tap Manage UPI ID.
5. Choose an available personalized handle such as yourname@ptyes or yourname@ptaxis, if supported for your setup.
6. Set it as your primary UPI ID.
7. Test it with a small payment before sharing it publicly.

Google Pay

1. Open Google Pay.
2. Tap your profile photo in the top-right.
3. Under Payment options, tap Bank account.
4. Tap the bank account whose UPI IDs you want to manage.
5. Tap Manage UPI IDs.
6. If you see room to add another UPI ID, tap the add option next to an available slot.
7. Remove the old one only if you are sure you no longer want to use it.
8. Test the cleaner UPI ID before updating invoices, bios, or QR codes.

PhonePe

1. Open PhonePe.
2. Tap your profile icon in the top-left.
3. Tap View UPI details under the bank account of your choice.
4. Tap Manage.
5. Tap + to add a new UPI ID.

What if your app does not let you create a custom UPI ID?

Then the next best option is to reduce how often your number-based ID is exposed.

You can do that by:

• using the cleanest alternate UPI ID your app offers
• changing your primary UPI ID if the app allows it
• sharing a dedicated payment page instead of pasting raw UPI IDs everywhere
• replacing old QR screenshots and saved templates

In other words, even if you cannot fully customize the UPI handle, you can still improve what people see publicly.

Why this matters for freelancers and small businesses

Privacy is one reason. Professionalism is another.

When a client sees a clean payment identity, the whole flow feels more deliberate:

• less personal information exposed
• less confusion about whom they are paying
• less friction in chat
• better fit for public pages, bios, and invoices

A number-based UPI ID works. A cleaner payment identity usually looks better.

A cleaner way to share UPI publicly

Once you have a better UPI ID, the next step is to stop scattering it across different chats, bios, and screenshots.

WithUPI helps you turn your UPI ID into a simple public payment page, so you can share one cleaner link instead of repeating payment instructions again and again.

Create your WithUPI page