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If you’ve been following along, we’ve been moving through a brand update over the last year. As we covered previously , Stack Overflow is now the name for the whole network. If you've been here long enough to feel like ‘Stack Exchange’ is the right name for this place, that's not wrong; it's what this network was called for most of its life. What's changing is how we refer to it going forward, not…

If you’ve been following along, we’ve been moving through a brand update over the last year. As we covered previously, Stack Overflow is now the name for the whole network.

If you've been here long enough to feel like ‘Stack Exchange’ is the right name for this place, that's not wrong; it's what this network was called for most of its life. What's changing is how we refer to it going forward, not the history that got us here.

A few things worth being explicit about:

The domains — stackexchange.com, superuser.com, askubuntu.com, etc. — aren't changing. They carry too much SEO value and history for their communities to move.
Individual site names aren't changing: e.g., Physics Stack Exchange is still Physics Stack Exchange. The [Topic] Stack Exchange pattern for site names stays as-is. Meta Stack Exchange (you are here!) and Meta Stack Overflow, all unchanged.
Sites with more branded names like “Ask Ubuntu” and “Super User” are unchanged.
Stack Exchange Inc. remains the legal entity name.

What changes is using “Stack Exchange” as a standalone term for the company or the network. Where you'd previously have seen that, you’ll now see Stack Overflow or more formally Stack Overflow Public Platforms, respectively.

What’s changing

1. Welcome orientation

On the stackexchange.com page we now give a brief introduction to Stack Overflow as a “A home for every niche”. The secondary pages on stackexchange.com have small visual updates to match the new homepage – nothing structural.

2. Logo popover

When you click the Stack Overflow logo (on the left side of the topbar) on any site, the popover previously described the Stack Exchange network. It now reflects the current brand structure, describing the site as part of Stack Overflow's open communities.

3. Site switcher

The site switcher (on the right side of the topbar) previously had calls to action mentioning Stack Exchange. It now reads 'More communities' & ‘Find a community’ This is one of the most visible places the old name appeared - removing it here felt like the right place to start.

4. Site tours

For sites that have customized the introduction text, the changes will remain. For any sites that haven’t made changes, the default text changes as follows:

Before:

[Site name] is a question and answer site for [audience]. It's built and run by you as part of the Stack Exchange network of Q&A sites. With your help, we're working together to build a library of detailed answers to every question about [topic].

After:

[Site name] is a question and answer site for [audience]. It’s built and run by you as part of Stack Overflow’s open communities. With your help, we’re working together to build a library of detailed, high-quality answers to every question about [topic].

The footer linking the site to the wider sites has been updated to reflect the same language as the logo popover.

5. New high-level tour

stackexchange.com/tour previously duplicated content you’d find on individual site tours. We’ve rewritten it to serve the purpose of orienting new users to the broader network rather than repeating site-level guidance.

6. About us

Previously there was a page at stackexchange.com/about which had outdated and redundant copy. We now redirect to stackoverflow.co.

How we communicate

We’ve added a new Community section to our guidelines site. It covers how we think about tone, audience and language when writing for you. It’s there for anyone who wants to understand our approach, and to hold us to it.

In addition, here you will find our guidelines about how we think about the company vs stackoverflow.com vs the network.

Feedback

We’re not reopening the decision on the naming change (that conversation happened here and here). What we do want to know:

If anything we’ve listed as “not changing” turns out to be wrong.
If the way we’ve explained the changes is unclear or incomplete.
If something has broken in a way we haven’t mentioned.
Any feedback on the new stackexchange.com/tour.

We’ll monitor this post for two weeks and respond directly.

How we talk about ourselves (and to you)