Wikipedia:Changing username

"WP:RENAME" redirects here. For renaming an article, see Wikipedia:Moving a page.

"WP:CHU" redirects here. For the CheckUser utility, see Wikipedia:CheckUser.

Users may request that their username be changed. Usernames are global; a username change will change your username on all Wikimedia projects. Username changes are handled by global renamers and stewards, not by local administrators or bureaucrats, and are governed by the global rename policy and local username policy.

Must read

Please read the following carefully before requesting a username change. You must be aware of and understand all the implications of changing your username.

• Your name will be changed to the new one in the page history of every page you've edited, and in all log entries.
• Your user pages, account preferences, and edits will be moved to the new name. Please do not create a new account or attempt to move them yourself.
• Once renamed, you will log in using the same password under the new name.
• Links left by your previous signatures will still point to the old user page; however, a redirect will be created pointing to your new user page.
• Understand that using your real name as your username may put you at risk of harassment.

Username policy

Your new username must follow the username policy. Usernames must not:

• be inappropriate, profane, or offensive.
• contain libelous, contentious, or non-public information.
• be misleading by impersonating other users or implying that you have authority.
• be the name of a company, organization, group; or imply that the account is shared with multiple people.
• contain emoji, emoticons, or non-language symbols.

Limitations and restrictions

There are technical limitations to the username change process that cannot be bypassed.

• Accounts cannot be merged or deleted. They can only be renamed.
• It is not possible to re-assign edits identified with an IP address (made while not logged in).
• Usernames are subject to technical restrictions. Specifically, they cannot:
  • contain the # < > [ ] | { } / @ : = characters.
  • contain various control characters, unusual whitespace, or Private Use Area characters: U+0080–U+009F, U+00A0, U+2000–U+200F, U+2028–U+202F, U+3000, or U+E000–U+F8FF.
  • be an IP address or resemble an IP address (for example, "564.348.992.800" is not a valid IP address, but since it looks like one, it is an invalid username).
  • be on the list of reserved usernames (e.g. MediaWiki default).
  • be more than 85 bytes long.
• Usernames cannot begin with a lowercase letter. The first letter of a username is always capitalized.
• Underscores and spaces are considered identical by the MediaWiki software, so Jimbo Wales and Jimbo_Wales are considered to be the same username.
• Renames are recorded publicly in the user rename log and global rename log. This is done in the interest of transparency.

Alternatives to a username change

Consider the following alternatives to a username change.

• If you would like your username to begin with a lowercase letter, place {{lowercase title}} on your user and user talk pages, and change your signature to reflect your preference.
• If you simply want to change your "public appearance" on talk pages, you can change your signature. Note that this is not an acceptable alternative to changing your username if the name is in breach of the username policy.
• If you want to retire from Wikipedia, place {{retired}} or a similar declaration on your userpage. A request for a rename to something like RetiredUser123 will be declined. Users in good standing wishing to vanish completely, perhaps by way of a rename to a random character string, are an exception to this rule.

Other things to consider

• Recreation of previously used usernames is prevented by the anti-spoof check to prevent impersonation. Users can request to register old names at Wikipedia:Request an account.
• You may wish to inform others of previous username(s) via a simple statement on your user page, or use of {{user changed username}}.
• If you have customised your signature you will need to alter it to use your new username, otherwise it will remain linked to your old user pages.

Requesting a username change

If you are certain you want to change your username, use the appropriate request page to avoid any delay or rejection.

Simple requests

The following venues are for renames to usernames that are not already taken. Check the username validator to see whether the username you want is available. If it is already taken on any Wikimedia project, it is not available for use.

• Global user account rename request form (email address required; see Help:Email confirmation)
• Simple account rename request page (no email address required)

Usurpation requests

If you are an established user who wants to use a username that is already taken but has never been used for editing, you may request usurpation. The target account must have made no significant edits or log actions on any Wikimedia wiki; use the global account information page to check. The target account is renamed to a different username, and your account is renamed to the target username.

• Steward requests for username changes page

Vanish requests

While accounts cannot be deleted, users wishing to permanently leave Wikipedia and remove their traces may request courtesy vanishing. Usernames are changed to a randomly generated username and redirects to the new name are not created. Vanishing does not remove edits or log entries, and may be reversed if you return. Vanishing is not guaranteed and may be refused if you are in poor standing.

• Global vanish request form
• If your request is particularly sensitive, use the email form or email renamerswikimedia.org, using the subject line "Request for courtesy vanishing".

Archival of requests

• Requests made privately on the Global user account rename request form, Global vanish request form, or by email are archived privately and are only visible to to current renames, stewards, and Wikimedia Foundation staff.
• Requests made publicly on the Simple account rename request page are archived into Wikipedia:Changing username/Archives.
• Requests made publicly on the Steward requests for username changes page are archived into meta:Steward requests/Username changes/archives.

Remember that, regardless of how a request was submitted, a log of the actual renaming is always publicly visible in the user rename log and global rename log.

History

Initially, usernames could only be changed by developers. In 2005, bureaucrats were given the ability to rename users using the Renameuser extension. Before 2008, users had to create separate user accounts on each Wikimedia wiki, meaning that the same username could be used by different people on different wikis. Username changes could only be done locally, and a user who had accounts on other wikis would need to request a username change on each individual wiki.

The unified login system was introduced in 2008 to make accounts and usernames global, meaning that the same username could only be used by the same person on all Wikimedia wikis. In 2014, the global renamer user group was created that allowed for username changes to be done globally, simplifying the renaming process; consequently, bureaucrats were no longer responsible for renaming accounts. In 2015, as part of SUL finalisation, all unattached local accounts were attached to global accounts, eliminating the need to perform local renames entirely.

From 2007 until 2014, the Wikipedia:Changing username/Usurpations page was used to request usurpation of local accounts on the English Wikipedia. It was also used to request usurpation of unattached local accounts blocking SUL unification by other accounts. Following the creation of the global renamer user group, the page was used as an alternative way to request usurpation of accounts whose home wiki was the English Wikipedia. It was closed in February 2025.

From 2008 until 2010, the Wikipedia:Changing username/SUL page was used for username changes related to the initial migration to the unified login system. It was closed in April 2010, and its functions merged with the usurpation requests page.

See also

• meta:Changing username