This page details the guidelines and information relating to changing a username.Do not edit this page to request a username change. Once you have read this information, select an appropriaterequest page to submit your request.
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 thepage history of every page you've edited, and in alllog entries.
Youruser 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 previoussignatures will still point to the old user page; however, aredirect will be created pointing to your new user page.
Understand that using yourreal name as your username may put you at risk of harassment.
Username policy
Your new username must follow theusername policy. Usernames must:
Edits made while logged out—identified with anIP address or temporary account—cannot be re-assigned to a different username or merged with another account.
contain various control characters, unusual whitespace, orPrivate 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).
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 yoursignature to reflect your preference.
If you simply want to change your "public appearance" on talk pages, you can change yoursignature. Note that this is not an acceptable alternative to changing your username if the name is in breach of theusername policy.
If you want to retire from Wikipedia, place{{retired}} or a similar declaration on your userpage. A request for a rename to something likeRetiredUser123 will be declined. Users in good standingwishing to vanish completely, perhaps by way of a rename to a random character string, are an exception to this rule.
You may wish to inform others of previous username(s) via a simple statement on your user page, or by using the{{user changed username}} template.
If you have customised yoursignature 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 theusername 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.
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 madeno significant edits or log actions on any Wikimedia wiki; use theglobal account information page to check. The target account is renamed to a different username, and your account is renamed to the target username.
While accounts cannot be deleted, users wishing to permanently leave Wikipedia and remove their traces may requestcourtesy 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 or reversed if you are in poor standing.
Remember that, regardless of how a request was submitted, a log of the actual renaming is always publicly visible in theuser rename log andglobal rename log.
History
Initially, usernames could only be changed bydevelopers. In 2005,bureaucrats were given the ability to rename users using theRenameuser 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.
Theunified 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, theglobal 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 ofSUL finalisation, all unattached local accounts were attached to global accounts, eliminating the need to perform local renames entirely.
From 2007 until 2014, theWikipedia: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.[1]
From 2008 until 2010, theWikipedia: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.[2]
^Usernames have been global since 2014, when Wikimedia implementedsingle user login (SUL) over the entirety of Wikimedia projects, including the English Wikipedia.
