"WP:CHU" redirects here. For the CheckUser utility, see Wikipedia:CheckUser.
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 appropriate request page to submit your request.
It is not a Wikipedia policy or guideline; rather, its purpose is to explain certain aspects of Wikipedia's norms, customs, technicalities, or practices. It may reflect varying levels of consensus.
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. If you choose to do so, you must acknowledge the risks in your request.
Renaming is not guaranteed and may be refused if you have active sanctions or are blocked on any Wikimedia project.
Username policy
Your new username must follow the username policy. Usernames must:
Edits made while logged out—identified with an IP address or temporary account—cannot be re-assigned to a different username or merged with another account.
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).
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
Your previous username will not be available for re-registration, so other users will not be able to impersonate you by using your old username. If you want to recreate an account under your old username, you can request an account.
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 your signature you will need to alter it to use your new username, otherwise it will remain linked to your old user pages.
If you are certain you want to change your username, use the appropriate request page linked below.
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.
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.
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.
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 the 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.
↑Usernames have been global since 2014, when Wikimedia implemented single user login (SUL) over the entirety of Wikimedia projects, including the English Wikipedia.
