Wikipedia:Changing username/Simple

The user name Wikipedians choose for themselves is no longer set in stone. On request, Bureaucrats can change user account settings and article histories such that all previous edits of a given user are attributed to the new name. Currently, only users with fewer than 5000 edits (edit counter) can be renamed. You can only be renamed to an account that does not exist.

1. To change your user name on the English Wikipedia only, please make your request on this page.
2. To change your user name on another Wikimedia project that has a local bureaucrat (see Special:Listusers on your wiki to check), please ask one of those bureaucrats.
3. To change your user name on another Wikimedia project that has no local bureaucrat, please ask a steward at meta:requests for permission.
4. Re-attribution of edits from an anonymous account to a username can not be carried out by bureaucrats. Please see Wikipedia:Changing attribution for an edit.

• Archives: see Archive1 and Archive2

Alternatives

Change your signature

Instead of changing your name, you can change your preferences to change your signature. This will change your "public appearance" on talk pages without requiring costly changes to the database.

• All your edits will be attributed to the same user. Although it will be your Username and not your sig that appears in page histories, most public interaction here goes on via talk pages.
• If you have the desire and the patience, you can use "What links here" from your User: page to manually edit all your old signatures to use the new sig as well (probably not necessary in most cases).

Create a new account

You can simply create a new account with the desired name, and redirect your old User: and User Talk: pages to your new account.

• Put a note at the top of your new User: and User Talk: page to explain the change.
• This does not merge your contributions history; but anyone investigating the old edits will be redirected to your new one.
• Again, if you have the patience, you can use "What links here" from your old User: page to manually edit all your old talk page signatures to display the new sig as well, using a piped link of the form [[User:OldUserName|NewSig]]. Use an informative edit summary so that people do not think you are tampering with someone else's entry on a talk page (a definite community no-no).

Instructions

Please follow the procedure carefully or your request will not be fulfilled.

1. Check you have fewer than 5000 edits (edit counter).
2. Check the new name you want does not exist (Special:Listusers)
3. Sign in with the account that you want renamed.
4. Add your request in the section below.
5. If you are a sysop, please note this fact with your request so that the necessary changes can be made.
6. Once your request is dealt with, all edits from your old account will be reattributed to your new account.
7. You should check that the old account has been recreated and blocked to prevent someone else creating the account and impersonating you.
8. You will probably want to move and redirect your userpage and talk page after changing.

Current requests

Please put new requests at the end. Fulfilled requests will be immediately moved to Archive3.

• Please change all edits so they are attributed to User:Jguk, jguk 9 July 2005 07:54 (UTC) And using the "new" account as proof it's me, jguk 9 July 2005 07:57 (UTC)

Sorry, but unlike before, you can only now be renamed to an account that does not exist. Angela. July 9, 2005 14:57 (UTC)

• Does User:Josh really exist? Seems to have an account, with no activity at all ever. If it's available, I'd kinda like it. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 9 July 2005 18:09 (UTC)

Yes, it does exist but has no edits on the English Wikipedia. We don't yet have any policy on whether unused accounts can be reassigned. Angela. 07:30, July 11, 2005 (UTC)

• In the german and the french Wikipedia, I am the user named Marom. Some time ago, I created my account User:Marom here. Now I tried to login, but my common password didn't work, and I didn't get an email with a new password. Wow can I recover my account (when I can not proove that it is mine)? --84.152.8.157 21:25, 10 July 2005 (UTC)

This page is only for changing username. For password problems, you need to contact a developer. Angela. 07:30, July 11, 2005 (UTC)

Thank you for your answer Angela! I'll try to find a developper to help me. --84.152.27.31 19:56, 11 July 2005 (UTC)

• Please change all 3 edits so they are attributed to User:Mike@jones-reddy.org Confirmed from old account User:mreddy@glam.ac.uk

Sorry, but as stated above, you can only now be renamed to an account that does not exist. Mike@jones-reddy.org already exists. Angela. 13:29, July 11, 2005 (UTC)

• Please change Gebruiker:Dedalus into Dedalus. Gebruiker:Dedalus 08:43, 11 July 2005 (UTC)

Sorry, but as stated above, you can only now be renamed to an account that does not exist. Dedalus already exists. Angela. 13:29, July 11, 2005 (UTC)

• Please can you attribute origin of anthrobotics entry to User:Mike@jones-reddy.org if not a problem. I think I made it anonymously originally, then edited as User:mreddy@glam.ac.uk

This page is only for changing username, not for changing attribution for an edit. Angela. 13:29, July 11, 2005 (UTC)

• Please change my user name to Former-User. Thank you very much, Angela. Dustin Zeidlerschuetz

This is done, but please say what you want done with the old name. Normally this is recreated and blocked to prevent confusion, but since you've never signed anything other than this page, this isn't an issue. Do you want the old account blocked, or would you rather it didn't appear in Special:Listusers at all? Note, that if it isn't recreated and blocked, anyone could come along and create it. Angela. 18:37, July 11, 2005 (UTC)

• Please change Brettlpb to BrettHoerner, I don't have a userpage . Thanks.

• I don't see instructions here telling bureacrats how to actually change a name. Is there a special page somewhere? →Raul654 23:48, July 12, 2005 (UTC)
  • Erm, nevermind -- Special:Renameuser →Raul654 23:49, July 12, 2005 (UTC)

• Please change my username from Pberkel to PieterB. I don't have a userpage either. Ta.

• Please change my username from Martin-f to Martin_Fasani. Thanks a lot!

• Please change my username from Darra to Tyhjiö. Thank you. --Darra 13:44, 13 July 2005 (UTC)