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 using Special:Renameuser. Note - you must make the request from the account you want renamed; anonymous requests are ignored for security reasons. (Historical note - In the past, this page was used to log requests for developers to manually change attributions and usernames. This practice has long since been discontinued by developers as being too time consuming for the few number of developers available)

See also: The Wikimedia m:Privacy Policy, m:Right to vanish

Currently, only users with fewer than 6800 edits can be renamed (edit counter). You can only be renamed to an account that does not exist. If you have very few edits, it is far quicker to just create a new account.

Requesting a change

To change your user name on the English Wikipedia only, please make your request on this page.
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.
To change your user name on another Wikimedia project that has no local bureaucrat, please ask a steward at meta:requests for permission.
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.

Alternatives

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).
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.

Check you have fewer than 6800 edits (edit counter).
Check the new name you want does not exist (Special:Listusers). Do not create an account under the new name.
Sign in with the account that you want renamed.
Add your request in the section below.
If you are a sysop, please note this fact with your request so that the necessary changes can be made.
Once your request is dealt with, all edits from your old account will be reattributed to your new account.
You should check that the old account has been recreated and blocked to prevent someone else creating the account and impersonating you.
You will probably want to move and redirect your userpage and talk page after changing.

Current requests

Please note that renaming users puts a large load on the database. Please do not request a rename unless it is necessary. If you have only a few edits, see the alternatives above.

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

Please delete/move User:Joshua, user registered username but enever made a single edit. I want to use User:Joshua for a bot. --Cool Cat ^{My Talk} 00:50, 30 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]
- We can't do that. You'll have to give your bot a different name. Sorry. Secretlondon 14:37, 30 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  - But it wasnt ever used, unlikely it will be ever used. --Cool Cat ^{My Talk} 05:11, 1 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
    - Well I'm not prepared to set the precedent that apparently inactive accounts can be deleted. Unless anyone else does you'll have to give your bot a less witty name.. Secret london 15:14, 8 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

A bad name for a bot; see: WarGames — Davenbelle 06:19, September 2, 2005 (UTC)

Exactly what I was thinking...:D — Ilγαηερ (Tαlκ) 02:19, 3 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

In wargames based on Joshua people determined defcon. --Cool Cat ^{My Talk} 13:28, 5 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Please move User:WikiFan04 to User:WikiFanatic if you can. I already have edits on WikiFanatic. --WikiFanatic
- We can only move to an unused username. Secretlondon 00:38, 5 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  - What we could do is move WikiFantic to some third name (like WikiFantic-old) and then move WikiFan to Wikifanatic. →Raul654 05:09, September 5, 2005 (UTC)
    - They'd then lose any edits they made under the original WikiFanatic. Secretlondon 05:15, 5 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
      - True, but the (current) Wikifanatic fanatic account only has like 35 edits, so it's not a huge loss. →Raul654 07:19, September 5, 2005 (UTC)

Please rename user:EnduranceFan back to user:Trollderella, per poll regarding the renaming that I did a couple of weeks ago. I failed to block the old account, and some users (possibly as a joke) logged into and used the old account. This will require developer intervention: I left a note for user:Tim Starling. Uncle Ed 11:50, September 9, 2005 (UTC)

- Never mind. Tim came on #wikipedia and told me how to do it. Uncle Ed 22:42, September 9, 2005 (UTC)

Plese move User:Acid to "Father Time." I like this name better. Acid remindes me of the rude person I was.
- USer Father Time already exists. You'd have to suggest another username. Check if a desired username is available by using this: Special:Listusers User:Nichalp/sg 04:46, September 10, 2005 (UTC)
  - You can also use the edit count statistics thing - [1] and by making your chosen name as link ie User:MyNewName you can see if there is a user contributions link. This will pick up accounts with no contributions. Secret london 08:51, 10 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Please, I made a mistake. I create 2 users User:Weber ress and User:Weber Ress. Please, delete the user User:Weber ress. Sorry for the trouble.
- We can't delete the account, but we'll block the account permanently instead. User:Nichalp/sg 06:00, September 11, 2005 (UTC)
  - Thank's Nic. A question: If you block the account User:Weber ress, it don't appear in a search ? If you block this account, only the account Weber Ress will be appear in a search? If yes, please, block the User:Weber ress account.
    - Yes, it will appear in a user search, but we can't delete it. I have already permanently blocked the second account on your request. You can redirect the main & talk page of User:Weber ress to point to your main and talk pages. User:Nichalp/sg 18:00, September 11, 2005 (UTC)
      - Thank's again Nic. A last question: How I create the redirect in my old username ?
        Use the syntax #REDIRECT [[name of the page]]. In this case #REDIRECT [[User:Weber Ress]] . I've gone ahead and fixed the redirects for you. PS. Please sign your posts with four tildes i.e.: ~~~~ Thanks. User:Nichalp/sg 05:01, September 12, 2005 (UTC)

Please change myself, User:Protactin to User:OrrC. I just managed to create the (password-less) OrrC user, however I imagine this would now need to be deleted/renamed first. Thanks. » Christopher | Talk | 21:53, 12 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
- At present we can't merge the two accounts. Please specify a blank account: Use: Special:Listusers to check if a username is available. User:Nichalp/sg 05:45, September 13, 2005 (UTC)
  - Ok, please move me to User:Orrc. Thank you! » Christopher | Talk | 23:47, 14 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
    - Done. User:Nichalp/sg 05:30, 15 September 2005 (UTC)
      - Many thanks! » Christopher | Talk | 23:36, 15 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Please delete user "Rmodnar". I created that account with the wrong username. I have already created a new account, so the old account is no longer needed. Thanks!
- We can't delete an account. Should we block the account permanently instead? [Will block in a day's time if no obj. are raised] User:Nichalp/sg 05:45, September 13, 2005 (UTC)

Please, change my old account/username on Slovenian wikipedia, sl.wikipedia.org User:Pagole to my new account Pag, including my old edit history from my old account username User:Pagole to my new account/username Pag. Thanks.--pag 23:10, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]
- We can only change accounts in the en wikipedia. If the sl wikipedia does not have a bureaucrat, then you may contact a steward at meta:requests for permission. User:Nichalp/sg 05:31, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Please move User:Jugoslaven to User:Luka Jačov. Thank you! Jugoslaven 09:14, 20 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Archives and rejected requests

Fulfilled

/Archive3 (currently in use)
/Archive4
/Archive5

Rejected

Usernames that cannot be changed by bureaucrats will be placed here.

/August 2005 failed
/September 2005 failed (currently in use)

Earlier archives

These archives predate the Special:Renameuser feature.

Requests from users with over 5000 edits

These requests will not currently be fulfilled; but may be in the future. See also m:Changing username for other complicated requests

User:Kevin_baas to User:Kevin Baas signed: 23:18, August 16, 2005 (UTC)
User:Coolcat asked on my talk page to be renamed to User:Cool Cat. Pak aran 21:01, 25 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]