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 5000 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 5000 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 rename me from User:Charles O'Rourke to User:Cleared as filed for privacy concerns. Thanks! —Charles O'Rourke 20:05, August 22, 2005 (UTC)

Please rename User:Marxxxx to User:CrazySunshine. Thanks alot! Marxxxx 19:53, 23 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Can you please rename me from User:Pcassidy to User:Cooties. Thanks! - Pete C ^✍ 05:38, 24 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]
- Signed (this account created in the days of the old user-change-and-confirm policy. Original request here, Dec '04) - Cooties 05:39, 24 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  - If the second account already exists, then we can't do it. You can choose another username to use, or wait until another bureaucrat comes and tells you what else you can do (to be honest with you, this is new to me, so I don't know...). — Ilγαηερ (Tαlκ) 02:54, 27 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]
    - Bummer! I really wanted that one. Ah well - thanks for trying. Can I have User:Ali-oops instead? - Pete C ^✍ 00:54, 29 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Please rename from User:E.A to User:A.Garnet. Thanks. --E.A 14:29, 24 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Please rename User:Marek_Moehling to User:tickle_me for privacy concerns. --Marek Moehling 13:03, 25 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Please rename User:B-101 to User:JustPhil. I think it's a better username.- B-101 14:26, 25 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

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. Secret london 14:37, 30 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Please change my user name from User:Dbraceyrules to User:V. Molotov Thanks, D. J. Bracey (talk) 15:56, 30 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Please change my user name from User:Matt Stoller to User:BlogBuilder Thanks, 12:03, 30 August 2005 {UTC)

Rejected requests

See also Archive3

Please rename me, User:Shem Daimwood, to User:Shem; privacy concerns are beginning to abound. Thanks in advance. Shem^(talk) 05:27, 7 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]
- There's already a User:Shem (although they are inactive) hence I can't rename you. Is there another name you'd prefer? Secretlondon 21:56, 8 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  - You could rename User:Shem to some nonsense name to get it out of the way, which would only be a good idea if Shem Daimwood created that account. —Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason 00:35:34, 2005-08-09 (UTC)
- There is no User page, Talk page, or contributions for User:Shem. If that one can't be made available, I'd like to contact a bureaucrat privately (via email) with a new username, completely unrelated to my given name. I recieved a threatening email related to my Wikipedia contributions last night (in which the anonymous sender included my real life apartment's address), and would like this taken care of ASAP. Shem^(talk) 00:55, 9 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  - Ok - email me. Secretlondon 07:20, 9 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]
    - That won't work. If you rename someone, there will be a log of it, so choosing an unrelated name won't mean people won't be able to reconnect that one with the old name. Angela . 18:23, August 17, 2005 (UTC)

Could you rename and attribute all the edits and contributions by 130.15.2.252 to User:Sjschen? A check of User:Sjschen's login IP and the similar contributions should establish that 130.15.2.252 is indeed User:Sjschen. 22:20, 9 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]
- I can't do that - this page is only for changing usernames. The page you want is Wikipedia:Changing_attribution_for_an_edit but they have been suspended as they need to be done by a developer. You can add your request there - they may restart doing them - I'm not a developer and have no idea. Secretlondon 22:37, 9 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Please rename me, User:Siqbal, to User:sikander. My current username has my last name in it and I would prefer to have that removed and changed simply to my first name. I've checked the counter and as of this writing I have 291 edits. User sikander also does not exist. Much appreciated. sikander 13:52, August 15, 2005 (UTC)
- Sorry, the user "Sikander" already exists. Angela. 18:23, August 17, 2005 (UTC)
  - Really ? I checked the Users log and didn't find it there. I have my nickname as "sikander" but my username is "Siqbal". Anyhow, if it can't be done, then still thanks for trying :) - sikander 19:29, August 17, 2005 (UTC)
    - Usernames have to start with a captial. Sikander exists, whereas "sikander" can not exist on the English Wikipedia. Angela . 20:51, August 17, 2005 (UTC)

Please, could you rename me, User:Davor pihac to User:KahlessCro. I do not want to use my real name. Thank you in advance.
- You don't have any edits under that account. You also need to be signed into it when you request a rename so we can see that you are who you say you are. Thanks. Secret london 23:53, 15 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Change User Name- No EDITS, Just entered I just opened an account and mistakenly typed dodjital, as oppossed to my real username and preferred username_docdjital. Could you please make this change for me? email address and real name, and password may remain as entered. Thank you, my apologies.

docdjital at djital@gmail.com. David J Cadenhead

As you have made no edits other than this one, I suggest you simply create a new account under the correct name. Warofdreams 16:28, 17 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I have forgot my password for User:Cordis, please rename it to Sklavos1 or delete it.
- I don't have use e-mail in registration so I can't retrieve my password...
  - We cannot rename you unless you have some evidence that User:Cordis is you. Warofdreams 10:20, 26 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]
- To identify me I have register from IP *.46.2.130
  - Only developers can check IP addresses. Feel free to ask them, but it is unlikely that they will find the time. Warofdreams 13:10, 30 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Is it possible to rename User:Quark64 to User:TopQuark? Unfortunately I have just created the latter myself without checking. -Quark64 12:16, 23 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]
- As you only have four edits under your old username, I suggest you simply begin using your new username. Warofdreams 10:20, 26 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  - Understood, thanks anyway! TopQuark 11:05, 28 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

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]