The wiki software allows bureaucrats to change any user account to a new name, as long as it's not already in-use by someone else.
All edits made by the user will be changed in the edit history to reflect the change. However, this feature has been somewhat abused in the past, so there are some limits:
- Users must be registered for at least three months to be eligible for a rename. Exceptions may be granted for minor tweaks to correct registration errors.
- Each user must wait one year between renames (user rename log). However, changing and then reversing the change is allowed once. For example, going from Alpha to Beta and back to Alpha is allowed, but you would need to wait a year if you want to change to something else.
- We will not consider requests for names which include symbols, accented letters, foreign alphabets, or other specialized characters which could be an inconvenience to type on a regular keyboard.
- If the name you want is already being used by a short-lived account that has been completely inactive for years, and provided you have a good reason for wanting the name (e.g. it's your established nickname on the forums), you may directly contact a bureaucrat to see if the original account can be renamed, making the name available for you instead. However, if the account in question has made any legitimate mainspace edits (i.e. non-vandalism contributions), it will not be considered.
- Note that once a rename is completed, your old username is released back into the pool of available usernames and will be obtainable by others (by way of both new user registration and rename). Abandoned usernames which are of major significance to the wiki community may be reserved at the discretion of the wiki staff.
- All requests go at the bottom of this page, not on the user talk pages of bureaucrats.
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Previous renames are archived: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
Instructions
- Create a new subsection at the bottom of the page using this syntax:
=== CurrentName to NewName ===
- Below this, use {{rename user}} and put both your current and desired names (both case-sensitive), using this format:
{{rename user|CurrentName|NewName}}
- Leave a comment as to why you want the change after the template and then save the page.
- Bureaucrats will check this page regularly and if accepted can use the "Rename" link on the top-right corner of each section to directly change the username and move all userspace pages.
- The bureaucrat will say whether the name change is accepted or rejected in each section, and if rejected, why (such as already being given a name change over the preceding 12 months).
