WordPress doesn’t allow you to change your username, but sometimes you really need to. For example, your username is ‘admin’ which is bad practice, so you want to change the username while keeping the user’s content and settings.
But just because WordPress doesn’t allow it doesn’t mean it’s impossible ?. Here are 3 different methods to change your WordPress username.
Please backup your website database before attempting any of the methods described below.
Replace the user with a new one
This method involves deleting the user with the username that needs to be changed. Their content will have to be re-assigned to a new user, with the desired username.
Create a new user
Navigate to the Users → Add New screen. Fill in the desired username and other details. Be sure to give the user the same role as the one to be deleted e.g. Administrator. Note that you cannot use the same email address as the user that needs to be deleted, so use a different one temporarily. Click the Add New User button to complete the step.
Login to the new user account
Log out of WordPress. Login to the new user account using the username and password created in Step 1.
Delete the old user, and assign their content to the new user
Navigate to the Users → All Users screen. Locate the old user. Click Delete under the user’s name. You will be sent to a confirmation screen asking what should be done with the user’s content. Be sure to attribute the content to the new user.
Learn more about managing users and authors in WordPress.
Change usernames with the Username Changer plugin
This is simplest way to change your username, but requires a plugin. Start by installing and activating the free Username Changer plugin.
Now you will be able to change your own username from your profile page, or from the Users → All Users screen.
Advanced: Change usernames by editing the WordPress database
This method is only recommended for advanced users who are familiar with the WordPress database. Don’t forget to backup your database too.
Start by accessing the database with your tool of choice e.g. phpMyAdmin. Navigate to the wp_users table and locate the user who’s username you want to change.
Edit the user that you want to change the username. The username is defined by the user_login field. Type in the desired username and click Go to save the changes.
