WordPress is a content management system that does not require any introduction. It powers millions of websites on the internet. From the top 1 million websites on the Internet, more than 250,000 relies on WordPress. It is simple too! But, there is one thing that WordPress does not allow us to do, it is to change the username. You can update your profile but you cannot change the username once it is set. However, WordPress is open-source software. It means that we can find a way to change the WordPress username on our will.
In this guide, I will show you two different ways to update your WordPress username. Here are the methods we are going to learn in this guide.
- Update WordPress username using PHPMyAdmin
- Update WordPress username using a WordPress plugin
Now, You have to determine which method is best for you. If you have access to the cPanel or a MySQL server on which your WordPress site is hosted, I recommend you to go with the first method. It is because you do not have to add additional WordPress plugins in the first method.
If you do not have access to PHPMyAdmin or MySQL database, I recommend you to use the second method. But, in the second method too, you must have administrator access to WordPress.
So, Let’s get started with the first method.
Update WordPress username using PHPMyAdmin
If you are using InterServer web hosting, you can access PHPMyAdmin directly from the cPanel. To access PHPMyAdmin in InterServer web hosting, log in to your InterServer account and open up the cPanel.
In cPanel, find the Database section. In the Databases section, you will see the PHPMyAdmin option. Click on PHPMyAdmin and it will redirect you to PHPMyAdmin. Here is the screenshot of cPanel’s Databases section to make it easier for you to find the option.
In PHPMyAdmin, find a database that your WordPress site is currently using. If there are many databases and you don’t know which one to open, open up the wp-config.php file of your WordPress and look for a DB_NAME directive. Once you know the database name, click on the same database name listed on the left sidebar of PHPMyAdmin.
It will now give you the list of available tables in your WordPress database, just like the following screenshot.
Now, find a table called users from the list of tables. The wpwj_ is a prefix and you don’t have to worry about that. In this screenshot, a table that contains users is the last one. Click on the name of the table and you will see a list of users available in your WordPress site. Just like the following screenshot.
The usernames are stored in the user_login column of the table. Find a username that you want to update and double-click on the username you want to update. The cell will turn into an input box in which you can enter a new username. After entering a new username, click anywhere else on the screen or hit enter to save changes.
You will see a success message just like the following image.
Congratulations! You have successfully updated the WordPress username using PHPMyAdmin. It is a very simple and straightforward process and it does not require you to install additional plugins on your WordPress site. Now, let’s see how to update WordPress username using a plugin.
Update WordPress username using a plugin
This method is simpler than the PHPMyAdmin method. But you must have administrator access to WordPress. To get started, log in to your WordPress admin panel and click on the Plugins -> Add new option.
In the search box, enter Update username and you will find a list of plugins that will allow you to update WordPress username. Install a plugin with name Easy Username Updater. To make it easier to understand, refer to the following screenshot.
Install and activate the plugin. Now, You will see an additional option called Username updater in the Users option in the left sidebar of your WordPress admin panel.
Here, you will get a list of all the users with update username option. Just like the following screenshot.
In the Update column, you can click on the Update link corresponding to the user you want to update. Click on the update link will redirect you to a simple form that will ask for a new username. It will also allow you to send an email to the user regarding the change in username.
Enter a new username in the New Username field and hit the Update Username button to finally update the username. So, this is how you can update WordPress username using a WordPress plugin.
After updating a username, you can delete this WordPress plugin, it won’t affect the site or usernames.
Conclusion: So, this is how you can change a WordPress username. Updating a Username is something that WordPress does not allow out of the box. However, WordPress is an open-source system that allows us to do whatever we want on our will. That is why we can update WordPress username using these methods very easily. I recommend you to use the first method if you have access to PHPMyAdmin. It is because, in that method, you do not have to install any 3rd party plugin on your WordPress.Feel free to go for the plugin method if you do not have access to PHPMyAdmin.
If you are stuck somewhere and need our help, please mention your question or issue in the comment section given below. If you are an active InterServer customer, you can contact our support desk for instant help from our experts!