Wikipedia talk:Changing username/Archive 4

Leeway
Is there any leeway afforded in usurping accounts with edits? (I'm looking at a name with 4 edits from 8 years ago). -- John Reaves 06:01, 10 January 2014 (UTC)
 * I've definitely seen it happen at bureaucrat discretion; in fact, to an account with almost exactly the same specification (although I forget who or when it was). —  Scott  •  talk  16:25, 10 January 2014 (UTC)


 * Yes, just go ahead and file and we will look. – xeno talk 18:04, 20 January 2014 (UTC)

Username requests from users who have RfA page(s), etc.
I've occasionally noticed that a few users have redirects in place to link to RfAs under previous username(s), and find this to be both helpful and transparent. The redirects have been created by various (sometimes apparently unrelated) users, and I've even created a handful myself. Whether the RfA was successful or not, and whether the user remains an administrator seems to me to be irrelevant to transparency. Additionally, for active admins, such redirects are arguably desirable, per WP:ADMINACCT. This has been previously touched on at Wikipedia talk:Changing username/Usurpations/Archive 4.

Not to create such redirects seems to me to potentially create unnecessary issues such as not having access to an obvious record of unsuccessful RfA(s), e.g. when a renamed user may several years later be the subject of a new RfA (perhaps even genuinely forgetting about the existence of a previous RfA). At risk of stating the obvious, by extension the same argument holds for RfBs (and RfArs, RfCs, RfCUs, SPIs, etc. although there is perhaps less likelihood of CHU requests in such cases).
 * 1) User:NoSeptember/admin username changes seems to be not maintained, so would a requirement to create such redirects as part of the renaming process be an appropriate way to address this?
 * 2) Are checks performed, and/or questions asked regarding RfA pages as part of the renaming process?
 * 3) Should such checks be undertaken?
 * 4) If such RfA pages exist, should redirects be created as a matter of course during the renaming process?

What do people think? Thanks. -- Trevj (talk · contribs) 13:38, 30 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Hi Trev, I had some similar thoughts back in September - see Village pump (policy)/Archive 109. My suggestion was to have a policy that WP:RFA/ should always link to WP:RFA/. The idea seemed to go down quite well, and I meant to take it forward; however some things got in the way and I totally forgot. Now that you've reminded me, I think proposing to add it to the policy on administrators would be timely and appropriate. —  Scott  •  talk  13:57, 30 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Hi. That's a useful link which had evaded my search of the archives. There seems to broadly be consensus but I'm proposing that any unsuccessful RfAs are redirected while retaining the same chronological suffixes. This is to avoid any potential confusion. I've placed that Pls note now. -- Trevj (talk · contribs) 16:47, 30 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Also a good idea; I think the whole area of adminship and changes of name needs to be encompassed by policy. —  Scott  •  talk  20:19, 30 January 2014 (UTC)

It sounds as if an RfC may be needed. How about the following proposed draft wording as a starting point? "RfC: Changing of usernames should require associated RfAs, RfBs, RfCUs etc. to be linked to via redirects Propose to append the following text to the end of the first paragraph at WP:UNC (Username policy): "A user requesting a change of username should expect redirects to be created to any pre-existing pages discussing the user. Such redirects could include, but are not limited to, RfAs, RfBs, RfCUs, etc. The presence of such redirects reflects civility in the editing environment, and may be created by any editor. In some unusual cases, such redirects may be considered unnecessary in accordance with the Privacy policy.""

Amendments and other suggestions welcome. In particular, the general process for the creation of such redirects should also be addressed, e.g. Bureaucrats could make reference to it, although perhaps the onus should be on the requesting user to create their own redirects. -- Trevj (talk · contribs) 15:28, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

Users changing username following having been granted additional privileges, such as in RfAs, RfBs, and other similar processes, need to remain accountable to the community. Following such a change, they must ensure that the discussions in which they successfully applied for those privileges are accessible through their current username. For example, Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/New name must redirect to Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Old name (or /Old name 2, and so on, as appropriate)."
 * I'm in general agreement that especially RfX'en should be redirected from the new name, but think that the onus should be on the renamed user to create them. – xeno talk 06:56, 19 March 2014 (UTC)
 * It seems in 2010, I felt that bureaucrats should create them . – xeno talk 00:14, 9 April 2014 (UTC)
 * Tweaked. – xeno talk 18:47, 10 April 2014 (UTC)
 * Sorry for not getting back to you sooner on this, it fell off my radar. I agree with xeno in that users should be expected to maintain RfX linkages. Here's my proposed modification to your text:
 * "A user requesting a change of username should expect that redirects may be created to pre-existing pages that discuss them. Such redirects may be created by any editor, and their presence reflects civility in the editing environment. In rare cases, such redirects may be considered unnecessary in accordance with the WMF privacy policy.
 * What do you think? —  Scott  •  talk  10:38, 19 March 2014 (UTC)
 * Thanks. That makes sense, except for cases where users have requested user rights and not been granted them, e.g. unsuccessful RfAs. There could be the case where a user registers, edits, submits an RfA, withdraws it (or similar), has a rest from editing for a while, picks up again, submits a request for change of username, submits a further RfA after a period of years... they might either have forgotten about the previous RfA, or otherwise fail to mention it. In any case, it ought to be clear that such pages relate to the current user. Therefore, how about something like:

""A user requesting a change of username should expect that redirects may be created to pre-existing pages that discuss them. Such redirects may be created by any editor, and their presence reflects civility in the editing environment. In rare cases, such redirects may be considered unnecessary in accordance with the WMF privacy policy. Users changing username following having taken part in requests for additional privileges, such as in RfAs, RfBs, and other similar processes, need to remain accountable to the community. Following such a change, they must ensure that the discussions in which they applied for those privileges are accessible through their current username. For example, Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/New name must redirect to Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Old name (or /Old name 2, and so on, as appropriate).""


 * -- Trevj (talk · contribs) 08:01, 24 March 2014 (UTC)

Incomplete archive
It should be noted that there are a number of problems with malfunctioning bots at present. One effect seems to be that requests are being deleted without being added to the archive. --David Biddulph (talk) 08:56, 6 March 2014 (UTC)
 * has this been resolved? If not could you provide some examples? Is it happening at CHUS or USURP? – xeno talk 06:51, 19 March 2014 (UTC)


 * The problem was with a number of requests which were deleted from CHUS on 5 and 6 Mar by a variety of IPs, but not added to an archive.  was one arbitrarily-chosen example. --David Biddulph (talk) 09:09, 19 March 2014 (UTC)
 * Thanks... I believe there was some issue with the Labs those days . If it's no longer happening, (and the customers got what they needed), I'm inclined to just leave it, unless someone else is willing to manually rebuild the lost half-archived requests. – xeno talk 12:09, 19 March 2014 (UTC)

Merging
I am looking for a method to merge two accounts, specifically two that I own, and to have all the edits consolidated into the one account. I understand that this would be done via MediaWiki's UserMerge extension, however, its stated that it has not been enabled. Can I ask why it has not been enabled? AcidBat (talk) 22:10, 19 April 2014 (UTC)
 * It has not been enabled because the community has not requested that it be enabled, probably for attribution and coherency purposes. – xeno talk 14:05, 30 May 2014 (UTC)

Untitled
Hello can u please resister "Shoutbox sidebar" P☮ace- ♥ -33756  20:34, 28 April 2014 (UTC) thank you.
 * Sorry, I don't know what you're asking. See WP:TEAHOUSE for further questions. – xeno talk 14:05, 30 May 2014 (UTC)

Global account browser link broken
The link to the Global Account Browser at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Changing_username/Guidelines#Handling_SUL_conflicts leads to a "user account expired" page on toolserver.org, and the tool is not available. Geoffrey Spear (talk) 11:14, 9 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Thank you, I have updated it. – xeno talk 14:00, 30 May 2014 (UTC)

SUL login?
Where to go to request that a changed name be made consistent? A year ago I changed from to  and since then have been unable to log in to Commons (or anywhere else). The new media viewer crashed my computer and I'd like to get into Commons to have access to preferences there. Thanks. Victoria (tk) 21:54, 16 May 2014 (UTC)
 * You need to rename your other accounts (e.g. commons:COM:CHU) and then use special:MergeAccount. – xeno talk 14:01, 30 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Thanks . Thing is, how is that done? I can't log in anywhere except en.wp. Can someone get it started for me? Thanks for the reply btw. Victoria (tk) 15:48, 31 May 2014 (UTC)
 * sorry for the late reply (you spelled my name wrong =). Can you not log in to commons under truthkeeper anymore? – xeno talk 03:12, 2 July 2014 (UTC)
 * Hi, sorry for the misspelling and the late response. Somehow this has changed - when I just logged in today I got a message that I'm globally logged in, and sure enough, the acct on Commons has been changed. So it's all taken care of! For some reason I hadn't been able to get into that acct for a few months now - or I couldn't get in if I was logged in here. I hadn't really taken the time to figure it out - but I'd either get logged off there or here. Anyway, just wanted to report that it's fixed - magically! Thanks. Victoria (tk) 18:37, 13 July 2014 (UTC)
 * Good to hear! – xeno talk 19:05, 13 July 2014 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I'm happy to have the global login back! Ironically all I wanted to do was disable the mediaviewer there in preferences while I was working on article that had a lot of images and I was really having difficulty when the MV came on-line. But I guess that situation has kind of blown up too! Anyway, thanks. And sorry for not responding earlier - I got busy. Victoria (tk) 19:41, 13 July 2014 (UTC)

Redirecting / usurping inactive account
The account User:Mark M has made only two edits which were in 2007. Since my signature is (and has been since I created this account) "Mark M", I've redirected that user's user page to mine, and it's been suggested on my talk page that maybe I shouldn't have done this? I thought of it as a friendly takeover, to prevent confusion of anyone trying to type in my signature into the search bar. I don't want to change my user name, which is User:Mark L MacDonald, but I'd also like to keep my signature. Any suggestions for what I should do now, if anything? Thanks, Mark M (talk) 20:58, 9 June 2014 (UTC)
 * create an alternate account and file a usurp request. – xeno talk 03:14, 2 July 2014 (UTC)

Global renames
Please see SN (last section as of writing). πr2</b> (<i style="color:#0f3;font-family:Arial">t</i> • <i style="color:#03f;font-family:Arial">c</i>) 13:57, 15 June 2014 (UTC)

Should I post under Simple or Usurpations?
I wish to have my username changed. (I'll give my reasons if necessary but I figured that was irrelevant to my question here on the Talk page and would just make this post even longer for no real purpose.) The username (I'll just it call it "Name2" for now) I wish to have is taken, but it's my account. Here's how that came to be:

I created the account on MediaWiki (I thought I was on the Wikimedia "main" site meta.wikimedia.org, got confused as I wasn't familiar with either at the time), with no intention of using it to edit any of the same projects I edited under this name. However, at some point after I created the account, it automatically created, without my permission and zero input from me, an account under that name on the English Wikipedia and, to my complete shock and confusion, established a Global account. Name2 has 1 edit, which was a test edit I made, and there are no unattached accounts after checking via the Global account manager tool.

I understand it's not possible to merge accounts, so I wish to have this one renamed using the name of that one i.e. I wish to have Paranoid Android 2600! renamed to "Name2." [again, this is not the other name I actually want to have, it's just a placeholder for this discussion] My understanding is that since it cannot be deleted, "Name2" will first be changed to something else, e.g. "Name2 Old" so that would free up the name, so Paranoid Android 2600! could become "Name2". (I am aware the edits and such cannot be merged and the history of the "Name2" account cannot be combined in any way with the history of this account - I have no desire for this and there was only a single edit made as I mentioned. This account, Paranoid Android 2600!, was created several years prior to Name2 and established a history with several hundred edits.  The only thing I am requesting is for this account to essentially stay exactly the same - same contribution history, same userpage content, same creation date, same logs, etc - but now have the username "Name2" instead of Paranoid Android 2600!)

I am not sure where to post my request. There are only 2 options given.

Simple = If the username you want is not already taken. (the username I want IS already registered.)

Usurpations = If the username you want is already registered and was registered by somebody else, and you want to attempt to lay claim to that username. (Both accounts are mine. Neither belongs to another human being.)

Where should I post my request? Thank you! Paranoid Android 2600! (talk) 03:59, 20 June 2014 (UTC)
 * Post it at WP:USURP but instead of notifying yourself just make an edit with 'name2' account certifying the request. – xeno <sup style="color:black;">talk 03:17, 2 July 2014 (UTC)

Usurp local account name for my global SUL account
Hi. I own the global (SUL) account Cousteau; however there is already a Cousteau account on the English Wikipedia. That account is inactive. Should I usurp that account anonymously (without being logged in on the English Wikipedia), so that it becomes available for me to login, or should I use another account and usurp the name from there? For the latter, I have created this account (Cousteau2) because I understood (probably wrong) that I needed it in order to usurp a username; but if it's not the case then I'll abandon it, or do whatever you suggest me to do. --Cousteau2 (talk) 16:25, 1 July 2014 (UTC)
 * go ahead and file the wp:usurp request from that account. No need to expose your IP.. – xeno <sup style="color:black;">talk 03:18, 2 July 2014 (UTC)


 * I'm no expert, but I doubt that an account would be usurped for an IP. (I could be wrong!) seems to have been registered, but made no edits, so it certainly appears available. If you need to ask an admin try Template  or even . You could also ask at the Help desk or Teahouse perhaps? (It seems a bit quiet around here.) Spoke too soon didn't I! ;-) If you are allowed to usurp then any edits you make as 'Cousteau2' should be, 'transferred' to 'Cousteau'.  --220  of  Borg 04:14, 2 July 2014 (UTC)
 * When an IP user files a usurp request we usually ask them to make an edit from their home wiki certifying they own the SUL. Then we just move the local account out of the way. – xeno <sup style="color:black;">talk 10:40, 2 July 2014 (UTC)

User wp:moved User/talk page to new 'Username'
On 20 June 2014 has moved their User and Talkpages to User:Jeevan King  and  User talk:Jeevan King (my italics). See. I have advised them that moving and redirecting like this does not rename their account.

I have told them about WP:Changing username and they 'thanked' me so I know they saw my message. Is there any other action that should be taken, a venue to mention it at? (WP:ANI?) Maybe there's a talkpage template for these cases? --220  of  Borg 02:04, 2 July 2014 (UTC)
 * I left them a note. If they still don't reply perhaps we should just move the pages back. – xeno <sup style="color:black;">talk 03:22, 2 July 2014 (UTC)


 * Read it now, I was going to say "And make the name change they want", but I suppose a formal request should be made and processed as usual. Concur that if no reply, moving back would be appropriate. It could be very confusing as it is now, as per my comments there, trying to check their contributions at Jeevan King tells you they aren't even registered! :-o 220  of  Borg 04:32, 2 July 2014 (UTC)
 * I'm fine fulfilling their request as is on their talk page, and have done so. Thanks for bringing this here :) – xeno <sup style="color:black;">talk 10:38, 2 July 2014 (UTC)

What do I do if I file a request on another wiki but fail to receive a response?
I filed a request ten days ago here as advised by Xeno, but I never received a response. How can I usurp that username? Dustin ( talk ) 03:55, 13 July 2014 (UTC)
 * You could try SR/SUL – xeno <sup style="color:black;">talk 19:04, 13 July 2014 (UTC)
 * Stewards generally cannot rename accounts on large wikis, if it's not a global rename. I've advised the user to try contacting one of the local bureaucrats. --Rschen7754 20:29, 13 July 2014 (UTC)

Broken archive
The earliest archive of completed renames - Changing username/Usurpations/Completed/1 - is corrupt, having been completely overwritten in 2008 by a misconfigured archiving bot. Could a 'crat please determine whether the new revisions are also contained in a later, correctly-numbered archive and thus the archive can be rolled back to its correct state, or whether those revisions need to be pulled out into an archive of their own and inserted into the numbering sequence - thanks. Usually I would do that sort of thing without asking, but I don't have the time right now. —  Scott  •  talk  18:28, 27 July 2014 (UTC)
 * Per "what links here", they weren't archived anywhere else. I've fixed the relevant damage wrought by the bot, which necessitated edits to Changing username/Usurpations/Completed/1, Changing username/Usurpations/Completed/16, and Changing username/Usurpations/Completed/18. Graham 87 09:17, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

A user put the template on their user page
A user put the username template on their user page. Should someone move it here on their behalf, or should we wait for them to do it themselves? Oiyarbepsy (talk) 05:29, 8 August 2014 (UTC)


 * , The user has to place the request at the proper page, the request is assigned to the user placing the request, you can however, leave a message on their talk explaining how and where to make the request (just going to WP:CHU/S and create a new request would be easier than moving the old one). Cheers, Mlpearc  ( open channel ) 05:38, 8 August 2014 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 8 August 2014
i want to change name sumit kumar sid to sumit kumar (nobita)

Sumit kumar sid (talk) 07:42, 8 August 2014 (UTC)

❌ as it says at the top of this page:-

This page is not the correct place to request a name change.

Please go to Changing username, review the information there, and then follow the directions to make your request on the appropriate page. Thanks! - Arjayay (talk) 08:40, 8 August 2014 (UTC)

Old acount name activated again
User made a small grammar mistake while signing up which he recently corrected via a name change. But yesterday, 13 August, the old account name seems to have been re-actived. Can you help him so he gets to edit under a correct name again ? Regards, Iselilja (talk) 13:12, 14 August 2014 (UTC)
 * sometimes the old account gets inadvertently recreated. Thank you for your help on this. – xeno <sup style="color:black;">talk  13:21, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Global rename possible at meta
A software change means global renames can now be requested at meta:Steward requests/Username changes. Changing username has obsolete information saying all renames are local. Will somebody update it? PrimeHunter (talk) 20:45, 25 August 2014 (UTC)
 * Thank you for pointing this out, User:PrimeHunter, I have updated it. – xeno <sup style="color:black;">talk 22:14, 5 September 2014 (UTC)

Usurpations of usernames changing or going away 15 September 2014
Due to the local rename facility being removed from the bureaucrat usergroup, the ability for bureaucrats to execute a "WP:USURP" of a local unattached account will be going away 15 September 2014.

Perhaps stewards will still process requests if it meets local criteria in the interim until accounts are fully globalized. It is presently unclear what the global usurpation policy will look like post-SUL finalization.

If you had been considering usurping a local username, you must file a request immediately in order to be given consideration before requests can no longer be processed locally. – xeno <sup style="color:black;">talk 21:56, 5 September 2014 (UTC)

Question about usurping a doppelganger account
I was thinking of usurping "Greyfell" as a doppelganger account. This account does have one edit from Jan 2012, but it's to the sandbox, and I didn't find any global edits. This isn't entirely about impersonation, rather, my current username is very commonly misspelled, and I thought this would make it easier to track me down. Is this appropriate/possible/worth the hassle? If so, I would be grateful if someone could point me to the right MediaWiki page if it's not local anymore. Kindly ping me if it's been a while. Thanks. Grayfell (talk) 23:00, 18 September 2014 (UTC)
 * Yes, you could usurp it if you want. Go to WP:USURP and follow that process. Do you have an existing alt account to be renamed to Greyfell? – xeno <sup style="color:black;">talk 23:22, 18 September 2014 (UTC)
 * No, this is my only account, would that make it easier? Grayfell (talk) 00:11, 19 September 2014 (UTC)
 * Never mind, that's a silly question. I'll just make an obvious dummy account and go from there. Thanks! Grayfell (talk) 00:17, 19 September 2014 (UTC)

SUL Info tool not working
As of right now it seems that Quentinv57's SUL info tool is not working, so robot and human clerks can't check for unattached accounts/SUL accounts, which might mean that renames won't proceed until the tool is fixed. --k6ka (talk &#124; contribs) 00:08, 21 September 2014 (UTC)
 * I don't think Legobot relies on that tool, but yes; I'm hoping it comes back soon. I left Quentinv57 a message at meta. – xeno <sup style="color:black;">talk 12:51, 21 September 2014 (UTC)

Authority to accept/decline requests
Changing username/Assistance originally states that only a bureaucrat may accept or decline requests and use the Done and Not done templates. However with the introduction of global renamers and the removal of the renme ability for local crats, this should mean that global renamers will be able to accept or decline requests too. I have updated the Assistance page here, hope everyone's cool with it. --I am  k6ka  Talk to me!   See what I have done  18:31, 29 September 2014 (UTC)
 * Regarding the edit summary in the diff I linked above, looks like the bot does recognize global renamers. --I am  k6ka  Talk to me!   See what I have done  18:38, 29 September 2014 (UTC)


 * Legobot is processing global re-namers actions.  Mlpearc  ( open channel ) 18:41, 29 September 2014 (UTC)

Should we transition the rename process to m:SRUC?
Please see Bureaucrats' noticeboard and discuss. – xeno <sup style="color:black;">talk 18:42, 29 September 2014 (UTC)

Change my username
Could you please change my username into ChildOfDarkness666 ? -Capernaum1995
 * Note: After a second request on their talkpage, I have checked and renamed the account as requested. - Taketa (talk) 09:07, 6 November 2014 (UTC)

Merging accounts on multiple projects
I am User:Ham on en.wikipedia.org, cy.wikipedia.org, commons.wikimedia.org, meta.mediawiki.org, en.wikiquote.org and en.wikisource.org and (because the username Ham had already been taken) User:Artifex on wikidata.org and mediawiki.org. Would it be possible to merge all of these as User:Ham II? (SUL for User:Ham has also been taken by a user on other projects.) WP:CHU says that "accounts cannot be merged" but it's not clear to me whether that's referring to merging more than one account on a single project. Ham (talk) 08:44, 8 November 2014 (UTC)
 * Hi Ham, yes the merging problem is only on the same projects and for global accounts. A steward should be able to give all the local accounts the same name, and you can unite them with your passwords. It would be a bit tricky and I am uncertain of guidelines or procedures about it, but you can ask the stewards at meta:Steward requests/Username changes. - Sincerely, Taketa (talk) 08:57, 8 November 2014 (UTC)

Please change my Username
Can you please Change my username to DeadButNotYet.


 * This is not the page for making requests, please follow the instructions here.  Mlpearc  ( open channel ) 17:36, 22 November 2014 (UTC)

Instructions
Number 7 in the list of instructions says: "Users with many edits should log out of their accounts to ensure the rename is carried out properly." How many are "many edits" and exactly when should users with many edits log out of their accounts? Usual lack of clarity in WP instructions/help. Nearly always end up on Help Desk for clarification. ~ P123ct1 (talk) 14:21, 6 December 2014 (UTC)
 * I am not familiar with logging out for renames on other projects, but I have only been renaming people for 4 years, and only since a few months on enwiki. I know 10 years ago there were problems in renaming accounts with more then several thousand edits, used to be 5.000 but this number slowly increased. I would expect any warning would be meant for such accounts. In the current practise accounts with more then 50.000 edits should not be renamed without system administrator supervision, see Global rename policy. I expect this number is meant. But I am open to other suggestions. All the best, Taketa (talk) 17:08, 6 December 2014 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 23 December 2014
Addylpjr (talk) 09:10, 23 December 2014 (UTC) If you want to suggest a change, please request this in the form "Please replace XXX with YYY" or "Please add ZZZ between PPP and QQQ". Given the nature of this page, you will also need to reach consensus before any significant changes are implemented. - Arjayay (talk) 10:58, 23 December 2014 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: as you have not requested a change, but I suspect you are in the wrong place, as this page is only to discuss improvements to Changing username XXXX.

Protected edit request on 7 February 2015
I would like the Changing username/Archives link to be replaced with proper archive links so it's easier to navigate to a specific archive. Replace that link with:

--I am  k6ka  Talk to me!   See what I have done  15:33, 7 February 2015 (UTC)


 * I have no problem with this change but, wouldn't it be better to have the display links increment automatically ? this style has to be done manually, unless I'm missing something.  Mlpearc  ( open channel ) 15:49, 7 February 2015 (UTC)
 * WP:USURP uses this method as well, and yes it does need to be updated manually. However, it doesn't need to be updated nearly as frequently as WP:Changing username/Archives. --I am  k6ka  Talk to me!   See what I have done  23:22, 9 February 2015 (UTC)
 * We should just write a module to update both of those pages automatically. With a module, the page might need to be purged for the links to update, but that's probably better than the current situation. I'll see if I can work something up later on. — <span style="color: #194D00; font-family: Palatino, Times, serif">Mr. Stradivarius  ♪ talk ♪ 01:47, 10 February 2015 (UTC)
 * I've just actually tested K6ka's code out, and it doesn't work very well on Changing username/Simple. Because the box floats to the right, it appears underneath the TOC, outside the "Archive" section. I've made a mockup in my sandbox. I'm disabling the edit request until we can come up with something that displays better on that page. Perhaps a box spanning the whole width of the page? — <span style="color: #194D00; font-family: Palatino, Times, serif">Mr. Stradivarius  ♪ talk ♪ 00:32, 12 February 2015 (UTC)
 * That would be kinda overwhelming. Considering the archive box on Changing username, and on pages like WP:ANI, etc., isn't a gigantic page-spanning box but a small one tucked away to the right. Using the magic word to manually move the table of contents seems like a much better option. --I am  k6ka   Talk to me!   See what I have done  12:25, 14 February 2015 (UTC)

Protected edit request on 6 March 2015
Please remove the "Add your current username after CURRENT=" part. With this edit, the "CURRENT" field will automatically be filled in when the user saves the page, so they do not need to manually add in their current username (this was a pain as users were constantly mistyping their username).

--I am  k6ka  Talk to me!   See what I have done  12:05, 6 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done with this edit, but actually the page wasn't protected. — <span style="color: #194D00; font-family: Palatino, Times, serif">Mr. Stradivarius  ♪ talk ♪ 14:30, 6 March 2015 (UTC)

Iranian Cinematographers request to be changed to The Cinematographer
Current name: Iranian Cinematographers, Requested name: The Cinematographer. Wikipedia  15:18, 3 April 2015 (UTC)  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Iranian Cinematographers (talk • contribs)

This is not the page to request a name change, that is done here: Changing username/Simple   Mlpearc  ( open channel ) 15:53, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

Iranian Cinematographers request to be change to The Cinematographer
Current name: Iranian Cinematographers, Requested name: The Cinematographer. Wikipedia  18:16, 3 April 2015 (UTC)  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Iranian Cinematographers (talk • contribs)

❌ wrong place, requests go here Changing username/Simple  Mlpearc  ( open channel ) 18:19, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

Template:Renameuser2
renameuser2 contains markup to link to a local rename option. Local renames are no longer an option. It seems to me this can be deprecated but in the process of being bold and removing this I'll likely break the template. Posting here because it's more visible than the template talk page. Keegan (talk) 05:39, 15 April 2015 (UTC)
 * I've removed the local rename part. The global rename part could probably do with rewording too, but I wasn't sure what was best. — <span style="color: #194D00; font-family: Palatino, Times, serif">Mr. Stradivarius  ♪ talk ♪ 05:45, 15 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Excellent. Keegan (talk) 06:15, 15 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Thanks, both. –<b style="font-family:verdana;color:#000">xeno</b><sup style="color:#000">talk 14:55, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

Bureaucrats' noticeboard
Comments invited as to whether we should begin directing users to the Special:GlobalRenameRequest interface for straightforward renames. –<b style="font-family:verdana;color:#000">xeno</b><sup style="color:#000">talk 16:53, 26 April 2015 (UTC)


 * This has been implemented; feel free to discuss any unintended consequences, etc. below. –<b style="font-family:verdana;color:#000">xeno</b><sup style="color:#000">talk 17:19, 10 May 2015 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 13 May 2015
Ondo state football agency (talk) 07:20, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 14 May 2015
Fahimsarwer (talk) 15:48, 14 May 2015 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format. Jamietw (talk) 16:05, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

Question for Bureaucrats regarding name change
There is a recent case that I'm finding puzzling. User:Sammanhumagain recently changed his account to User:NextGenSam619 but I can't find any record of the name change here in the archives and it appears that regular editors simply moved the user and user talk page to new username. Sammanhumagain appears to be unregistered now so the name change was done but there is usually some record of the circumstances of a username change and I can't find any which seems unusual to me. Does anyone have any explanation of what actually happened here? Liz <sup style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="color:#006400;">Read!</b> <b style="color:#006400;">Talk!</b> 12:08, 6 July 2015 (UTC)
 * This was done through the GlobalRenameQueue ; those users are global renamers. –<b style="font-family:verdana;color:#000">xeno</b><sup style="color:#000">talk 14:06, 10 July 2015 (UTC)

Accounts with similar usernames
I think it's time we drew the line between usernames that trip the AntiSpoof extension but can be safely renamed to, and usernames that trip the AntiSpoof extension and should not be renamed to.

The request an account process uses a method to determine whether an account should be created or not when the requested username hits the AntiSpoof extension. A flowchart is used to assist in the process as well. I think this may be a good place to start off for now, since the policy around AntiSpoof is very vague, from what I can see after searching. --I am  k6ka  Talk to me!   See what I have done  13:55, 10 July 2015 (UTC)


 * I agree we should harmonize the handling of 'similar username' requests, but this should probably be a global conversation. Perhaps you could try to draft some guidelines drawn from those sources and post it to meta:Talk:Global renamers or m:talk:Steward requests/Username changes for consideration. –<b style="font-family:verdana;color:#000">xeno</b><sup style="color:#000">talk 14:02, 10 July 2015 (UTC)


 * Opened a thread at meta:Talk:Steward_requests/Username_changes. --I am  k6ka  Talk to me!   See what I have done  19:22, 12 July 2015 (UTC)

Username change request?
There is an edit on [//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:USERNAME?redirect=no WP:USERNAME] that appears to ask for a username change by. &mdash;George8211 / T 18:58, 11 July 2015 (UTC)
 * Account has been blocked. &mdash;George8211 / T 19:25, 12 July 2015 (UTC)

Global renamers: please use edit summaries
Please use at least some short edit summary (following the automated edit summary for the section) like <tt>"done" "d" "notdone" "nd" "cmt"</tt>, etc. to describe your action. Thanks –<b style="font-family:verdana;color:#000">xeno</b><sup style="color:#000">talk 14:09, 10 July 2015 (UTC)
 * please and thank you =) –<b style="font-family:verdana;color:#000">xeno</b><sup style="color:#000">talk 11:17, 13 July 2015 (UTC)
 * I should know that. Sorry. --Steinsplitter (talk) 17:01, 13 July 2015 (UTC)

Global renaming
When globally renaming users and a user or user talk page under the new name already exists, MediaWiki:Delete and move reason should be used. Thus the deletion log for the existing page should say "G6: Deleted to make way for move". See also T89051. GeoffreyT2000 (talk) 04:11, 10 September 2015 (UTC)
 * I've not done a global usurp, but I suspect that we're not prompted to enter a delete reason. Bear in mind that deletions might need to happen on a number of projects, where different deletion summaries would be appropriate. I suspect this an issue better raised at the technical level on phabricator than with the renamers themselves. <strong style="font-variant:small-caps">WJBscribe (talk) 09:53, 10 September 2015 (UTC)

Usurpation + significant edit log
Is there any conceivable way for a user to usurp a username with a significant edit log (10,000+ edits) that has been inactive for five/six years? I've read the username usurpation page, but I want a more conclusive and thorough answer. Has such a usurpation taken place before? If this is even remotely conceivable, I will join Wikipedia, help out on the wiki as much as I can, and then file for usurpation at some point in the future. If, for whatever reason(s), this scenario is well-nigh impossible, however, please inform me. Thanks in advance. 184.6.43.225 (talk) 22:44, 3 February 2016 (UTC)
 * Possibly, If the user were to consent. –<b style="font-family:verdana;color:#000">xeno</b><sup style="color:#000">talk 01:34, 4 February 2016 (UTC)
 * What if the username in question has definitively been abandoned, due to having been changed to something else? i.e., What if the username is only being used as a redirect to another username, due to the previous owner having received a rename? Can I acquire such usernames as well? Is consent still necessary? 184.6.43.225 (talk) 18:34, 6 February 2016 (UTC)
 * Probably yes, because the redirect is sending people from their old comments to their new username. There would need to be some distinguishing and the user would need to give affirmative consent. –<b style="font-family:verdana;color:#000">xeno</b><sup style="color:#000">talk 03:50, 16 March 2016 (UTC)

What process should I take to usurp this username?

 * special:CentralAuth/Master of Time

Last year, I attempted to follow the proper processes in order to usurp the username "Master of Time". I was kept from quickly taking on the name because of an issue which arose regarding a single edit the user had made in May 2010 to its userpage on the Russian Wikipedia and as such, I had to make a request at ru.wikipedia. Long story short, it didn't work out due to an issue involving the SUL. I'm not all-knowing when it comes to this, so I've just got to ask, is there a means by which a user can request a global usurpation? The user named Master of Time clearly is not using and will probably never use that account (and if it makes any difference, there was never a response here). Advice? Dustin ( talk ) 01:02, 21 September 2015 (UTC)
 * You would have to file the requesf at SRUC. –<b style="font-family:verdana;color:#000">xeno</b><sup style="color:#000">talk 02:28, 21 September 2015 (UTC)
 * Thanks for letting me know. Dustin  ( talk ) 04:38, 21 September 2015 (UTC)

sir, by mistake i puted my wrong name in id so want's to changech my name. Himanahu mudma (talk) 15:15, 7 April 2016 (UTC)

sir, by mistake i puted my wrong name in id so want's to changech my name. Himanahu mudma (talk) 15:15, 7 April 2016 (UTC)

advice
commons:User:ishwar~commonswiki on commons was previously commons:User:ishwar, yall moved it to commons:User:ishwar~commonswiki in 2015, I think. Since yall have global username system now, how can I move everything to commons:User:Ish ishwar on commons?

Yall did this with other accounts, too. ja:利用者:Ish_ishwar~jawiki on Japanese wiki used to be ja:利用者:Ish_ishwar, etc. – ishwar  (speak)  17:49, 2 May 2016 (UTC)
 * That was done as a result of SUL finalisation. Unfortunately, what I believe you're requesting is the Global Merge Tool, which is not going to be available anytime soon. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 01:10, 4 May 2016 (UTC)

Please do not perform any renames
There is currently an issue on mediawiki.org that prevents renames from completing on that wiki. This has resulted in a backlog of indefinitely-halted rename jobs as seen on m:Special:GlobalRenameProgress. See T135656 for more details on the issue. In the meantime, please do not process any requests. You may join for more details. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 22:05, 18 May 2016 (UTC)


 * Should be ok now, although renames initiated during the period may still be stuck. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 20:51, 19 May 2016 (UTC)

Both names?
An instruction says "Make sure that you have spelled both names correctly", even though the form being filled out only requires you to type in one name (the new one). Is this a mistake? ~ booyabazooka 17:43, 27 May 2016 (UTC)
 * Seems to be. I've changed the text. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 19:00, 27 May 2016 (UTC)

Questions about name changes
For a while I have been considering changing my user name. But, before I do that, I want to make sure that my old name (i.e. current name right now) can be retired from use, so that no new users can snatch it. I don't want anyone to confuse someone else for me. How would I make sure that my old name is retired from use? Also, if I were to change my name, would my old name automatically disambiguate to my new one? Garagepunk66 (talk) 05:23, 6 June 2016 (UTC)
 * When you get renamed, your old username is made available for use; to prevent this, you'll have to re-register your old name and label it as a doppelganger. Also, when you get renamed, your userpages and your user talk page automatically get moved to your new name, and the old name becomes a redirect to your new name. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 11:00, 6 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Thanks. Garagepunk66 (talk) 22:14, 6 June 2016 (UTC)

Please do not perform any renames (again)
Renames are getting stuck on mediawiki.org again, see m:Special:GlobalRenameProgress for all the "stuck" requests. See T135656 for bug tracking. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 02:42, 8 June 2016 (UTC) Resolved Appears to be working again. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 23:14, 8 June 2016 (UTC)


 * Or not. We have another interesting debacle here; some renames are going through, while others are getting stuck. See T137973. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 13:22, 20 June 2016 (UTC)


 * We should be good to go again, sorry for the long wait. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 13:55, 11 July 2016 (UTC)

Usurpation question
I'm asking this for a colleague of mine who's a new Wikipedian. Would User:Starpath be eligible for usurpation, given that it has only one edit to article space from 2011, plus one to its own user page, and no activity on any other wikis? Antony–22 (talk⁄contribs) 00:01, 9 August 2016 (UTC)


 * The edits aren't vandalism, and the one in mainspace seems to be significant (or at least, more than just making forgettable changes) so I'm willing to say it's not usurpable. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 00:22, 9 August 2016 (UTC)


 * Is a single edit of half a sentence really significant enough to preclude a usurpation? Antony–22 (talk⁄contribs) 04:05, 9 August 2016 (UTC)


 * Well, admittedly (and annoyingly) there is no global usurpation policy, and since renames are now done globally, a global policy must be devised. A draft was made here and, more recently, here. The latter mentions something about "meaningful contributions" although that is irritatingly quite vague. It also states that, if the owner of the target username consents to the usurpation, it can happen regardless of the contributions they have made. Forced usurpations, AFAIK, only happen if they haven't made any significant edits or have only edits that have been or can be safely deleted (e.g. a vandalism-only account), and do not object to the usurpation, either by not saying anything after a one-month grace period or by explicitly saying that they're fine with it. If you want you can contact Starpath and see if they respond (They appear to have email enabled, so you can email them as well). — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 13:39, 10 August 2016 (UTC)

Username change question
I'd like to change my username to ilovemusic, but according to Special:CentralAuth, it is taken, but not on the English Wikipedia. Is it possible to still have my username changed? And if I can get my username changed, will my re-creating and re-directing my old account to my new account be considered sock puppetry? Thank you. ilovemusic <sup style="font-family: STHeiti;color:teal">(Talk To Me!)  18:41, 16 August 2016 (UTC)
 * For your first question, no, it is not possible to get it changed as usernames are global. That means that even if the local account doesn't exist, if there is a global account with the same name no one else except the owner of that global account can use it.


 * As for your second question, no, it is not. You can place the User alternative account template under the redirect code to confirm to other editors that it belongs to you. Basically, as long as you make it clear somewhere that both accounts belong to you, and as long as you don't use them to mislead or trick people into thinking you're two different users, it's fine. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 23:36, 16 August 2016 (UTC)
 * One last question. The account ilovemusic hasn't edited since 2007, but Special:CentralAuth says the user registered in 2015. Would that account be available for Usurpation once renames are running again? Thank you for your help. ilovemusic  <sup style="font-family: STHeiti;color:teal">(Talk To Me!)  23:56, 16 August 2016 (UTC)
 * The registration date indicated on Special:CentralAuth is the time the global account was registered, and in April 2015 thousands of global accounts were automatically created, as part of SUL finalisation, so the global account may not have actually been created by the user. We didn't always have global accounts, so some of our older accounts actually predate the SUL (single user login) system. What is important is the number of and type of edits; with over 110 edits that don't appear to be insignificant or vandalism, it likely will not be available for usurpation unless the user reappears and agrees to it. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 00:05, 17 August 2016 (UTC)

Please do not perform any renames (yet again)
Sorry, but it looks like we have another glitch in the system again. Rename jobs are getting stuck on mediawiki.org. See T143171 for details. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 23:49, 16 August 2016 (UTC)
 * ✅ — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 23:28, 17 August 2016 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 10 September 2016
Please change Anshulvarshney to bhimsingh

Anshulvarshney (talk) 12:44, 10 September 2016 (UTC)
 * ❌ This is not how you file a request to have your username changed. Please go back to the main page, carefully review the information there, and then pick the appropriate venue. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 12:51, 10 September 2016 (UTC)

Can I amend the CAPS in my same username ?
I like amend my username to Arbab.Siddiqui OR arbab.siddiqui instead of Arbab.siddiqui. It doesn't appear good, as my first name in username starts with CAPITAL-LETTER & last name without CAPITAL-LETTER. Arbab.siddiqui (talk) 21:20, 8 November 2016 (UTC)


 * You can have your username changed to "Arbab.Siddiqui", but not "arbab.siddiqui" (all lowercase) as the latter is basically the same as your current name, aside from the first letter being lowercase; the wiki software will always convert the first letter to an uppercase letter. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 23:16, 8 November 2016 (UTC)

Amatulic → Anachronist

 * Datestamp: 05:49, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Reason: This was the username I originally created on other Wiki projects, but it wasn't available here at the time. So I've been using Amatulic on other projects, even though my usual internet name is Anachronist. I have noticed the original "Anachronist" account has been moved, so now it is available again. Any "Anachronist" still existing on other Wikimedia projects are likely mine. ~Amatulić (talk) 05:49, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * [[Image:Symbol comment vote.svg|17px]] Robot clerk note: There is already a global account registered for Anachronist.—<sup style="color:green;font-family:Courier">cyberbot I <sub style="margin-left:-13.5ex;color:green;font-family:Comic Sans MS"> Talk to my owner :Online 05:50, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Let me just try this all over again...Log in to the Anachronist global account and post a note here confirming you own that SUL, and then this should be able to be done. Ks0stm  (T•C•G•E) 05:59, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * You will notice that on the list at Anachronist, the Commons account userpage Commons:User:Anachronist was previously renamed to Amatulic and it already redirects to my User:Amatulic account here. On Wikiquote, the user page https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/User:Anachronist has a soft redirect to my en-wiki user page User:Amatulic. The user page Wiktionary:User:Anachronist redirects to Amatulic already. They are mine. Good enough? If not, I'll have to figure out what password was used on those accounts. ~Amatulić (talk) 06:04, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Unfortunately, we usually need verification directly that a user owns an SUL they're going to be renaming to, or else it has to be treated as a usurp, though in this case if you can't figure out the password to those accounts I would probably ping the other renamers to see what they think. Ks0stm  (T•C•G•E) 06:09, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Hmm. I did manage to figure out my password for my global Anachronist account, and I logged in over at Wikiquote, but when I came to this page, I was just an IP address again, so I couldn't post anything here from that account. This is probably because when the global Anachronist account was created, there was already an "Anachronist" account existing here on en-wiki conflicting with it (which is now renamed to Anachronist-enwiki). How should I proceed? ~Amatulić (talk) 06:13, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * A post on the Wikiquote account's talk page would suffice. =) What would you like the Anachronist SUL renamed to? Ks0stm  (T•C•G•E) 06:15, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * OK, I posted a statement here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Anachronist - will that suffice? I'd like to be "Anachronist" everywhere, not Amatulic in one place and Anachronist in others. ~Amatulić (talk) 06:20, 10 November 2016 (UTC)

That gets more complicated. We can't merge user accounts at present (see here), so the accounts presently at Special:CentralAuth/Anachronist will have to end up somewhere to clear the way for Amatulic to be renamed to Anachronist. Ks0stm (T•C•G•E) 06:26, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * You mean en.wikipedia.org can't simply be added to the list at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth/Anachronist ? The original purpose behind this request was to have a consistent username across all projects. So if we rename my en-wiki account to Anachronist, I lose the Anachronist username everywhere else? That's even less optimal than the current situation. ~Amatulić (talk) 06:30, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Well, not really? All of the accounts presently at Special:CentralAuth/Amatulic would be renamed to Anachronist, whereas all the accounts presently at Special:CentralAuth/Anachronist can be renamed to the username of your choice. You can then edit any Wikimedia project under the Amatulic→Anachronist account with Anachronist as the username. Ks0stm  (T•C•G•E) 06:34, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * OK, I think I get it. I was concerned that my contributions in my global Anachronist account would be lost, but I now see the bulk of those contributions are in "Anachronist" accounts that have already been renamed to "Amatulic", such as in Wikimedia Commons. What remains in the global Anachronist account are minimal inconsequential contributions that I won't miss.
 * So let's do this:
 * Anachronist SUL &rarr; Anachronist-retired (I don't intend to use this)
 * Amatulic SUL &rarr; Anachronist
 * Will that work? ~Amatulić (talk) 06:59, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * That'll be perfect. Since you have a lot of edits, you may want to log out while the rename takes place just in case. I'll post a link here when I've started the rename where you can monitor its progress. Ks0stm  (T•C•G•E) 07:02, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Logging out now. Please leave a note here how I am expected to log back in. New username with same password as Amatulic? ~Amatulić (talk) 07:05, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Rename started. You may view its progress at m:Special:GlobalRenameProgress/Anachronist. When complete, you may log in to Anachronist with the same password as Amatulic. Ks0stm  (T•C•G•E) 07:07, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * ✅. You should be all good to go. Let me know if you see anything irregular as a result of the rename (user or user talk pages that didn't move, etc). Ks0stm  (T•C•G•E) 07:16, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Also, I would highly recommend re-registering the username Amatulic as a WP:DOPPELGANGER. Ks0stm  (T•C•G•E) 07:34, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Thank you. I re-registered User:Amatulic. ~Anachronist (talk) 18:41, 10 November 2016 (UTC)

It seems to be working, but with some unexpected glitches. I am not automatically logged into other projects. I can log into them if I do it individually. And strangely, my user page on Wikisource:User:Anachronist seems to be locked, although I can edit my talk page there. ~Anachronist (talk) 02:25, 11 November 2016 (UTC)


 * Moved from WP:CHUS. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 03:23, 11 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Not being logged in automatically can be fixed by allowing third-party cookies in your browser. Also, not too sure about your Wikisource userpage being locked, as I appear to be able to edit (well, create, if I'm not mistaken) it. It would be surprising (and probably unlikely) that a usurpation would be the cause of these glitches, as countless usurpations have been performed over the years with no issues. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 03:23, 11 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the advice about 3rd party cookies.
 * My Wikisource user page was read-only for me yesterday. Now it's working. ~Anachronist (talk) 17:53, 11 November 2016 (UTC)

Commons and Cebuano Wikipedia usernames
I had my username changed to my current one years back, this was before the unified log in, my commons account retained my old username. I currently have two commons account. I also currently have two Cebuano Wikipedia usernames, old and current, the other one was created before the unified log in. How do I go about this? Do I need to created a separate usurp and rename request? Carl Francis (talk) 18:10, 17 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Hi Carl Francis. What exactly are you trying to do? — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 18:35, 17 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Usurp User:Francisdrake and have the commons account renamed to my current username. Carl Francis (talk) 19:16, 17 November 2016 (UTC)
 * If you own Francisdrake, we can usurp it right away, provided you edit with both that account and your main account so we know that both belong to you. Usurping Drakesketchit, which you say is your Commons account, is a bit tricky. If I read you correctly, you appear to be asking for Drakesketchit to be merged into Carl Francis, your current account. Unfortunately, we do not have a tool (yet) to merge SUL accounts, so that probably will not be possible.
 * Simple renames, such as an account being renamed to an unregistered username, can be requested at WP:CHUS, SRUC, or Special:GlobalRenameRequest (doesn't matter which option you pick; you can even request it on a different language wiki if they have their own request page). If you're trying to usurp, your requests can only be processed at SRUC since you have accounts outside of the English Wikipedia. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 22:16, 17 November 2016 (UTC)

"Reasonable time" for retaining a redirect (CSD U2)
Disclosure: I was referred here from WT:CSD.

WP:CSD states: "...and for the previous name of a recently renamed user (which should normally be left as a redirect to the new name for a reasonable time)" (emphasis mine).

Can someone give a specific example of this "reasonable time"? When would it not be forever, assuming the following:
 * No abusive behavior (e.g. BLP- or copyright-violating material on the user page)
 * No privacy concerns (e.g. requests to vanish)
 * No subsequent renames (which would create double redirects?)

My understanding is that redirects from renamed users can be deleted via CSD U1 requests, but that's not the criterion in question here. --SoledadKabocha (talk) 05:14, 20 November 2016 (UTC)


 * Eh? Sorry to bounce you back and forth, but this really does seem like a discussion that goes better at WT:CSD, since this is about deleting pages, not about the process of renaming itself.


 * ...but, if it helps, global renamers have an option to disable the creation of redirects when a rename is performed, and users can request it for privacy reasons. If they don't specifically ask for it, we generally leave redirects behind so that the old name can be linked to the new. We may also refuse to suppress redirects (or refuse the rename entirely) if the user has a history of blocks or serious conflicts, and we feel that renaming the user would allow them to obfuscate this. If a user is renamed with redirects enabled, we don't usually do anything with the redirects after that; they usually remain indefinitely to avoid breaking old links. There is usually little to no harm in leaving the redirects be. I have never had (or been involved in) a situation where the redirects had to be deleted after a rename was performed. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 13:16, 20 November 2016 (UTC)

Put the process on hold
I had asked for a name change in line with a WP:MISLEADNAME that was served on me. I had asked for a Special:GlobalRenameRequest, but I have since changed my mind and would prefer another name. Since the renaming process has been put on hold till 27 November, how can I edit the request to refer to my new preferred name. Clicking on the Special:GlobalRenameRequest only shows the status and not an option to edit. PierceBrosnan007 (talk) 05:55, 26 November 2016 (UTC)
 * I have decided to put in a new Simple Name Request. It would be nice if you ignore the earlier Special:GlobalRenameRequest. PierceBrosnan007 (talk) 06:43, 26 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Requests sent to Special:GlobalRenameRequest can't be edited. I'd go in and cancel your request, but the interface is currently disabled, so that request might wind up being processed first. Sorry for the inconvenience; I'll try and cancel your request as soon as it is possible. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 13:13, 26 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Thanks a lot .PierceBrosnan007 (talk) 13:16, 26 November 2016 (UTC)

Questions about privacy after a username rename
Hi! I would like to stop using my real name because of privacy concerns.

I'm aware that a WP:CLEANSTART would be the best option regarding privacy, but I don't want to lose all my contributions to the "Article" namespaces. However, I'm afraid that I could still be identified after a username rename because my contributions in other namespaces are mostly signed with my name, for example, like this very one in the "Talk" namespaces.

So, I have some questions:

1. Is it possible to transfer only contributions in article namespaces to the new username? 2. Is it mandatory to put a redirect from the old username's page to the new username's page? 3. Is it mandatory to put a redirect from the old username's talk page to the new username's talk page?

Since I would like to change my username to an existing and inactive username, I have one more question:

4. Is it possible to privately ask a username usurpation?

Thanks. Alan Moraes (talk) 23:05, 3 January 2017 (UTC)


 * Hi Alan Moraes. I'll answer your questions one by one:


 * No, it's not possible to transfer only specific contributions to the new username. A user rename is an "all or nothing" operation.
 * 1) By default, a user rename moves all of the user and user talk pages (and their subpages) to the new name, and a redirect is left behind. If you are in good standing and do not have a history of blocks or serious conflict, you can specifically ask for redirects to be suppressed, which is the same as moving a page without leaving a redirect behind.
 * 2) See above.
 * 3) Generally, the answer is no, since you must notify the target user about your request and give them some time to respond before they can be usurped. If the target global account is locked, however, it's possible for a usurpation to proceed without their consent, since they can't respond to the request.By the way, it is possible to privately file a request for a username change. See this page.


 * Do keep in mind, however, that it is not possible to completely obliterate all traces of your old name. While redirects can be suppressed, the move log is still visible to everyone. Also, being renamed leaves a log entry behind that's also publicly visible. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 23:12, 3 January 2017 (UTC)


 * Hi ! Thank you very much for your reply! Best regards. Alan Moraes (talk) 23:22, 3 January 2017 (UTC)

How can I usurp a name for a legitimate alternative account?
Hello. I would like to usurp PatientZero as they have no edits, however, I do NOT want to change my username. Rather than that, I'd like this to be an alternative account of mine instead. Is this possible? Thank you in advance. Patient Zerotalk 13:23, 1 December 2016 (UTC)
 * Yes. You can ask for that account to be renamed so that you can create an account with that username. Alternatively, you can also create your alternate account now (with another username), make an usurpation request with that account, post with your main account to confirm, and then if it's accepted we can usurp that account normally. I would probably recommend the latter, in case you encounter an AntiSpoof conflict while trying to create PatientZero after it's been created (Since it is very similar to your main account's username). Global renamers can easily override AntiSpoof conflicts when renaming users, whereas normal users cannot and need the assistance of ACC. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 16:26, 1 December 2016 (UTC)
 * Thanks . I will create an account with a random string of letters then request a usurp of the name PatientZero. Once agin, thanks for your help! Patient Zerotalk 09:17, 2 December 2016 (UTC)
 * I forgot about this until today, so had a look through the history of the page. It seems the bureaucrat who was in charge of the usurpation thought I was not an established editor? I am confused. Patient Zerotalk 12:21, 6 January 2017 (UTC)
 * I must have missed your confirmation edit when I processed the request. It's now ✅. –<b style="font-family:verdana;color:#000">xeno</b><sup style="color:#000">talk 12:51, 6 January 2017 (UTC)
 * Ah, thank you :-) Don't worry about it; I can see why it would have been easy to miss. Enjoy the rest of your day. Patient Zerotalk 13:05, 6 January 2017 (UTC)

cancel of the request
can i cancel my request for changeing my username, i requested to change to 'HUNTEER but now iwant to kepp it like before ?? Ibrahim aziz (talk) 21:13, 7 January 2017 (UTC)
 * Done. — k6ka  <span title="Canadian!" style="color:red">🍁 ( Talk ·  Contributions ) 21:18, 7 January 2017 (UTC)
 * Thank you. Ibrahim aziz (talk) 20:45, 8 January 2017 (UTC)