WordPress does not allow usernames to be changed directly, but you can achieve the same result by creating a new account, reassigning content to it, and deleting the old one. No plugins are needed.

Important note for membership and eCommerce sites

If your site uses a membership plugin, learning management system, or WooCommerce, proceed with caution. User accounts on these platforms are often tied to purchase records, course enrollments, and access permissions. Deleting an account and recreating it may sever those associations even if content is reassigned. If you are unsure, contact us before proceeding or check the documentation for your specific plugin.

In the steps below, the account you want to replace is referred to as OldAdmin and the new account you are creating is referred to as NewAdmin.

Part 1: Create the new account

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard and go to Users → All Users
2. Click on OldAdmin to edit the profile and note the email address — you will need it in a moment
3. Change the OldAdmin email address to a placeholder such as [email protected] and click Update Profile
4. Go to Users → Add New
5. Enter the details for NewAdmin. A few things to keep in mind:
   • Choose a username that is not on the list of usernames to avoid
   • Use the email address you noted from the OldAdmin account if you want to keep the same Gravatar
   • Use a strong, unique password. WordPress will generate one for you automatically — in most cases this is sufficient. If you prefer to generate your own, tools like Norton and LastPass both have free generators, as do many password managers.
   • Set the role to Administrator
6. Click Add New User

Part 2: Reassign content and delete the old account

If you are changing the username for a non-administrator account, skip steps 1 and 2.

1. Log out of WordPress
2. Log back in as NewAdmin
3. Go to Users → All Users
4. Hover over the OldAdmin account and click Delete
5. Select Attribute all content to and choose NewAdmin from the dropdown
6. Click Confirm Deletion

The old account is removed and all content is now attributed to NewAdmin. The username has effectively been changed.

Related articles

• Usernames to avoid when configuring WordPress
• Adding a WordPress user via PHP

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