How to Change Username on WordPress – Beginner Tutorial

Sometimes you may need to change your username on WordPress because you’re having issues logging in, and changing it might resolve the common mistakes or WordPress security issues.

You can also read:

• Is WordPress Secure? Read Our Resource-Based Answer
• How to Secure WordPress Admin Login (14 Effective Steps)

In terms of WordPress security, changing your username is a crucial step since it will impact the overall security.

Changing WP Username has always been a question since some people are seeking to change their blog’s username.

We all know WordPress’s default username is ‘admin’ which is highly recommended not to use it. You can fix many WordPress issues like login problems and security by changing your custom WordPress username.

In this article, I’ll explore the WordPress username and password that you’re currently using. If it’s been a while since you’ve changed your default username, then I recommend changing it now for better security. Let’s get started! 

Changing Username – What You Need To Know Before Going Through This Process

• Make sure that you have access to your site’s cPanel before starting this process. If you don’t, then contact your web hosting company and buy a separate cPanel license.
• Identify the Username and database name, you want to change and remember it.
• Backup your site before changing Username.
• It’s a good idea to change your password as well since the new username will have access to your old one and can cause security problems.

There are several ways to change your default WordPress username. However, in this post, I will share 2 ways that are

• PHPMyAdmin
• WordPress Plugin

Which way is better? I prefer PHPMyAdmin, which doesn’t require a plugin. Because a plugin has access to every piece of information on your site, it can pose a threat.

I recommend that you use PHPMyAdmin if you are familiar with it. If you don’t, then I recommend using the plugin method because it’s the easiest way to change your username.

Confident: Don’t worry, following this guide, you can confidently change your WordPress username using PHPMyAdmin.

Change WordPress Default Username Using PhpMyAdmin

I assume that you have access to your site cPanel(login Details). If not, please contact your Web Hosting Company.

Advanced Tips: If you have multiple WordPress installed on your cPanel, then first you need to know the database name of a specific site which username you are going to change.

How can I find out the database username of a specific site in cPanel? Well, just simply go to ‘Softaculous Apps Installer‘. 

Then click on the ‘WordPress Manager’ from the top bar.

Now click on the expand icon for a specific site.

Then Click on ‘Database Details’. Here you will see the database name, username, and database host.

Note: Now cPanel is more advanced than before, so if you want, you can access your database from this section with just a single click on the ‘View Database’ option.

However, our next step will be to access PHPMyAdmin via the cPanel home page. So back to the cPanel home.

Now go to phpMyAdmin ” -> ” Databases ” under the databases tab.

Now click on the database name for a specific site from the PHPMyAdmin left sidebar. After that, you will see all database-related information in a table format. 

Click on the “Users”

Then click on the pencil or Edit.

Now change your WordPress user_login (username). You can also change your user_pass (password), user_email (email address) from here.

Note: Don’t change the user URL, if you change, your site will be broken.

Now just save or click on ‘Go’ the changes then go to your site and check if everything is working fine or not 🙂

Change WordPress Username Using a Plugin

If you don’t want to change your WordPress username using PHPMyAdmin, then you can use a plugin.

Many people like to use plugins because it’s easy to use and set up.

However, if your site is hacked or infected by a virus then it can affect the plugin also. But it’s better to go for a plugin that is created by an experienced or trusted developer.

So let’s start…

Go to your site’s admin area.

Go to Plugin->  ‘Add New’.

Type the name of a plugin “Easy Username Updater” in the search box, then install and activate it on your site.

Now go back to the plugin’s section under the “Users” option of the WordPress dashboard. Here you will see your existing username with an email address and user role.

To change a username, just click on the “Update” and enter your new username then again click on the update username button.

You can check to save the change by simply going back to the user’s list section of the plugin. You’re done once the change is made.

Finally, If you want to change your WordPress username, there are two ways that you can do it. One is with PHPMyAdmin and the other is through a plugin. There are advantages and disadvantages for both methods but in this post, I will focus on both PHPMyAdmin and plugin methods. 

I hope that it has helped you to change your WordPress username. If you have any questions or queries, please comment below.

Wait, don’t forget to check another guide created about WordPress security.