Why you might want to change your WordPress credentials
Maybe your web designer created your Admin level credentials for you, using the name you provided or the name of your business or other. Maybe you created them yourself, but either way you do not like it anymore and would like to change them out.
Even though you can’t just log into your website and pick a new name for your account, there are a couple of easy solutions. For example, you can alter your username manually in just a few minutes or you can install plugins to help you, which would be much easier.
Important: Installing plugins should be done with extreme care. Some plugins may not be compatible with your current website structure and can cause more harm than good.
Likely reasons to change your WordPress website username.
Before we walk you through how to change your username, it’s worth considering why you might want to do that. There are a number of possible reasons, but here are a few of the most common:
- You need a more secure username. This is particularly relevant if you went with the default admin choice initially since that name is incredibly easy for hackers to guess.
- You want to hand over your admin account to another user like cdcwebdesign to maintain it for you.
- You’d like to choose a username that is more consistent with your site’s style and/or branding.
Whatever the reason, you’ll be happy to know that the process of changing your username isn’t hard. Still, it’s important to pick your new name carefully. Try something unique, yet memorable, and avoid basing it on personal information (which is easier to guess)
Changing your account password (for your own WordPress Website)
Changing your WordPress password isn’t much to fret over it’s as easy as 1,2,3,4,5.
It’s really 5 simple steps.
- Sign in to your WordPress website.
- From the left-side menu, select Users and then All Users.
- Under Username, find and select your username.
- On the Profile page, scroll down until you find the Account Management section.
- Select Set New Password.
Now that we’ve covered that let’s move on to the more lengthy process of changing your username, don’t scratch your head or pop your eyes just yet… it’s still simple and I’m here to go through it step by step with you.
How to properly change your WordPress username
It’s not possible to change your username in WordPress using the same method as changing your full name or password, the good news is that there are a few ways around that and we will show you one of them.
This can be frustrating and confusing to beginner WordPress users since from your user profile, you’ll see a message which says that usernames can’t be changed.
Important:
- Making changes on your LIVE website can cause a series of issues, it is recommended that you are present, and alert when updating any element on your website.
- Navigating through settings and causing an error can lock you out of your website; please follow these steps exactly to avoid any unwanted results.
- Missing a step can also cause loss of information (such as blogs, products / services you have added and other website changes)
Simple method: Create a New User and Delete The Old One
The easiest way to change your WordPress username is by creating a new user with your desired username at the administrator user role.
Caution: you will need to use a different email address than the one used by your current account (old username / profile).
Note: If you’re using a Gmail, you can insert a plus sign with additional letters after your username. For example, if your email address is myname@gmail.com, you can use the email address myname+wordpress@gmail.com. This doesn’t change how your original gmail address behaves in your website, such as all emails will still go to the same email inbox, but WordPress (settings) will consider it a separate email address (for the purpose we are using it for).
After creating the new account, you need to log out of WordPress and then log in with the new user account you just created.
Next, head over to the Users » All Users page and then click the ‘Delete’ link under your old username to remove it.
When you delete the old username, WordPress will ask what you want to do with any content created by that user.
Make sure that you click the ‘Attribute all content to’ option then select the new user you just created.
After that, you should click the ‘Confirm Deletion’ button to delete the old user account.
Congratulations, you have now successfully changed your WordPress username. If you want to use the same email address as before, then you can now change the email address of the new user.
Congratulations!!
Now you should be able to log in to your dashboard with your new username. If you need additional support, access your Client Area and schedule a call, or drop an email detailing what you’re experiencing.
