Change a username in the WordPress database

While most WordPress user information can be managed easily in the WordPress admin dashboard, for security reasons, users cannot modify their usernames. Here’s how you can update a username directly in the database using phpMyAdmin.

1. Sign in to phpMyAdmin.
2. From the list on the left, select your WordPress database.
3. Open the wp_users table.
   
   Note: wp_ is the default database table prefix. If your table prefix isn't wp_, focus on finding _users. There should only be one _users table.
4. Locate the row for the user you want to modify and select Edit.
5. Update the value for user_login to the desired username.
6. Scroll down and select Go to save your changes.
7. Sign out of WordPress (if signed in), then log in using the updated username to ensure your changes saved successfully.

More info

• View my database details
• Edit files with a file manager
• Create an admin user in the WordPress database