Extension:Renameuser

The Renameuser extension provides a special page which allows authorized users to rename user accounts. This will cause page histories, etc. to be updated. If you want to rename an account "into" another, already existing one, you need the User Merge and Delete extension.

Usage

 * 1) As a bureaucrat, access the Special:Renameuser page
 * 2) Enter the name of the user to be renamed, and the desired new name, toggle the options to move user/talk pages and their subpages and to create redirects as desired, and click OK

The user will be renamed, and (if the appropriate option was checked) the user page, user talk page and all their subpages will be moved as well.

You can grant other groups the right to rename users, for example:


 * In case CentralAuth is installed, you'll get a warning if you try to rename a local user from an account attached to a global account or to a username reserved by a global account; a check box to rename anyway will be provided (this requires caution). At the moment, global account renames must be accomplished by local renames on all attached wikis, possibly followed by an account remerge.
 * You will not be able to rename users to invalid usernames (which doesn't equal usernames which match a blacklist but includes for instance reserved usernames).

RenameUserComplete hook
This extension introduces and invokes the RenameUserComplete hook to notify other extensions of user renames.

There were so many userpages that it timed out partway through moving them from User:A/subpage... to User:B/subpage... What do I do now?
You can't fix the situation by immediately trying again to rename User A to User B, because it will simply say "The user 'User A' does not exist." To fix the situation, rename User B back to User A, after unchecking the box "Move user and talk pages (and their subpages) to new name". Then rename User A to User B again, this time leaving the box "Move user and talk pages (and their subpages) to new name" checked. The page moving will resume where it left off.