Where to find the username change option in Salesforce

Your Salesforce username lives in your personal settings, not in your company's main admin panel. To reach it, log into Salesforce and look for your profile picture or initials in the top right corner of the screen. Click that icon and select Settings from the dropdown menu.

Once you are in Settings, look for the left sidebar menu. Find and click Personal Information. On that page, you will see a field labeled Username — this is what you change to log in, separate from your display name or email address.

If you cannot find Settings in the dropdown, your Salesforce instance may use a different layout. Try clicking your name directly instead of the profile icon, or ask your company's Salesforce administrator which menu version your organization uses.

Key Takeaways

  • Your username is found in Settings > Personal Information and is what you type to log in, not your display name.
  • Salesforce usernames must be unique across your entire organization and cannot be reused even after you change it.
  • You can change your username yourself if your administrator has not restricted that permission, but some organizations lock it down.
  • After you change your username, you must log out and log back in using the new one — your old username stops working when ready.
  • If the username field is grayed out or missing, contact your Salesforce administrator because they have disabled self-service changes.

What makes a valid Salesforce username

Salesforce usernames follow specific rules. They must be between 5 and 40 characters long, contain only letters, numbers, periods, hyphens, and underscores, and cannot start with a number. Most people use a format like firstname.lastname or firstname_lastname to keep them readable.

The username must be unique within your entire Salesforce organization — no two people can have the same one. This is different from your email address, which Salesforce also stores separately. You can change your email without changing your username, and vice versa.

Salesforce will tell you when ready if the username you want is already taken or breaks the format rules. If you see an error message, try adding a number or middle initial to make it unique.

Steps to change your username

After you open Personal Information in Settings, locate the Username field. Click in the field and delete your current username, then type the new one you want. Salesforce checks in real time whether that username is available — if it is taken or invalid, you will see a red error message below the field.

Once you have entered a valid, available username, scroll down and click the Save button at the bottom of the page. Salesforce will confirm the change with a message saying your username has been updated.

Log out of Salesforce completely after saving. When you log back in, use your new username instead of the old one. Your old username no longer works, even if you were the only person using it.

When your administrator has locked the username field

Some organizations restrict employees from changing their own usernames. If the Username field appears grayed out or you cannot click into it, your Salesforce administrator has turned off self-service changes. This is common in companies with strict naming conventions or security policies.

In this case, you will need to contact your Salesforce administrator or your IT department and request the username change. Provide them with the new username you want and explain why you need it changed. They can make the change on your behalf from the admin console, and it takes effect the same way — you log out and log back in with the new username.

Some administrators may ask you to submit the request through a ticketing system or form rather than by email. Check your company's IT procedures to see what process they use for Salesforce changes.

What happens to your old username after the change

Once you change your username, Salesforce permanently retires the old one. You cannot reuse it later, and neither can anyone else in your organization. This is a permanent action — Salesforce does not allow old usernames to be recycled.

If you change your username and then realize you made a mistake, you can change it again to something else, but you cannot go back to the original username. Plan your new username carefully before you save.

Any integrations, scripts, or third-party tools that use your old username to log in will stop working after the change. If your company uses automation that references your Salesforce username, notify your IT team or the person who manages those tools so they can update the username in those systems.

Difference between username, email, and display name in Salesforce

Salesforce stores three separate identifiers for you, and they serve different purposes. Your username is what you type into the login screen — it is unique to your organization and never changes unless you change it yourself. Your email address is stored separately and is used for password resets, notifications, and contact. Your display name is what other people in your organization see when they look at your profile or see your name in records.

You can change your email address without changing your username. You can change your display name without changing either. They are independent fields. This means if you get married and want to change your last name, you might update your display name and email but leave your username alone — or you might change all three. The choice is yours, depending on your company's policies.

If you are unsure which one you need to change, think about what you are trying to accomplish. If you cannot log in, you need to change your username. If you want people to see a different name when they look at your profile, change your display name. If you want to receive Salesforce emails at a different address, change your email.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change my username back to what it was before?

No. Once you change your username, Salesforce permanently removes the old one from circulation. You cannot reuse it, and no one else in your organization can use it either. If you change your mind, you can pick a different new username, but the original one is gone for good.

Will changing my username affect my Salesforce data or records?

No. Your data, records, and everything you have created in Salesforce stays exactly the same. Only the name you use to log in changes. Any records that show who created or modified something will still show your name correctly.

What if I forget my new username after I change it?

You can recover it by clicking the "Forgot your username?" link on the Salesforce login page. Salesforce will send you an email with your current username. You can also ask your Salesforce administrator to tell you what your username is.

Do I need to tell anyone else in my company when I change my username?

If your username is used in any automated processes, integrations, or scripts, notify the person who manages those systems so they can update the username. Otherwise, the change is personal to your account and does not affect anyone else.

Can my administrator change my username without my permission?

Yes. Salesforce administrators have the ability to change any user's username from the admin console. If your administrator changes your username, you will receive a notification, and you will need to log in with the new username the next time you access Salesforce.