GitHub lets you change your username once, and the change takes effect when ready

You can change your GitHub username through your account settings. The process takes a few minutes and GitHub will redirect traffic from your old username to your new one for the next year, so existing links to your repositories do not break right away. However, there are real consequences: any Git commands that reference your old username will stop working, and some integrations may need reconfiguration.

GitHub allows one free username change per account. If you change it again, you will need to contact GitHub Support and explain why. This limit exists because changing a username affects not just your profile, but every repository URL, every mention in code, and every external service connected to your account.

Key Takeaways

  • Change your username in Settings > Account, type the new name, and confirm—the change is when ready and affects your entire account.
  • GitHub redirects your old username to your new one for one year, but any Git clone or push commands using the old URL will fail when ready.
  • Repositories, gists, and project boards all move with your username, but you must update local Git configurations and CI/CD pipelines that reference the old name.
  • You can change your username once for free; a second change requires contacting GitHub Support with justification.
  • Organizations you own do not move with your username change, and you may need to update SSH keys or personal access tokens if they are tied to authentication.

Where to find the username change setting

Log into GitHub and go to the top right corner where your profile picture appears. Click it and select Settings. On the left sidebar, click Account. You will see a section labeled Change username with a button to edit it. Click that button and type your new username.

GitHub will check whether the name is available and show you a warning if it is taken or reserved. The new username must be between 1 and 39 characters, contain only letters, numbers, and hyphens, and cannot start or end with a hyphen. Once you confirm, the change takes effect when ready across your entire account.

What happens to your repositories and links

All your repositories, gists, wikis, and project boards move with your username. A repository that was at github.com/oldname/myproject becomes github.com/newname/myproject. GitHub automatically redirects the old URL to the new one for one year, so links in documentation, blog posts, or social media will still work during that window.

However, the redirect only works in a web browser. If someone (or a script) tries to clone your repository using the old URL via Git command line, it will fail with an error. You must update any local copies of your repositories to use the new URL, and any CI/CD pipelines, webhooks, or external services that reference your old username will need to be reconfigured manually.

Updating your local Git repositories

If you have cloned repositories on your computer, you need to update the remote URL so Git knows where to push and pull from. Open a terminal or command prompt, navigate to the repository folder, and run this command:

git remote set-url origin https://github.com/newname/reponame.git

Replace newname with your new GitHub username and reponame with the actual repository name. You can verify the change worked by running git remote -v, which will show the updated URL. If you have many repositories, you may want to write a script to update them all at once, or use a Git client that can batch-update remotes.

If you use SSH keys instead of HTTPS, the process is the same but the URL format is different: git remote set-url origin git@github.com:newname/reponame.git. SSH keys themselves do not need to be regenerated—they remain tied to your account regardless of username.

Reconfiguring integrations and external services

Any external service connected to your GitHub account may reference your old username in its configuration. Common examples include CI/CD platforms like GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or CircleCI; deployment services like Vercel or Netlify; and code quality tools like CodeClimate or SonarQube. Check each service's settings and update any references to your old username.

Personal access tokens and OAuth applications do not automatically break, but if they are stored in configuration files or environment variables with your old username hardcoded, you will need to update those files. Review your GitHub Settings > Developer settings > Personal access tokens and Settings > Applications to see what is connected, then update the corresponding configuration in each service.

Organizations and team ownership

If you own a GitHub organization, the organization itself does not move with your username change. You remain the owner, but the organization's name and URL stay the same. However, if you are a member of teams within organizations, your username change will be reflected in team rosters and mentions when ready.

If you have set up branch protection rules, CODEOWNERS files, or other access controls that reference your old username, you should review and update those as well. Search your repositories for any hardcoded references to your old username in documentation, comments, or configuration files.

What to do if you need to change your username again

GitHub allows one free username change. If you change it a second time, you must contact GitHub Support through the Help section of your account settings. You will need to explain why you want to change it again. GitHub may grant the request, but there is no may provide, and the process takes longer than the first change.

For this reason, choose your new username carefully. Think about whether it reflects work you plan to keep public, whether it is straightforward to spell and remember, and whether it will still make sense in a few years. You can always create a new account if you want a completely fresh start, but migrating repositories and history to a new account is more work than a single username change.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my GitHub profile URL change when ready?

Yes. Your profile moves to the new URL when ready, and GitHub redirects the old profile URL for one year. However, any direct links to your repositories or gists will only redirect in a web browser, not in Git commands or API calls.

Do I need to regenerate my SSH keys after changing my username?

No. SSH keys are tied to your account, not your username. They will continue to work after the change. You only need to update the repository URLs in your local Git configuration if you use SSH.

What happens to pull requests and issues if I change my username?

They remain in the repositories and still show your old username in the history, but your current profile will display your new username. Comments and activity going forward will show your new username.

Can I reserve my old username so no one else can use it?

No. Once you change your username, the old one becomes available for anyone else to claim after a short period. If you want to prevent that, you could create a placeholder account with the old name, but GitHub does not offer a reservation system.

Will GitHub Actions workflows break if I change my username?

Workflows stored in your repositories will continue to run, but if they reference your old username in any way—such as in a step that clones another repository or calls a custom action—those references will fail. You must update the workflow files to use your new username.