Yes, you can change your GitHub username, and it takes about two minutes

GitHub lets you change the username on your account at any time through your account settings. The change takes effect when ready, and GitHub automatically redirects anyone who visits your old profile URL to your new one for the next year. Your repositories, followers, and contribution history all move with you — nothing is lost or deleted.

The one thing that breaks is any link you shared that included your old username in the URL. If you posted a GitHub link in a resume, a portfolio, or documentation somewhere, that old link will stop working after the redirect period ends. You should update those links yourself rather than relying on the redirect.

Key Takeaways

  • You change your username in your account settings under "Change username", not in your profile editor.
  • GitHub redirects your old username to your new one for one year, so old links still work temporarily.
  • Any SSH keys, deploy keys, or Git remotes that reference your old username will need to be updated manually.
  • Your repositories, followers, stars, and contribution history all stay attached to your account and appear under your new username when ready.
  • You cannot change your username to one that is already taken or was recently used by another account.

Where to find the username change setting

Log into GitHub and click your profile picture in the top right corner. Select Settings from the dropdown menu. On the left sidebar, click Account. You will see a section labeled Change username with a button next to it.

Click that button and type your new username into the text field. GitHub will tell you when ready if the name is taken or unavailable. If it is available, you will see a green checkmark. Type your password to confirm the change, then click I understand, let's change my username.

What happens to your repositories and links

Your repositories do not move or get deleted. They stay in the same place on your account, but their URLs change. A repository that was at github.com/oldusername/myproject becomes github.com/newusername/myproject. If you cloned that repository to your computer, your local copy still points to the old URL and will fail the next time you try to push or pull.

GitHub redirects the old repository URL to the new one for one year. This means links you shared will still work during that year, but after twelve months they will break. If your username appears in documentation, README files, or anywhere else online, update those references yourself rather than waiting for the redirect to expire.

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 your terminal or command prompt and navigate to the repository folder. Run this command to see your current remote:

git remote -v

You will see two lines showing the fetch and push URLs. Both will still have your old username in them. To update the remote, run:

git remote set-url origin https://github.com/newusername/repositoryname.git

Replace newusername with your actual new username and repositoryname with the name of the repository. Run git remote -v again to confirm the change took effect. You only need to do this for repositories you have cloned locally — repositories that exist only on GitHub update automatically.

SSH keys and deploy keys do not need updating

If you use SSH to connect to GitHub instead of HTTPS, your SSH keys stay valid and do not need to be regenerated or re-added. The keys are tied to your account, not your username. The same applies to deploy keys you have set up for continuous integration or automated deployments — they continue to work without any changes on your part.

However, if you have any scripts or configuration files that reference your old username in the SSH URL format, you should update those. For example, if a deploy script references git@github.com:oldusername/repo.git, change it to use your new username.

What you should update after changing your username

Search for your old GitHub username anywhere you have shared it publicly: your resume, portfolio website, LinkedIn profile, email signature, or documentation. Update those references to your new username. This is especially important for your resume and portfolio, since recruiters and employers will click those links.

If you have a GitHub Pages site (a website hosted through GitHub), check that your site still builds and displays correctly. The site URL itself does not change, but the repository URL does, so if you have any build scripts or deployment instructions that reference your old username, update those.

Check any third-party services connected to your GitHub account — code review tools, continuous integration platforms, or project management software. Most of these services will continue to work, but some may need you to re-authenticate or update your GitHub username in their settings.

Usernames you cannot use

GitHub reserves certain usernames for system use and will not let you claim them. You also cannot change your username to one that another user currently has. If you want a username that was recently used but is now inactive, you may have to wait — GitHub does not when ready release old usernames back into the pool.

If you see an error message saying your desired username is unavailable, try a variation. You can use hyphens and numbers in your username, which sometimes makes a preferred name available.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my followers and stars move to my new username?

Yes. Your followers, starred repositories, and all your contribution history stay attached to your account. When someone visits your profile, they will see everything under your new username. The redirect from your old username to your new one means followers who visit your old profile URL will automatically see your new one.

What if I change my username and then want to change it back?

You can change your username as many times as you want. However, once you change away from a username, GitHub does not when ready release it back. You may not be able to reclaim your old username right away, and if someone else takes it in the meantime, you cannot use it again until they stop using it.

Do I need to update my GitHub Pages URL?

No. If you have a GitHub Pages site, the site URL stays the same and does not change when you change your username. The repository URL changes, but the published site URL remains username.github.io regardless of what your username is. You do not need to do anything for your site to keep working.

Will my pull requests and issues show my new username?

Yes. All your past activity — pull requests, issues, comments, and commits — will display your new username. The activity itself does not change, only the name attached to it.

What happens if I use HTTPS instead of SSH to clone repositories?

If you cloned with HTTPS, you will need to update the remote URL in your local repositories the same way as described in the "Updating your local Git repositories" section. SSH keys do not need updating, but HTTPS remotes do because they include your username in the URL.