Enable Username Editing in WordPress

Written by Dan Mossop

WordPress doesn't let you change usernames. If you'd like to add the ability to change usernames, here's a way to do it.

First, install the free Easy Username Updater plugin. This useful little plugin gives you a form for changing a user's username, like so:

It also gives you a "User List" page which contains a searchable list of all the users defined in the site, and beside each is a link to the Update Username form show above. 

For sites with a relatively short list of users, this might be all you need. However, I found that on sites with a large number of users accounts (e.g. popular e-commerce sites), the user list page can become very slow to load (as it tries to load a table of all user accounts before making them filterable using a JavaScript library). This made finding a user and getting to the relevant "Update Username" form take significantly longer than I'd like. 

Fortunately, there is already a fast loading built-in Users table in WordPress, at:

WP Dashboard > Users > All Users

So I added the following PHP code to include a link to the "Update Username" form in the built-in user table:

// Add action link to user rows in admin
add_filter( 'user_row_actions', 'dbc_eup_add_username_edit_link', 10, 2 );

function dbc_eup_add_username_edit_link( $actions, $user ) {
    // Add the new action link
    if (isset($user->id)) {
    	$actions['edit_username'] = '<a href="'.esc_attr(admin_url('admin.php?page=eup_username_update&update='.$user->ID)).'">Edit Username</a>';
	}
    return $actions;
}

Now, hovering over a username in the users table reveals an "Edit Username" link which goes to the "Update Username" form for that user:

Another place I wanted a link to the Update Username form was on the edit page for an individual user. Normally you'd see this:

But if you add the following PHP code to your site:

// Add link to user edit form
add_action( 'edit_user_profile', 'dbc_eup_add_edit_username_link' );

function dbc_eup_add_edit_username_link($user) {
	if (isset($user->ID)) {
		$user_id = $user->ID;
		$edit_url = admin_url('admin.php?page=eup_username_update&update='.$user_id);
		?>
		<script>
		jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
			$('#user_login + .description').html('<a href="<?php esc_attr_e($edit_url); ?>">Edit</a></td>');
		});
		</script>
		<?php
	}
}

The once the page loads the "Usernames cannot be changed" text will be converted into an "Edit" link which links to the Update Username screen, e.g.: 

It's not quite as smooth as if the Username field was actually editable directly, but it at least streamlines the workflow of updating usernames somewhat. 

Run PHP Code Directly in Your Divi Layouts

Unlock endless customization, automation, and dynamic functionality by seamlessly adding PHP code to your Divi pages and posts with the Divi PHP Code Module. Style, preview, and debug your PHP creations directly in the visual builder with robust error handling and enhanced security. Perfect for users who want to add custom PHP solutions like username editing to their sites.

About Dan Mossop

Dan is a Scottish-born web developer, now living in Brisbane with his wife and son. He has been sharing tips and helping users with Divi since 2014. He created Divi Booster, the first Divi plugin, and continues to develop it along with 20+ other Divi plugins. Dan has a PhD in Computer Science, a background in web security and likes a lot of stuff, 

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