Download Article
Download Article
You cannot delete a Wikipedia account due to restrictions on the MediaWiki software, but you can have all of your user (and, in rare cases, talk) pages deleted and your username changed. This wikiHow will teach you how. [1] X Research source [2] X Research source
Steps
Download Article
-
Make sure that your account is in good standing. Good standing means that there is no current discussion about your behavior (or arbitration cases), active sanctions, or blocks (temporary or permanent) on your account. Check the administrator noticeboard , the arbitration requests page , and your talk page for current discussions. Check the block list and editing restrictions for currently active sanctions. -
" template on your user and talk pages on Wikipedia (or Meta-Wiki)." src="https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/0/00/Delete-Your-Wikipedia-Account-Step-2.jpg/v4-460px-Delete-Your-Wikipedia-Account-Step-2.jpg" decoding="async" class="70d2ae6737aee62b814fe985dc338c6f whcdn content-fill p_maxWidth" data-srclarge="/images/thumb/0/00/Delete-Your-Wikipedia-Account-Step-2.jpg/aid11675057-v4-728px-Delete-Your-Wikipedia-Account-Step-2.jpg" data-width="280" data-height="345" id="70d2ae6737aee62b814fe985dc338c6f"/>
Place the "{{retired}}" template on your user and talk pages on Wikipedia (or Meta-Wiki).
This will inform users leaving messages that you are leaving Wikipedia permanently. (This step only works for the English Wikipedia, if you are registered on other Wikimedia wikis, you may want to skip this step)
- To do so, click on "Edit". Copy the template tag from above, paste it at the top of your user page on Wikipedia, and click on Publish changes .
Advertisement
Place "{{db-u1}}" on your user page if you want to vanish completely.
Your talk page will not be deleted unless there are exceptional circumstances. In most cases, you might need to contact the Arbitration Committee if you really want to have your user talk pages deleted.
File a rename request.
To do so, go to this page
and enter your new username. Make sure it is in the format
Vanished user #######
(where # are random numbers). Please note, that the courtesy vanishing procedure is for users that want to leave Wikipedia PERMANENTLY. If you sign up for a new account at any time after the procedure is carried out, and are then discovered, the vanishing procedure may be reversed.
Remove your email address from your preferences.
To do so, go to this page
and choose Remove email address
. Enter your password. You can also change your password to a random string and throw it away (that will cut you off the account, and it is impossible to recover it afterwards). Once you are done, log out.
Advertisement
Community Q&A
Search
-
QuestionHow can I delete a Wikipedia account totally?FreyrTop AnswererYou cannot delete a Wikipedia account totally due to restrictions on the MediaWiki software. This article shows you the closest you can get to 'deleting' your account.
-
QuestionOn Step #4: File a rename request, are you supposed to rename your username literally to "Vanished user #######"? Since it says that # are any number, it doesn't matter what numbers are put? just 5 #?AasimTop AnswererNo, you are supposed to fill ###### with a random number. For example: Vanished user 1030285.
-
QuestionWhy can't people delete their Wikipedia account completely?AasimTop AnswererBecause many MediaWiki wikis require attribution for their work, usernames cannot be deleted. Otherwise, it would violate the terms of the license.
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement
Tips
- Your request may be denied at any stage. If you think you want to return to Wikipedia, you may want to follow the clean start procedure at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Clean_startThanks
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Name
Please provide your name and last initial
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
Advertisement
References
About This Article
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 91,601 times.
Advertisement
