Change a user's name and username

Sometimes a user changes their name because of marriage, divorce, or for other reasons. Administrators can change a user's name and username so that all of the user's actions and content on the intranet are retained in the user's profile, but using the new name and username.

If this change is for a Regular user, the name and username can be managed through the User Management page. The old username will immediately become invalid once this action is complete.

If this change is for an Active Directory user then the name and username must be changed in AD first. It must then also be changed in ThoughtFarmer before the user attempts to log in or the bulk create user AD task is run. Otherwise, a new ThoughtFarmer profile will be created in addition to the existing profile under the previous name.

To change a user's name or username:

1. If the user is an Active Directory user, change the user's name and username in Active Directory. Remember to update the user's email address as well if needed. If the user is not an Active Directory user, go to Step 2.
2. Go to the ThoughtFarmer Admin Panel: Users & security section > User management page.
3. Use the filter, sort, and query tools to find the desired user (see Find users for more info).
4. Click the gear icon in the Action column to the right of the user, and click Edit account in the menu that opens.
    
   
    
5. Enter the new username in the Username text field in the Account Type section. For an Active Directory user, the username must correspond exactly to what has been entered in Active Directory.
   
   
    
6. Enter the new First name and/or Last name in the text fields under the Account information section. For an Active Directory user, the First name and Last name must correspond exactly to what has been entered in Active Directory.
   
   
    
7. Click Save.
8. To complete the change, either wait for the next scheduled AD synchronization to run, or trigger an on-demand sync. If a user tries to log in with their new username before the sync is run, the user will receive an incorrect username/password message and will be unable to log in.
   1. To trigger an on-demand sync, go to the Admin panel: Users & security section > Employee directory connector page.
   2. Click on the appropriate AD.
   3. Click on the Synchronization Settings tab.
   4. Select the checkboxes for the tasks Bulk create users and Bulk update users under the On-demand synchronization section.
   5. Click Synchronize now.

Tip: Change user settings

Administrators can change certain user settings on a user's profile page. To do this, go to the user's profile page, click the down arrow on the right of the of the Page Controls, and click Settings in the options that appear. An administrator can then change settings about timezone, language, time display, archiving, alternate email, notifications and following for that user.