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Reverse Username Search

The following is for informational purposes only

How to Check Username Availability

How to Check Username Availability

What is a username?

Alternatively referred to as "login ID", "nickname", "account name", and "user ID", a username or "user name" is a unique identification sequence of characters used by a person when creating a digital profile or requesting access to a network, computer, or online service. With most services, the username is either created by the user or automatically assigned to them. Every username has allocated a digital space with the registrant's files and private settings or preferences. Regularly, usernames are formed of the individuals' first name, alias, initial of the last name, or any combination of the above. Other important characteristics of username would be:

  • Most usernames are made of numbers, letters, often symbols, but no spaces.
  • For email accounts, the username is the part that precedes the "@".
  • Every username is almost always combined with a password, forming the login authentication credentials needed for people to sign in to websites or into their email addresses.
  • While usernames can be both private and public, passwords are always kept secret.
  • Normally, usernames are case-sensitive and need turning the Caps Lock on or off when entered.

What is the most common username?

The most frequently-guessed usernames, often subjected to successful hacking attempts are:

  • Oracle
  • Admin
  • User
  • Guest
  • Root
  • Test
  • Nagios
  • MySQL
  • Postgres
  • Guest
  • Tomcat

For a simplified digital life, it's never too late to log onto existing web accounts to update usernames and give identity thieves or cybercriminals a hard time in case they try to hack or steal someone's data. Here are some tips for creating a smart, strong, difficult-to-hack username:

  • As tempting as it is, don't use the email username.
  • Avoid combinations of full name and fragments of phone numbers or physical addresses.
  • For financial profiles, in particular, the same username and password combination is never a good idea.
  • Unusual usernames only work if used once. If they're used everywhere, they make the user even easier to track.
  • For security reasons, it's best not to give away fragments of passwords or clues to passwords (for example, sensitive sequences of letters/numbers/personal information such as the last four digits of the social security number, date of birth, or phone number). A skilled cybercriminal could put it together and to figure out more confidential data that could lead to increased data privacy risks.

How do I think of a username?

How do I think of a username?

Creating new online accounts with original credentials is challenging, but not impossible. Uniqueness is the key, but only when the username is equally memorable and safe, without giving away too much personal information. A good username:

  • Maintains a level of anonymity suitable for the purpose – for instance, in professional contexts, a funny username is not appropriate.
  • Contains numbers and symbols that are meaningful to the user, but not very revealing (for example, parents' house number).
  • Is simple. When it's too complicated, it's harder to recall it, especially if it's frequently used.
  • Could be inspired by username generating websites (Jimpix, LastPass, BestRandoms, Spinxo, and Screen Name Creator).
  • Is vaguely meaningful to the user: a physical feature of the user (eye/hair color) and a hobby – darkeyedhiker or a combination of two different categories (favorite animal, art, dessert, pastime activities) and an adjective.

How do I check if a social media name is available?

How do I check if a social media name is available?

Username checker tools search and show username availability across multiple social network sites at once, including Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, Tumblr, Slack, WordPress, Twitch, Twitter, and Instagram. Some checkers allow filtering results by country, name, or category. Otherwise, people can just manually check the availability individually, on each social network, although it could take longer than a mass search via a mass-checking webpage. For example:

How do I create a unique username?

How do I create a unique username?

Selecting a unique username for any online identity is a combination of the following:

  • Easy to remember.
  • Simple and easy to type.
  • If it's for long time use, it's best to spend some time creating it rather than rush in with a poor username and not be able to change it later.
  • Suitability: making it appropriate for the purpose/type of account (social, business, or personal). Full name is not recommended for non-professional contexts, while it's preferable in professional categories (along with the profession, makes a suggestive username – for example, "DoctorBorisMoushaki").
  • Creative: brainstorming the user's favorite things then using two or three of them together to create an interesting username; rhymes; play on words from the user's first name.

How do I know my username?

The simplest way to find out the username on a PC is by opening up Windows Explorer -> in the path field, delete This PC and type C:\Users\ instead -> from the list of user profiles, there should be one structured as C:\Users\Username that's related to the respective user.

For other websites:

  • When logged into the account: navigate to the top right-hand corner of the Profile for the username.
  • When logged out: some websites allow a login based on the email address and password instead of username and password. If it's not the case, search for a Forgot Username? or Email my Username link on the Sign-in Page and click on it.

What is a valid username?

A username is valid when it follows all the rules imposed by a website's username policy. A valid username must satisfy multiple constraints, for example:

  • Must consist of 6 to 10 characters.
  • Can only contain letters (a-z), numbers (0-9), underscores (_), or periods (.).
  • NO symbols: equals sign (=), ampersand (&), brackets (<,>), apostrophe ('), plus sign (+), comma (,) or dash (-).
  • Must include at least a certain number of uppercase characters and digits.
  • The first character must be alphanumeric, either a lowercase or uppercase.
What is a valid username?

How do I recover my username?

People who cannot remember the username for an online account can recover it by visiting that website's Username Recovery Page/Forgot Password or Username Page or by entering the recovery email address in the Email field available on the Sign-In Pageand clicking Submit. The username associated with that email address should be received at the email address provided.

What do you do when your username is not available?

When a username has already been claimed, here's what can be done:

  • Add underscores before or after the desired username.
  • Add numbers, periods, or abbreviations.

How to check username availability?

How to check username availability?

Checking username availability before changing or registering to digital services, social media websites or networks can be done in two ways:

  • From the site/platform/service settings: on the Profile section -> click on the Username. If there's a pen icon next to it, it can be edited. Click on it. -> In the new window, enter the desired name in the Username field –> if a green tick appears next to it, it's available, if it's a red cross mark, it's already been taken by another person. Keep trying. Clicking on the Update button changes the old username into the newly-found one.
  • Using a username change checker tool such as Infotracer. By entering the username into the search box, a report of that username's online presence is displayed. If no valid finding shows up, this means that the username is widely available.

Reverse Username Search