Why is my username "user-xxxxxxxx", and how do I change it?

When your account is created we give you a temporary, unique handle like user-3f9a2c10 so your profile has a working address right away. It's meant to be changed.

Changing it

Go to Account → Edit profile and set a username you like. It's your public handle and forms your profile URL, so pick something memorable.

A few rules:

• It has to be unique and only uses simple characters (letters, numbers, hyphens).
• Some names are reserved (things that would collide with site pages), so a few choices may be unavailable.

What happens to my old links?

When you change your username, we keep a redirect from your old one for about 30 days, so links people already have (and any QR codes you've shared) keep working while word gets around.

Your username is the public handle; the friendly name shown next to your posts is separate — see What is a display name?