Changing Your Uniqname

Your uniqname is used for access to multiple systems at U-M, so changing it can be time-consuming, particularly if you have administrative or elevated access to data or systems. Please consider carefully if you are contemplating a uniqname change and plan ahead to minimize disruption. Only one uniqname change is allowed per person.

The Service Center can change your uniqname and update your access to services provided by ITS. You will need to contact your departmental IT staff to update your access to departmental services that use your uniqname. You will also need to update other services for which you use your U-M email address. Our apologies for the difficulty of uniqname changes. We are working to simplify the process, but for now we must manually update multiple systems.

During processing of a uniqname change, you may lose access to some systems for up to five business days. The ITS Service Center will work through the process with you as quickly as possible. Please read all the uniqname change guidelines, what the service center can change for you, and other changes you need to request or handle yourself.

Fill out and submit the Uniqname Change Request form to begin the uniqname change process. The ITS Service Center will work with you to schedule a time for making the change that will cause you the least disruption. You will need to be logged out of your U-M Google account when the uniqname change is made.

Flint Services. Please allow Flint ITS 24-48 hours to process your uniqname change request in their systems after notification of processing by Ann Arbor. You will receive a second notification from Flint ITS once their systems have been updated. If you do not receive notification from Flint ITS within 48 hours, please contact their helpdesk.

Uniqname Change Guidelines

ITS will change your uniqname for reasons such as misspellings, legal name changes, gender identity, marriage, divorce, harassment, or if your originally selected uniqname contains profanity. If your legal name changes, please register the name change with the Office of the Registrar (for students), Human Resources (for faculty and staff), or the Alumni Records Office (for alumni) so your university record can be updated.

Your new uniqname must meet the following conditions:

  • Be three to eight characters (lowercase alphabetical characters only) in length.
  • Be based on a combination of your first, middle, and last names (either your preferred name or your legal name) if possible. An exception to this is in cases of harassment, where special rules apply.
  • It cannot be a uniqname previously used by another person.

What the service center can change for you:

  • Your old uniqname will be deactivated and replaced with your new one.
  • Your U-M Google account will change from your old to your new uniqname. You should be logged out of your account when the uniqname change is made. Be aware that you may not be able to use Google chat for up to three days after a uniqname change.
  • The Service Center can change your old uniqname to your new one for access to services such as MWireless, Wolverine Access, the Login Service, Campus Computing Sites, printing in Sites, MiWorkspace, and others provided by ITS that you are eligible to use. Your old uniqname will no longer allow access once the change is made.
  • Your MCommunity Directory profile will reflect your new uniqname, as will your membership in all MCommunity groups.
  • Your AFS home directory name will be changed, and any existing access permissions will be transferred to your new uniqname/home directory name.
  • If you have special access to data in Wolverine Access, be sure to let the Service Center know. Be aware that access to such things as Business Objects requires deletion of the account associated with your current uniqname and creation of a new account. Any Favorites you have created will be lost.
  • Your old uniqname will be archived so that it cannot be reassigned in the future.

Changes you need to request or handle yourself:

  • Reset your UMICH (Level-1) password. When your uniqname is changed, your UMICH password will be automatically set to something random. Reset it yourself or ask the Service Center to reset it for you. See Resetting a Forgotten UMICH (Level-1) Password for instructions.
  • Michigan Medicine access. If you use the email and calendar service provided by Michigan Medicine—or any other Michigan Medicine service that uses your uniqname—you will need to contact Health Information Technology & Services and work with them to update your access to the services they provide.
  • Departmental services. If you use your uniqname or email address to access services provided by your school, college, department, or unit, contact your local IT staff to arrange to have your access updated if needed.
  • Inform your email correspondents. Your uniqname is part of your email address ([email protected]), and your old address will no longer work. Mail sent to that address will bounce back to the sender with the message that the user does not exist. You will need to inform all those who routinely send you email that your address has changed.
    • Students, be sure to notify your instructors.
    • Faculty and staff, be sure to notify colleagues who work closely with you.
  • Reconfigure devices that save your login information. For example, you may need to update your wireless login information or email login on your laptop or mobile devices.
  • Update your subscriptions to any non-MCommunity email lists you are on. If you have subscribed to any non-MCommunity email lists with your [email protected] address, you will need to update your subscription with your new email address.
  • Update services where your email address is your login ID. If you use your email address as a login for a service (for example, iTunes, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, banking, bill payment, and so on), you will need to update it.
    Security Tip: It is okay to use your U-M email address as a login ID for online services, but do not use your UMICH password for non-UMICH services.
  • Update references to your email address. If you have an email signature file that includes your email address or your email address is listed on web pages, business cards, or other materials, you will need to update those.

Changing Other Records of Your Name

In addition to changing your uniqname, you can update university records when your name changes:

  • To notify U-M of a legal name change, students should contact the Office of the Registrar, and employees should update their personal data with the Shared Services Center
  • To record a name that is different from your legal name, set your preferred name
  • To record a name that is presented in the MCommunity directory (and not synched to other U-M systems) update the chosen name in your MCommunity profile
  • By design, the MCommunity directory will list variations of your name as recorded by other U-M systems; these "also known as" names can be hidden on request, by contacting the ITS Service Center