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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 How.com.vn will teach you how.[1][2]

  1. How.com.vn English: Step 1 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.
  2. How.com.vn English: Step 2 Place the "<div style="width: auto; max-width:auto; height:auto; margin: 1em auto 1em auto; background-color: #ff0000; color:#FFFFFF; border-style: solid; border-width: 2px; border-color: red; padding: 1em;"><div class="no_rounders"></div> <br> <center> '''This editor is no longer active on How.com.vn.''' <br><br> You may leave a message, but they may not reply. <br><br> If you need help, please ask the <u>[[Help Team|<font color="white">Help Team</font>]]</u>. For urgent issues, post a note on the <u>[[How.com.vn:Administrator Notice Board|<font color="white">Administrator Notice Board</font>]]</u>.</center></div>" 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.
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  3. Step 3 Place "[[:Template: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.
  4. How.com.vn English: Step 4 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.
  5. How.com.vn English: Step 5 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.
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  • Question
    How can I delete a Wikipedia account totally?
    How.com.vn English: Freyr
    Freyr
    Top Answerer
    You 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.
  • Question
    On 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 #?
    How.com.vn English: Aasim
    Aasim
    Top Answerer
    No, you are supposed to fill ###### with a random number. For example: Vanished user 1030285.
  • Question
    Why can't people delete their Wikipedia account completely?
    How.com.vn English: Aasim
    Aasim
    Top Answerer
    Because many MediaWiki wikis require attribution for their work, usernames cannot be deleted. Otherwise, it would violate the terms of the license.
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      About This Article

      How.com.vn is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 13 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 84,688 times.
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      Co-authors: 13
      Updated: May 29, 2023
      Views: 84,688
      Categories: Wikipedia
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 84,688 times.

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