Changing Your Onyen

This page is for changing your Onyen/UserID, not your Password. Passwords must be changed every 90 days. To change your Onyen Password click here.

Before you request that your Onyen be changed, please be aware of the following:

  • Onyens will not be renamed due to issues with spam because this is not an effective deterrent from receiving unsolicited email.
  • Onyens can be renamed for the following reasons:
    • Where a legal name change has occurred (marriage, divorce, etc.).
    • Where there is an issue of personal security as determined by ITS and, as necessary, the Office of University Counsel.
    • Where the Onyen is clearly offensive.

Other requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

  • ITS would appreciate serious consideration for such a request, because it involves substantial work for our System Administrators. These changes typically take 2-4 days to complete and during this time your email account may be unusable. When it is complete you must have your Onyen password reset, which requires a visit to one of our Password Change locations. Click the Change Password button on the Onyen page for a current list.
  • Consider the option of getting an alias, which will be in the format alias@unc.edu. In all email clients, you can change the From address to be your alias. You can also publish your alias in the Online Campus Directory and include it on your e-mail signature files, business cards and stationery.
  • If you decide to change your Onyen, you will need to unsubscribe then resubscribe to any listservs that you have joined and inform everyone with whom you correspond. You will need to redirect your alias (if you have one) as well as your listing in the Online Campus Directory.

After considering the above, here's what needs to be done:

  1. Choose a new Onyen. Also note that Onyens are always lower-case and must be between 3 and 8 characters long. The requested Onyen must be some variation of your name (bobsmith, jndoe, etc.) Vanity Onyens like uncfan or any others will not be allowed.

  2. Submit your request by clicking . Make sure you include (1)-current contact information, (2)-reason for the request and (3)-proposed new Onyen.

    3. Return to Onyen Services