Username transfer requests

[Belco90]

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General

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Hello GitHub Community and Support Team,

I'm starting this discussion as I couldn't find a better place to do it, or proper support form for this. I wanted to discuss transfer of the GitHub inactive usernames, as I'm interested in using belco.

Background

I'm an active open source maintainer with:

• A repository that has over 1,000 stars
• Participation in the GitHub Developer Program
• Active contributions to the open source community

My professional branding across the web uses "belco" (my domain is belco.dev), but I created my GitHub account as Belco90 before discovering the belco username was unavailable.

Why This Request

The belco account appears to be inactive with no public activity. Having my GitHub username align with my professional branding would:

• Improve discoverability for my open source work
• Consolidate my identity across my website and GitHub
• Better represent my presence in the open source community

What I've Already Tried

I already attempted to contact the belco account holder directly through a GitHub issue on my profile. Unfortunately, I received no response.

Current Situation

I understand GitHub's policies around username management, but given the apparent inactivity of the belco account and my active status in the open source community, I'd greatly appreciate GitHub's consideration of this request.

Is there a process available for this kind of username transfer request?

Thank you for your time and assistance!

[Radi410]

GitHub now has a strict "Succession and Inactivity Policy" that basically says they will not intervene to move a username from one person to another, even if the account has zero stars, zero followers, and zero commits. An account is considered "active" just by the owner logging in once every few years or even just interacting with a private repo. They won't tell you when the user last logged in, and they won't send them a nudge for you.

My advice? Since you're already established as Belco90, stick with it for now or try a variation like belco-dev. It’s super annoying when the branding doesn't match perfectly, but GitHub is currently 100% "hands-off" on username transfers to avoid middleman drama and security risks. Don't waste your time waiting for a support ticket on this one they'll just send you a link to their inactivity policy and close the thread.

[Belco90]

Thanks for the advice!

[itxashancode]

GitHub does not transfer inactive usernames. I ran into this exact situation a few years ago and learned the hard way that their policy is strict. Support explicitly states they will not reassign or release usernames based on inactivity, branding alignment, or account age. The only path forward is if the current owner voluntarily changes their handle or deletes the account.

I would set your profile display name to belco and keep Belco90 as the username. The display name appears on your profile, in search results, and on every commit. Most developers navigate to your work through your profile links and website anyway, so the branding mismatch is barely noticeable in practice.

You could also create a GitHub organization named belco if you want a dedicated namespace for your future projects. That gives you the exact handle for repositories, packages, and team management without touching your personal account.