When can we change our Steam ID?

[T H A N I I E™]

My Steam account was created 9 years ago and the ID is so embarrassing because I created it when I was a kid. Now, I would like to change my Steam ID.

[✨Saint✨]

There is no plan to make the client able to change their Steam ID.

[Yujah]

However, please also see https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/1/3951406749568805777/ for the information that your account name is something you need only ever see yourself; that it's hidden from everyone else.

[HikariLight]

Due to how the database was first set up, it would require that the WHOLE database be rebuilt from the ground up to allow for the Account name to be changed.

This would mean that every user would lose EVERYTHING, all their games, all their items.
So Steam cannot change anything to allow for the Account name to be changed.
This is why they allow us to use a Nickname that we can change at any time.
Besides, only the account owner should be seeing the account name anyway, so who cares what it is.

[[N]ebsun]

Originally posted by T H A N I I E™:

I would like to change my Steam ID.

It is impossible - changing a username would break the entire Steam database.

Actually we don't know that - apart from a comment years ago from someone who left Valve.

It is entirely possible to make changes to the database and keep everything in tact and working (and even do a live, running change without disrupting anything) - but there is little benefit for the work required, so it is unlikely we will see it any time soon.

In the past there are cases of support changing the login name for a very few select users (only a handful)

[Brian9824]

Originally posted by Nebsun:

Originally posted by T H A N I I E™:

I would like to change my Steam ID.

It is impossible - changing a username would break the entire Steam database.

Actually we don't know that - apart from a comment years ago from someone who left Valve.

It is entirely possible to make changes to the database and keep everything in tact and working (and even do a live, running change without disrupting anything) - but there is little benefit for the work required, so it is unlikely we will see it any time soon.

Not when its the primary key which is what they said years ago. Changing a primary key requires the tables to be dropped and re-created and that requires tables that depend on that table to also be dropped and re-created. With the account name being the primary key that is a massive change.

Originally posted by Nebsun:

In the past there are cases of support changing the login name for a very few select users (only a handful)

Calling BS on that, people lie afterall. Support would not have the ability to do this, its a massive DBA change that support would not be able to do. If they were able to do it for one user, they could do it for everyone as that would mean they removed the steam id as the primary key

[[N]ebsun]

Originally posted by brian9824:

Not when its the primary key which is what they said years ago. Changing a primary key requires the tables to be dropped and re-created and that requires tables that depend on that table to also be dropped and re-created. With the account name being the primary key that is a massive change.

No - there are many ways around this... It is possible to change the login name while keeping all systems nearly exactly the same.

Examples are adding a secondary login name to the same existing account - being able to login from both the original and a new account name. This one would be fairly easy to do.

Originally posted by brian9824:

Calling BS on that, people lie afterall. Support would not have the ability to do this, its a massive DBA change that support would not be able to do. If they were able to do it for one user, they could do it for everyone as that would mean they removed the steam id as the primary key

In the past, when email was the login name for all accounts, support was able to provide a login name change.

[Yujah]

Frankly, it doesn't seem all that big an issue; you'd just add a new "loginname | accountname" table with "accountname" the current one and all "loginname" initialized to be same as "accountname" but changeable from that point on while still pointing to the same account via the old "accountname". I.e., the "accountname" would become a fully internal identifier.

Only thing would seem to be that it already sort of is now that "accountname" and "profilename" are already decoupled...

[[N]ebsun]

Originally posted by Yujah:

Frankly, it doesn't seem all that big an issue; you'd just add a new "loginname | accountname" table with "accountname" the current one and all "loginname" initialized to be same as "accountname" but changeable from that point on while still pointing to the same account via the old "accountname". I.e., the "accountname" would become a fully internal identifier.

Yep - that's one fairly easy way to do it, and changes elsewhere would be minimal - only places that display or show or require an account name would change to show / display / require the active one. The old / original account name could even be deactivated with a flag (active / inactive) to make the old account name not used for logging in.

In systems that employ microservices such a change would be super easy and simple, without any change to any other service or system at all. (not necessary to use microservices, but it would just be easier to make a change - I would bet that Steam has a separate system / service for authn / authz)

And - users could be able to change as much as they like, while still retaining the ability to revert to the original login.

My only guess as to why Steam doesn't make it allowed is that accounts might get lost or stolen more easily.

[oopsboom24]

Originally posted by T H A N I I E™:

My Steam account was created 9 years ago and the ID is so embarrassing because I created it when I was a kid. Now, I would like to change my Steam ID.

Ah, I can easily relate to this. Long ago when I actively played Minecraft my username was 'miner of poots" Lol.

Problem being, Microsoft charges $20 to just change your username! :D

[William Shakesman]

Originally posted by HikariLight:

Due to how the database was first set up, it would require that the WHOLE database be rebuilt from the ground up to allow for the Account name to be changed.

This would mean that every user would lose EVERYTHING, all their games, all their items.
So Steam cannot change anything to allow for the Account name to be changed.
This is why they allow us to use a Nickname that we can change at any time.
Besides, only the account owner should be seeing the account name anyway, so who cares what it is.

Are you seriously telling me that Valve used the user provided account name as a primary key? I do not run databases of my own but that sounds like an insane decision

[Yujah]

Originally posted by oopsboom24:

Ah, I can easily relate to this. Long ago when I actively played Minecraft my username was 'miner of poots" Lol.

Hey, if it helps any, I like it. Admittedly would've been slightly better as "Miner of Poots" with the capitalization, but well...

[Brian9824]

Originally posted by Nebsun:

In the past, when email was the login name for all accounts, support was able to provide a login name change.

Again, any actual REAL proof of that and not just users claiming it? Afterall, if it was possible they'd do it. They don't have the database built in a way to allow it. If they could do it via exceptions they could do it more often.

[Stellar Remnant]

Originally posted by T H A N I I E™:

My Steam account was created 9 years ago and the ID is so embarrassing because I created it when I was a kid. Now, I would like to change my Steam ID.

Make a new steam account and share your library with it. Done.

[[N]ebsun]

Originally posted by brian9824:

Originally posted by Nebsun:

In the past, when email was the login name for all accounts, support was able to provide a login name change.

Again, any actual REAL proof of that and not just users claiming it? Afterall, if it was possible they'd do it. They don't have the database built in a way to allow it. If they could do it via exceptions they could do it more often.

https://imgur.com/Ozxqnxk

[Ionut Catalin Frasineanu]

Originally posted by Nebsun:

Originally posted by brian9824:

Again, any actual REAL proof of that and not just users claiming it? Afterall, if it was possible they'd do it. They don't have the database built in a way to allow it. If they could do it via exceptions they could do it more often.

https://imgur.com/Ozxqnxk

That is a fake Steam Support.