You come across the term ‘username’ a lot on the internet. What does this term mean and how do you find out your own username?
Name for access
In order to access many protected services on the internet, such as Facebook, internet banking and webmail, the user needs an account. An account consists of a username and a password. In addition, additional information is often entered to create a kind of profile. Before use, you must always enter the user name and the associated password. This gives someone access to, for example, their Facebook account, bank statements or e-mails.
Create username
A username is required to log in to Internet services. Sometimes the name is assigned by the service and sometimes the user gets to make up their own. Often the username is an email address, but it can also be a name or any combination of letters or numbers.
Find out username
So many internet services require you to create an account, there’s a good chance you’ll forget what the username is for a service. Do not immediately create a new account, but first try to find out what the username is.
After creating an account, the service usually sends a confirmation email. This often includes the username. So first look up the email and see what your username is in it.
Can’t find an email? Then you can request the username from many services. Your e-mail address must then be known to the service. At the place where you log in, there is often a link with which you request the username. For example ‘Forgot account?’, ‘Forgot username?’ or ‘Forgot password and/or username’. Click on this and follow the further instructions.