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Test accounts or alternate accounts are secondary accounts that some Scratchers use. These accounts are made for purposes such as experimenting with Scratch, testing features, entering contests, and remixing, while separating them from main accounts. They are very common, especially among active Scratchers.[citation needed]
Identifying Test Accounts
 Warning: | Even if one of these criteria apply, it might be someone impersonating the main account. If you are unsure, ask on the main account's profile. |
Test accounts will often have "test", "alt" or "labs" in their name. For example, a user called username123 might have a test account called username123-test.
Sometimes, test accounts will appear to be the same name as the main account by replacing lowercase "L"s with capital "i"s. For example, a user's name might be "Example" and their test account would be named "ExampIe", with a capital "i". This sometimes makes the test account harder to find in the search bar, and sometimes people ask how their test account's username is the same as their normal account's username, when really, they do not have the same username.
Common Uses of Test Accounts
Contest Entries
Often, to avoid publicizing projects unwantedly, users will share contests on their test account instead of their main.[citation needed]
Requests
Users sometimes take requests for media like art, music, or scripts, and share them on their test account since they are not major projects.
Remixes
Users will sometimes upload remixes onto their test accounts, usually if they want their main account to stay original.
Tutorials
Users sometimes use their test account to share tutorials on how to do things they did in projects on their main account. Tutorials might not always go on a test account. Test accounts might also be used to share tutorials on different features to support and help the Community.
Trailers & Previews
In another attempt to avoid confusion of a real project with their followers, users often share previews and trailers on their test account. These are generally to create excitement for a project, share updates about what is happening with the project, and test different features that will be included in the project.
Cancelled Projects
Users may share projects on their test account which have been done on the main account but the production was cancelled. This might be the result of reduced dedication, lack of time, or the project being too complicated. Usually, cancelled projects may be incomplete and/or buggy.
Mini Projects
Users might share projects that are complete on their test account because they are not big enough to be shared on their main. For an example, a pen effect might not be big enough for the main account, but the user still wants to share it with the community.
Old Projects
Some users share old projects which they consider not high enough quality to go on their main accounts, on their test accounts. Often a user may "redesign" their account to make it look better, and move any projects that are not of high enough quality over to their test account.
Concept and Test Projects
Some users may share concept projects on their test account to test if they would work well, and play around with ideas for a bigger project they may share on their main account.
Test Main Projects
Sometimes, test accounts are used to test projects, such as projects using cloud data where people need an test account (with Scratcher status) to test if their project works.[citation needed]
Updates on Projects
Users may want to experiment with new features or update their current projects on their test account just in case during updating their project something goes wrong.
