Do you want to change your user name on your Windows 11 computer? You must also rename your user folder if you change your user name in Windows 11.
This guide teaches you how to change your user name and rename your folder in Windows 11. However, before you can perform these two tasks, you MUST sign in to Windows 11 with another administrator account.
So, in the first section of this guide, you’ll learn how to create another account with administrator privileges. Then, in section two, you’ll sign into Windows 11 with the new admin account you created and rename the user name for your old account.
After that, you’ll also rename the user folder for your Windows 11 user name. Even though it feels like you have done a lot at this stage, you are not done yet.
To complete the process, section three has the steps you need to change your usernames’ ProfileImagePath in Windows 11 registry.
Finally, I have included an FAQ section where I answer questions most users ask regarding changing usernames and renaming user folders in Windows 11.
When you change your Windows 11 user name and rename your user folder, some applications like Outlook may break. If you experience this, follow this Itechguides community forum topic to fix the problem.
Other applications like OneDrive, Dropbox, and Google Drive may also break.
Before I continue, I thought it was necessary to show you my current username (left of the screenshot below) and my user folder (right). When I finish, the username and the user folders will be changed to “VictorA”.
Step 1: Create A New User With Administrator Privileges In Windows 11 (Optional)
As I mentioned earlier, you need to log in with another administrator user account to change the user name and rename the user folder on Windows 11. Follow the steps below to create a user with administrator privileges in Windows 11.
If you have another administrator user (other than the user you want to change its user name) on your Windows 11 PC, you can skip this section and proceed to the next section.
- Click the Windows 11 search icon on the left side of the taskbar. Then, search for netplwiz and click the app.
- When User Accounts open, click the “Add” button. Windows 11 will open a pop-up window.
- On the bottom left of the “How will this person sign in?” window, click “Sign in without a Microsoft account (not recommended).”
- Then, click Local User at the bottom of the “Add a user” screen.
Note the user name and the password of the account details you will be entering in step 5. You’ll need this information in the next section.
- Next, enter the username for the new administrator you want to create on your Windows 11 PC. Then, enter a password, confirm the same password, and type a hint.
When you enter these details, click Next at the bottom right, then click Finish. Windows will close the “Add a user” wizard.
Proceed to step 6 below…
- Back on the User Accounts screen, click on the new user you created, then click Properties. The Properties details of the new user will open.
If the User Accounts screen is not displaying the new user you just created is, close it. Then, open it again by searching for netplwiz, then opening the app.
- On the properties of the new user, click “Group Membership”.
- Then, select Administrators and click OK.
Before you proceed to the next section, confirm that the new user you created has “Administrators” on its Group column.
Step 2: Change User Name And Rename User Folder For The Windows 11 User (Required)
Before you perform the steps in this section, sign off Windows 11. Then, sign in with the new administrator account you created in the last section.
Warning!
If you try to rename the user name or the user folder of an account while you’re signed in with the same account, you will not be able to rename the account.
Now that you have created another user account with administrator privileges, you can proceed with the steps in this section.
If you skipped the previous section because you had an existing admin user, you could still proceed with the steps in this section.
Sometimes the user you wish to rename may still have some processes running. You will receive the error message below if you try to rename the user while these processes are running. To avoid this error message, you need to close any open sessions for that user. Use the steps in the first sub-section below to complete this task.
How To Completely Sign Off The Windows 11 User You Want To Rename Via Task Manager
- Firstly, sign off Windows 11. Then, sign in with the new administrator account you created earlier.
- To sign in with the new administrator account, click the name of the new user account you created earlier on the login screen.
- Then, on the login screen, enter the user’s password and press enter key on your keyboard.
Since it is the first time you’re signing in to this new account, you will need to complete some profile setup. The options are mostly “Yes” or “No”. You can select “No” for all the questions.
- Once you have signed in to Windows 11 with the new administrator user, right-click the Start menu and select Task Manager.
- When Task Manager opens, click “More details” at the bottom left.
- Then, click the Users tab.
- On the Users tab, right-click the user you want to rename and select “Sign off”. Then, to confirm that you want to sign the user off, click “Sign out user” – see the screenshots below.
If the user you want to rename signs in to Windows 11 with a Microsoft account, the user’s email will be displayed instead of a user name.
Now that you have closed all processes for the user you wish to rename, use the steps in the next first sub-section below to rename the user folder. Then, in the final sub-section of this section, you can follow the steps to rename the user name on your Windows 11 PC.
How To Rename A User Folder In Windows 11
- Right-click Windows 11 Start menu, then select File Explorer.
- When File Explorer opens, click “This PC” on the left pane.
- Then, open the C: drive on your Windows 11 PC on the details pane. After that, open the Users folder.
- Finally, on the Users folder, right-click the Windows 11 user name you wish to rename and select Show more options. Then, from the options Explorer displays, select rename.
- Finally, give the folder the new name you wish to rename it to – then click anywhere outside the renamed folder to apply the new name.
- When you click “rename”, File Explorer will require you to confirm your administrator permission. To confirm and complete the renaming of the Windows 11 user folder, click “Continue”.
Note the new name for this user folder. You’ll need to use the exact name (including capitalization) when you rename the user in the next sub-section and the final section of this guide. To make sure you subsequently use the same name, I strongly recommend you write it down.
How To Change User Name In Windows 11
To perform the steps in this sub-section, you MUST still be signed in to Windows 11 with the new administrator user you created at the beginning of this guide.
- Click the Windows 11 search icon on the left side of the taskbar. Then, search for netplwiz and click the app.
- When User Accounts open, click the user name of the user you want to rename. Then, on the bottom right, click Properties.
User Accounts will open the user name properties sheet.
If the user you want to rename signs in to Windows 11 with a Microsoft account, the user’s email be displayed instead of a user name.
- When User Accounts opens the user name properties sheet, change the Username. Then, to save your changes, click OK.
You MUST rename the username to the exact name you changed the Windows 11 user folder to.
Step 3: Change The User’s ProfileImagePath In Windows 11 Registry (Required)
After changing the user name and renaming its user folder in your Windows 11 PC, you must perform this final step. Specifically, you must rename the user’s ProfileImagePath in the Windows 11 Registry.
Warning!
The steps in this section involve editing the Windows registry. If you do it incorrectly, it could break your computer.
Follow the steps below to complete this task.
- Ensure that you’re still signed in to Windows 11 with the new administrator account you created earlier.
- Then, click the Windows 11 search on the Taskbar; then search registry – then open Registry Editor.
- When you click Registry Editor, Windows 11 will open the User Account Control, requesting you to permit the app to make changes to your device. Click Yes.
- Then, on the Registry Editor, navigate to the path shown below…
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionProfileList
The ProfileList registry key has multiple sub-keys. Some of the sub-keys will be short. Others will be long sub-keys. Your interest is in the long sub-keys. These are the actual user name paths. Your next task is to determine the long sub-key that belongs to the user name you are changing.
- To determine the sub-key profile for the Windows 11 user name you’re changing, click the sub-key. Then, on the details pane, review the ProfileImagePath string.
This string should have the original user name and the user folder name of the user you’re changing its user name. As seen below, mine is still “victo”.
- Double-click the ProfileImagePath string.
- When Windows Registry Editor opens the ProfileImagePath string for editing, change the user name bit ONLY. In my case, I will change victo to VictorA.
Please ensure that you do not delete the “C:Users” part of the text. Only rename the username part. You MUST use the exact name you used when you changed the user folder and the user name.
- When you finish, click OK. Finally, restart your computer.
- When your Windows 11 restarts, sign in to the old account you just changed its user name. However, sign in with the new user name but the same password this time.
- To login to the user account, you just change its user name; on the bottom left of the Windows 11 sign-in screen, click the user. Then, enter the user’s password or PIN and sign in as normal.
When you change your Windows 11 user name and rename your user folder, some applications like Outlook may break. If you experience this, follow this Itechguides community forum topic to fix the problem.
Other applications like OneDrive, Dropbox, and Google Drive may also break. You have to open these applications and point them to the new profile path. For Outlook, though, follow the steps in this community forum topic to fix the problem.
Frequently Asked Questions About Changing User Name And Renaming User Folder In Windows 11
To open your username in Windows 11, open the Windows 11 search and enter %SYSTEMDRIVE%Users. Then, open the folder.
File Explorer will list all users on the computer. Your user name will be in the list.
Another way to find your user name in Windows 11 is to search %UserProfile%, then open the folder. This opens your user profile folder.
To change your Microsoft account on Windows 11, follow the steps below:
i) Right-click Start menu and select Settings. Then, on the left pane of the Settings app, click Accounts.
ii) On the details pane of the Accounts settings, click Email & accounts.
iii) Finally, click Change my Microsoft account email. Then, follow the wizard to change your Microsoft account on Windows 11.
If you remove a Microsoft account from your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC, then sign in with a local account, you will lose access to some Microsoft services. Also, you will NOT be able to sync your settings across your Windows devices.
You can rename a user folder in Windows 10 or 11. However, this is a fairly complex process.
If done incorrectly, your profile may be completely messed up, and you may not be able to access some of your profile-specific folders like Downloads.
To rename your user folder and change your user name in Windows 11, follow the steps in this guide. However, to perform the same task in Windows 10, follow the steps in this guide – Change User Name Windows 10 – Rename User Folder Name (itechguides.com)
No, changing your Microsoft account does not delete anything on your profile.
My Final Thoughts About Changing User Name And Renaming User Folder In Windows 11
Windows users have various reasons for wanting to change their Windows 11 user names. For some, they don’t just like the old user name and want to rename it to some funkier.
However, for others, it may be due to technical issues. You must do it properly regardless of your reason for wanting to change your Windows 11 user name.
Specifically, if you change your user name in Windows 11, you MUST also rename the user folder. Finally, you MUST change the ProfileImagePath string in Windows Registry.
If you followed the steps in this guide carefully, you would have successfully changed your user name and renamed your user folder in Windows 11.
If you found this guide helpful, kindly spare us two minutes to share your experience with our community at Itechguides Community Forum.
However, in the rare instance that you could not change your user name by following the steps in this guide, or you have other questions regarding this guide, ask away at Itechguides Community Forum!
References And Further Reading
- How to fix Outlook if it breaks after changing your user name and renaming your user folder
- Change User Name Windows 10 – Rename User Folder Name (itechguides.com)
- Itechguides Community Forum
