How to Change Your Account Name on Windows 10
Renaming your Windows 10 account seems like a simple task, but there’s more to it than you’d think.
When you set up a new Windows 10 PC, the part where you choose your username may catch you off guard. If that’s the case, you may choose the first thing that pops into your head or something random and temporary that you intend to change later. But surprisingly enough, changing your account name in Windows 10 isn’t exactly a straightforward process. It can be done, but there are a few important things to consider as you go about it. Read on for the details.
Change Account Name and Rename User Account Folder in Windows 10
Your username is part of your identity used to sign in to Windows 10. Mistakes can sometimes happen when creating a username. There are several ways you can fix that.
Currently, the Settings app doesn’t offer an option to edit usernames. There are two ways to work around this limitation.
Method 1: Classic Control Panel
Find and open the classic Control Panel. One way to do this is to press Windows + R and then type Control then hit Enter.
Open the User Accounts control panel, then click Manage another account.
Click the account you want to edit.
Click Change the account name.
Enter the correct username for the account then click Change Name.
Method 2: User Accounts Advanced Control Panel
There is another way you can do it.
Press Windows key + R, type: netplwiz or control userpasswords2 then hit Enter.
Select the account, then click Properties.
Select the General tab then enter the user name you want to use. Click Apply then OK, then click Apply then OK again to confirm the change.
What about Your User Folder Name?
Changing the username is pretty basic, but this change is not reflected in the User folder located within the C: drive. Renaming it can be risky—sometimes sticking with it or just creating a new user account then copying your files to the new account is a better option. Yes, it’s annoying, but its better than ending up with a corrupt user profile.
If you must change it to hush your OCD, there is an advanced option available. This involves using the command line to access the security identifier (SID) then making the necessary change in the Registry. Before you go any further, enable then log into the built-in Administrator account. As a precaution, create a system restore point in advance.
To access all the information within the SID requires using the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line to reveal the value needed to find and change it in the Registry. Open the command prompt with Administrator privileges, type: wmic useraccount list full then hit Enter. Scroll down then take note of the SID values for the account you want to change.
The next step is to rename the account. Doing this from the command line is just as easy.
For example, rename “Angry Dah Cosof” “Angela Brown”
Open Start, type: regedit
Right-click Regedit.
Click Run as administrator.
Remember that SID value we accessed earlier? Now is the time to reference it.
Once you find it, select it, then double-click the value ProfileImagePath. You will see the old name we had earlier is still there. Change it to the new name you want to use.
There you have it, the name you actually intended. Mistakes like this can happen, but there is always a way to fix it.
3 Ways to Change User Account Name in Windows 10
To change names of the user accounts on your Windows 10 PC, you can put the following three methods into practice.
Tips: Even if you set a strong password to Windows user account, it still can be reset or recovered with software in a short time. To get more detail, please see How to Reset Windows 10 Forgotten Password. So, I strongly recommend that you set a HDD password to your computer to raplace Windows password. For detail, see Detailed Explanation of HDD Password.
Video guide on how to change user account name in Windows 10:
3 ways to change user account name in Windows 10:
Way 1: Change account name in Control Panel.
Step 1: Access Control Panel/User Accounts and Family Safety/User Accounts.
Step 2: Choose Change your account name.
Step 3: Type a new name in the box and tap Change Name.
Way 2: Change account name in Local Users and Groups.
Step 1: Open Run by Windows+R, enter lusrmgr.msc and hit OK to open Local Users and Groups.
Step 2: Open the Users folder, right-click a user and select Rename in the menu.
Step 3: Type a new name in the name box.
Way 3: Change administrator or guest name in Local Group Policy Editor.
Step 2: Open Computer Configuration/Windows Settings/Security Settings/Local Policies/Security Options/Accounts: Rename administrator account (or Accounts: Rename guest account).
Step 3: Type a new name and hit OK.
How to change sign-in account name on Windows 10
Source: Windows Central
On Windows 10, there are many reasons you may need to change an account name. For example, you recently changed your name and want to show the correct information. You are using a local account and wish to show your full name instead of the nickname. Or You may want to update the account name because you consider a privacy problem, and you want to make your experience a little more private.
Whatever the reason it might be, Windows 10 includes different settings to change the name that appears in the Sign-in screen and across the OS. However, it’s not a straightforward process. Depending on your account type, the instructions will be different.
In this Windows 10 guide, we’ll walk you through the various methods to change the account name that appears in the Sign-in screen for a local or Microsoft account.
How to change account name using Settings on Windows 10
When using a Microsoft account to login to Windows 10, the system pulls your account name from the cloud. This means that you have to change the settings online if you want to change the account name.
To change the name of the Windows 10 account, use these steps:
- Open Settings.
- Click on Accounts.
- Click on Your info.
Click the Manage my Microsoft account option.
Source: Windows Central
Select the Edit profile option.
Source: Windows Central
Under your current name, click the Edit name option.
Source: Windows Central
Change the new account name as needed.
Source: Windows Central
Quick tip: If you’re looking to make your information a little more private, you can use the first six letters of your name and the first two letters of your last name (often known as «6×2» by network administrators).
Once you complete the steps, the Sign-in screen should reflect the new name change. However, you may need to allow some time before the changes sync and apply to your devices.
Using this method, the only caveat is that changing the name online will also change the name and last name of any services connected to your Microsoft account, including Xbox Live, Outlook, and OneDrive, Microsoft 365, and others.
How to change account name using Control Panel on Windows 10
In the case that you’re using a local account, you can change the account name in several ways using Control Panel (but oddly enough, not from the Settings app).
Change account name with User Accounts
To change the account name using the User Accounts settings, use these steps:
- Open Control Panel.
Under the «User Accounts» section, click the Change account type option.
Source: Windows Central
Select the local account to change its name.
Source: Windows Central
Click the Change the account name option.
Source: Windows Central
Confirm the new account name as you want it to appear in the Sign-in screen.
Source: Windows Central
After you complete the steps, sign-out, and the Sign-in screen should now show the new name.
Change account name with netplwiz
You can also use the legacy account management tool (netplwiz) to complete the same task.
To update the name of your account with netplwiz, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for netplwiz and click the top result to open the legacy account management tool.
- Click the Users tab.
- Select the account to change its name.
Click the Properties button.
Source: Windows Central
Confirm the new account name in the «Full Name» field. For example, «John Smith.»
Source: Windows Central
Quick tip: If you want to display a nickname instead of your real name, you can leave the «Full Name» field empty.
Once you complete the steps, sign-out and the Sign-in screen will show the name you specified in the «Full Name» field.
Using these instructions, you can also edit accounts linked to a Microsoft account, but the information will quickly be overwritten by the cloud settings. As a result, these steps are only valid for local accounts.
Change account name with Computer Management
To use a different name on your Windows 10 account using Computer Management, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for Computer Management and click the top result to open the console.
- Expand the System Tools branch.
- Double-click the Local Users and Groups branch.
- Click on Users.
Right-click the account and select the Properties option.
Source: Windows Central
Quick tip: You can use the Rename option to change the profile nickname.
In the «Full name» field, confirm a new account name.
Source: Windows Central
After you complete the steps, the next time you sign in to your account, the Sign-in screen will show the local account’s new name.
On Windows 10, you have several methods to change the name of the account, but any of the available options will change the name of the profile folder in the «Users» folder. You might be able to find online some workarounds, but it’s not recommended to use those steps, as you may end up coming across other issues.
If you want to change the account name everywhere on Windows 10, you should create a new account with a new name that you want to use, and then transfer all your settings and files to the newly created account.
More Windows 10 resources
For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:
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