How to change user folder name on Windows 11/10

In this article we will show you how to Change User Profile Folder Name in Windows 11/10. When you make a user account on Windows 11, the system also makes a folder for the user’s files that uses part of the account name. Even though the name of the account’s folder doesn’t affect how Windows 11 works because the system gives it a name automatically, not everyone may like it. If you just put Windows 11 on your computer for the first time, you probably set it up by signing into your Microsoft account.

This is the right way to do it, but the User folder gets named after the first five letters of your email address, which is not ideal. Your Documents, Downloads, and Desktop folders’ file paths all point to it. You might want to change your username if you chose something silly or made a mistake when you chose it. You might even want to change it to protect your privacy by giving it a name that doesn’t include your name.

If you need to change the name of the user profile folder, Windows 11 gives you at least two ways to do this. You can make a new local account with the name you want for the folder and move your data to the new profile. Or you can use the Registry (not recommended) to change the settings and the name of the profile folder. Here are the steps how to Change User Profile Folder Name in Windows 11/10.

How to change user folder name on Windows 11

Via setting

1. Open Settings by pressing Win + I.
2. Click the Accounts tab on the left side.
3. Click on Family & other users in the right pane.
4. Under “Other users,” click “Add account.” This option is useful if you don’t have a Microsoft Account but want to make a local user account.
5. Next, click I don’t know how to sign in as this person.
6. Click Add a user who doesn’t already have a Microsoft account.
7. Type the user account’s name. Leave the field for the password blank and click Next.
8. Click on the new user account and then click Change account type.
9. Select Administrator from the Account type drop-down menu.
10. To save the changes, click OK.

Using the Registry Editor

1. Sign out of your current account and sign in with a built-in administrator account or one you just made.
2. Then, press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
3. When you type netplwiz and click OK, the User Accounts dialog box will open.
4. Here, choose your user account and click on Properties.
5. You can see your User name and Full name in the User Properties window.
6. Type a name for your user name, then click OK and Apply.
7. Close the User Accounts window and restart the computer.
8. Open the Command Prompt next. Press Win + R, type cmd, and click OK to do this.
9. Type the following command into the Command Prompt window to see the SID (Security Identifier) for each user account:
   wmic usergetname,SID
10. Here, write down the SID for the user account whose user profile folder name you want to change. In this case, S-1-5-21-200486166-247335145-1769094253-1001 is the SID for the username tashr.

We need to put the SID into the Registry Editor now that we have it. To do that, do the following:

1. Press Win+R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type regedit and click OK to open the Registry Editor.
3. Navigate to the following location in the Registry Editor: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList.
4. Find the key whose name matches the SID you wrote down earlier and click on it within the ProfileList key.
5. Right-click on the ProfileImagePath value in the right pane and select Change.
6. Enter a new name for the profile folder and click OK.
7. Close any open windows for the Registry Editor and Command Prompt.
8. Press Win+E to open File Explorer and navigate to C:Users.
9. Select your user profile and press F2 to change the name.
10. Enter a new name for your user profile that matches the name you put in the Registry Editor.
11. Click away to save the changes and then click Continue.

Why Should You Change Your User Folder Name in Windows?

1. Personalization: You may want to personalize your user folder name to better reflect your identity, tastes, or organizational structure.
2. Correcting Errors: If there was a mistake or error during the initial setup of your Windows account, changing the user folder name can help correct flaws.
3. Security: Changing the user folder name can add an extra layer of security by making it less predictable to possible attackers.
4. Privacy: Renaming your user folder can help to maintaining your privacy by using a name that reveals less about you.
5. Consistency: If you have multiple user accounts on a system, having consistent naming conventions can make it easier to handle and navigate through different profiles.
6. Workflow Optimization: For organizational reasons, renaming your user folder might match with a specific workflow or categorization system that you prefer.

Benefits of Changing User Folder Name

1. Clarify organization: Changing user folder names can contribute to better organization, especially if the default name is generic or not easily identifiable. A more descriptive name will make it clearer which user account the folder belongs to.
2. Privacy and Security: Renaming user folders enhances privacy and security by making it more difficult for unauthorized users to identify and access specific user accounts on the system.
3. Consistency across devices: When the same account is used on multiple devices, maintaining consistent user folder names makes it easier to recognize and manage data across different platforms.
4. Ease of access: Customizing user folder names simplifies navigation and access to files, allowing users to quickly locate personal data within the file system.
5. Professionalism: For business and professional users, naming user folders according to their name or role gives them a more polished and professional appearance.
6. Improved User Experience: Renaming user folders improves the overall user experience and provides a more user-friendly environment that is more in line with preferences and workflow.

Conclusion

Windows 11 brought many changes compared to its predecessor. One of the best aspects of Windows 11 is that several processes have been sped up. Primarily, user folders can now be renamed faster than in previous versions; there are multiple ways to rename user folders in Windows 11, upgrading from the bland default designation.

Questions and Answers