This guide will show you the easiest and safest method to rename your Windows user folder in Windows The options are to create a new local account or go through the Windows Registry. Due to the time involved and the risks associated with changing the user folder name, it’s probably best to do so if you can live with the existing name. Changing the name of your account in Windows 10 is relatively simple, but changing the name of the user folder is another matter entirely.

Many applications and Windows settings rely on the user folder name as part of a pathway to required data for them to run correctly. Although it is possible to change the name of your folder in Windows 10, it can very easily break software or even make the entire user profile unusable. With that in mind, the safer and more reliable method is to create a new account with the desired folder name. Create a local account for Windows Make sure to name it what you want your user folder to be.

You also want to set the account as an administrator. Select Sign in with a Microsoft Account instead. Input your Microsoft account name and password to log in. That will automatically sync your Microsoft account settings and store purchases.

You will still need to install your applications on the new account, but your user folder name will be the same as the original local account. The more advanced method for changing your user folder name is to do so in the registry.

This method won’t force you to make a new account, but any mistakes can make your user profile invalid, and even when it works, some software may not function properly due to file path conflicts. Proceed with caution and only if you’re happy to create a system restore point before starting in the event something goes wrong.

Open the Command Prompt in administrator mode. Type wmic useraccount list full and press enter. In the resulting list, search for your existing account name.

Take note of the SID number for your existing account name. Rename JonM Jon Martindale , for example. Be sure to set your new account name to what you want the user folder to be. Look for the profile you want to change the user folder name based on the SID value you noted earlier and open the ProfileImagePath value. Change the value data to the new folder name—make sure it’s the same as your newly renamed account—and select OK.

Restart your Windows 10 PC. If you followed the steps correctly, your Windows 10 user folder name should have your new account name. If you run into some issues accessing the account or the user profile is corrupted, use your system restore point to get back to a functioning system again, and if you still want to change the user folder name, run through the steps again.

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By Jon Martindale. Jon Martindale. Jon Martindale has been a feature tech writer for more than 10 years. Reviewed by Michael Barton Heine Jr. Tweet Share Email. What to know Create a new local account with the name you want set it as an administrator.

You’ll need to move all of your files and applications over to the new account. Warning: Changing the user folder name has the potential to break any installed software. Local or Microsoft Account? What’s Best for Your Windows Experience? This method is only viable on Windows 10 Pro, not Windows 10 Home. How to Create a New Folder in Windows.

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Windows 10 home change user folder name free

 
You can copy the new user name in File Explorer and paste it into the box to avoid wrong input.

How to Change the User Folder Name in Windows 10

By default, the name of the user profile folder is the same as the username. Since the home folder contains all the user-specific folders like pictures, documents, downloads, etc. Basically, there are four major things you need to do.

That is, create a local administrator account, rename the user account, rename the user profile folder, and finally, map the renamed folder to the user account using the registry editor. Caution: Before proceeding, create a system restore point. This helps you restore Windows if you mess up anything. Though the process of renaming the home folder is pretty simple, there are quite a few steps.

While you are logged into your user account, you cannot rename your own user profile folder. This is true even if you are the administrator. As such, we need to create another local administrator account. Once created, we will use that account to make all the necessary changes. Of course, you can enable hidden administrator account too but the below method is recommended. Note: If you already have another local user account with administrator privileges then you can skip this section.

The user account name and the home folder should have the same name. So, if you want to rename the home folder, you need to change the user account name too.

Since everything worked great, the downloaded file is saved in the Downloads folder of the renamed home folder. Once everything is working fine, you can delete Windows user account you created earlier. If you like this article, do check how to get full user account details in Windows and how to login automatically in Windows Scroll to Top.