How To Change The Name Of My Local Account In Windows 11 [2027]

This registry edit can break some apps. Do this only if you’re comfortable with advanced system changes. In most cases, leaving the folder name unchanged is fine.

This method changes the name you see on the login screen, Start menu, and user account settings—but not the name of your “C:\Users\” folder.

Open the , search for cmd , right-click it, and select Run as administrator . how to change the name of my local account in windows 11

This method allows you to manage users via a legacy interface.

If you changed the name but the login screen still shows the old name: This registry edit can break some apps

Renaming the account does not change the user folder in C:\Users . Doing so is risky and can break application paths; experts on Microsoft Learn often recommend creating a new user account with the correct name instead of trying to rename a folder. Change the Display Name of an Account in Windows 11

If your "Local" account is actually linked to a Microsoft email, you cannot rename it via the Control Panel. You must change your Microsoft profile name. This method changes the name you see on

There are three primary methods to accomplish this, depending on whether you are using a plain local account, a Microsoft-linked account, or if you prefer using the Control Panel.

To check your current username, type: wmic useraccount get name,fullname .

Run the following command to rename the account: wmic useraccount where name="CurrentName" call rename "NewName" (Replace "CurrentName" with your old name and "NewName" with the new one) . your PC to apply the changes. Important Considerations

When you set up a local account on Windows 11, you choose a username that appears on the login screen, Start menu, and user folder. Over time, you might want to change that name—perhaps because you’ve had a legal name change, you’re sharing a computer with someone else, or you simply chose a temporary name during setup. Fortunately, Windows 11 allows you to change your local account’s display name, but the process is not as straightforward as editing a text field in Settings. This essay provides a clear, safe guide to renaming your local account, with important notes on what will and won’t change.