Entra ID user home folder name

Question

Hello,

I am wondering if there is a way to change the naming convention used for users' home folders on Windows computers that have joined Entra ID.

While the home folders of on-premises Active Directory users are named after each user's UserName (the part in front of the at sign (@) of a user's UPN), the home folder names of Entra ID (Azure AD) users are essentially each user's first and last names concatenated.

For example, if a user called Alysson Cunningham (*****@contoso.com)* exists on:

-> on-premises Active Directory, then her home folder name is C:\Users\acunningham

-> Entra ID (Azure AD), then her home folder name is C:\Users\AlyssonCunningham

We found out this behaviour only after we went from hybrid mode syncing to cloud only.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Hello @Stavros,

Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Q&A.

Unfortunately, Azure Entra ID doesn't control local profile naming in the same way Group Policies do in an on-premises Active Directory environment. Changing the naming convention for users’ home folders on Windows computers joined to Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) can be challenging, as it requires altering the system's default behavior.

Here are a few approaches you might consider:

• Use Group Policy (if you're in a hybrid environment).
• Implement a scripting solution to automate the process.
• Explore third-party tools designed for user profile management.

Assess your specific environment and choose the most suitable method based on your needs.

 

I hope this information is helpful. Please feel free to reach out if you have any further questions. If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".