Do not Change the User Folder Name on Windows 11

Question

Changing the User Folder Name messes up the system so do not.

Answer 1

Because this username is being referenced in a lot of places including registry, to maintain your user profile integrity, it is best that you create a new user instead, and then migrate your Microsoft account (if you have it linked) and data over.

Here are the steps:

1. Type netplwiz in the search on the taskbar and hit enter. When launched, click on "Add". On the next window, click on the bottom where it says to create an account without Microsoft email. This will allow you to define your own username. Make sure it doesn't contain space or special character. Set it up as a local user.
2. When the above user is created, back to the main netplwiz page, double click on this new user, go to the Group Membership tab, make it administrator. Save the change.
3. Go to Windows Settings > Accounts > Your Info. Click on "Sign in as a local user instead". Follow the steps to finish the rest. This will release the association of your Microsoft email to this Windows log in.
4. Restart the computer. Sign into the new user you created in Step 1.
5. Go to Windows Settings > Accounts > Your Info. Click on "Sign in with your Microsoft account". You can then use the same email address you released on Step 3. This will tie your Microsoft email address now to this new Windows log in.
6. If you have data at the old username folder, go to C:\users\old username folder, find them and copy them into C:\users\new username folder.
7. Type sysdm.cpl in the search on the taskbar and hit enter, go to Advanced tab, click on the "Settings" button at the User Profile section. Then delete the old user profile.
8. Launch netplwiz again, delete the old user from there.

Answer 2

Renaming a user profile folder in Windows 11 is not straightforward, as the folder name is tied to the user account configuration in the registry and several system settings. Here's how you can change the user profile folder name safely: Use the following process:

1. Create a New Local Administrator Account
   • Create a temporary administrator account to ensure you can manage your main account without being logged in to it.

     1. Go to **Settings > Accounts > Family & other users**.
     
           1. Click **Add account** under **Other users**.
     
                 1. Create a local account by selecting **I don’t have this person’s sign-in information**, then **Add a user without a Microsoft account**.
     
                       1. Assign administrative privileges by selecting the account under **Other users**, clicking **Change account type**, and choosing **Administrator**.
     

2. Rename the User Profile Folder
   • Log in to the new temporary administrator account.
     • Navigate to the C:\Users folder.
       • Locate the folder named xabcd and rename it to Abcd.
3. Update the Registry
   • Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
     • Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
       • Look for the subkey that corresponds to your main user account by checking the ProfileImagePath value.

         - For example: `C:\Users\xabcd`.
         
            - Double-click on **ProfileImagePath** and update it to the new folder path: C:\Users\Abcd
         
               - Save the changes and close the Registry Editor.
         

4. Test the Changes
   • Log out of the temporary administrator account.
   • Log back into your main account and verify that everything is functioning correctly.
   • Check that files, settings, and applications are accessible.
5. Remove the Temporary Account
   • Once you're sure everything is working as expected, delete the temporary administrator account:

     1. Go to **Settings > Accounts > Family & other users**.
     
           1. Select the temporary account and click **Remove**.
     

Regarding the risk, before making any changes, back up your files and create a system restore point. If your account is linked to a Microsoft account, the folder name doesn’t impact the online account name. Some applications or settings may still reference the old folder name. You may need to manually update paths or reconfigure settings for these applications.

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hth

Marcin