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In previous post we’ve explained how to rename Windows administrator or guest account. However, just rename a user account and Windows won’t automatically rename the associated user profile folder. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to manually rename user profile directory in Windows 10, 8 and 7, if the name of your user account folder is not what you want.

How to Rename User Profile Directory in Windows 10, 8 and 7?

To make sure your renaming of user profile folder is consistent across the entire installation of your Windows and does not break anything, follow these steps:

1. Log on to another Administrator account that is not the account being renamed.
2. Open the Windows Explorer and browse to the C:\Users folder. Right-click on your user account folder and rename it to whatever you like.

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type regedit and hit Enter.

When the Registry Editor opens, navigate to the following registry location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\

Under the ProfileList subkey you will find a few subfolders (starting with ‘S-1-5-‘) that are named with the SID of Windows user accounts. Find the SID for your user account whose profile folder you just renamed. You can simply open each subfolder and check the ProfileImagePath path for the correct one.

In the right-pane, double-click the ProfileImagePath value and change the user profile path to your desired name. In my example, I renamed the account folder from C:\Users\Tom to C:\Users\Tom_New.

Close the Registry Editor window. Logout of the Administrator account and log in with your user account. Everything should work fine – all your apps and files should be intact and your user folder should have been renamed.

How to change a user’s folder name in Windows 10 build 1803

I am running Windows 10 build 1803 and I have noticed over the weekend that my user folder name is complete.

How can I rename my folder name to my complete name?

When I first login, my full name is shown.

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Hi Jack. I’m Greg, an installation specialist and 8 year Windows MVP, here to help you.

See this tutorial to change Account Name if it’s a Microsoft or a Local Account:
http://www.thewindowsclub.com/change-account-us.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and let us know how it goes. I will keep working with you until it’s resolved.

Over 100,000 helped in forums for 11 years. I don’t quit for those who are polite and cooperative.

Windows MVP 2010-21

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Step 1: log into the local Administrator Account:

Open Start
Type: cmd
Right click CMD
Click Run as administrator

At the command prompt, type:
net user administrator/active:yes

Close command prompt, restart, then try signing into the Administrator account.

Open Start
Type: cmd
Right click CMD
Click Run as administrator

At the command prompt, type:

wmic user account list full then hit Enter. Scroll down then take note of the SID values for the account you want to change.

Type: cls to clear the screen. The next step is to rename the account. Doing this from the command line is just as easy.

Type CD c:\users then hit Enter.
Type: rename OldAccountName NewAccountName

For example, rename “Jack TheRipper” “Jack Ruby”

Open Start, type: regedit

Click Run as administrator.

Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

Remember that SID value we accessed earlier? Now is the time to reference it.

Once you find it, select it, then double-click the value ProfileImagePath. You will see the old name we had earlier is still there. Change it to the new name you want to use.

Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

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I went to that link and my name shown there is ok, it is my folder name (c:\users\username) that isn’t complete, it only shows part of my name and not my complete name.

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That is one hell of a mouthful of commands that you lost me

Microsoft should have made it easy to change your c:\users\username

I guess I’ll just stick with my shortened name until I decide to do a clean install.

What if I went through the registry and changed all instances of my shortened name to my full name?

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Trust me, I find it convoluted myself.

Could you please file a bug report and send me the short link so I can bring it to the attention of the Windows Engineers?

Press Windows key + F
This will open the Feedback hub
Proceed to submit your report.

You can reach out to key folks on the Windows Engineering team through Twitter

Make sure you send short link to them. They are known to be very responsive and might be able to point it in the right direction.

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I think what you’re referring to is when you install Windows with a MS Account and it cannot connect to the account to import your full name, it truncates the email address and uses the first five letters. This is annoying to many including myself, so I filed it as a bug to be fixed a few years ago and finally got an answer back that they intend to leave it that way.

The solution is that when you install WIndows to always set up a Local Account first, then when you get into Windows you can change it to a MS Account: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/5375-switch.

For now until you reinstall one other thing you can do is to create a new Local Admin account http://www.howtogeek.com/226540/how-to-create-a. , change your Microsoft account to a Local Account to release it following http://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-10-tip-swi. then restart into the new Local Account to associate your MS Account with it.

Since this is clearly not satisfactory If you want to express your opinion on this to Microsoft use the Feedback Hub app in Start Menu where developers are tasked to process consumer feedback. They will not even see it here. This is a tech forums staffed mostly by volunteers trying to help others with your problems.

You can post back here the Feedback Share link others can vote it up and add to it, and I’ll try to vote it up with my MVP badge FWIW.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and let us know how it goes. I will keep working with you until it’s resolved.

Over 100,000 helped in forums for 11 years. I don’t quit for those who are polite and cooperative.

How to rename User Folder in Windows 10?

I recently upgrade from windows 8.1 single language to windows 10 home single language on my computer. But the user folder has a wrong user name. Is there a way to change it? I have gone through settings and the control panel (user accounts) and see nothing there. I have read that you can delete the account and set up a new one, but do not want to do that.

I use a Microsoft account user.

what is the most easy and safe way?

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Thank you for your interest in Windows 10.

Please be informed that it is not possible to rename the User folder, if you are using a Microsoft account the user folder will be automatically be named by the account during the account setup process.

Hope this information is helpful. Please do let us know if you need further assistance, we’ll be glad to assist you.

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But it has the wrong name (not completed) .. I never enter that name.

what about this:

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This is unfortunate. Please make sure to implement a way for users to change the name of their user folder without having to mess with the registry and without having to create a new user account. Yes, this way works, but it’s a pain in the ****, especially for inexperienced users, and not very user friendly.

By default, the user name folder seems to have only 5 letters or less, so if your name happens to have more than 5 letters, it is cut off (e.g. Robert -> rober or Dorothy -> dorot) which doesn’t look nice for some names.

Also, for some users the name seems to have the suffix «_000» which is even more annoying.

Why not simply ask the user how he wants his user folder to be named instead of having such an automated way?

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How completely rubbish. I suppose I am used to OSX, but having the OS truncate my user name for no reason to five characters feels like something form the 1980s world of DOS not Windows 10 and the year 2015.

Why is the user folder «automatically named».

Being named «Stephen» (male name for UK at any rate) Windows 10 has even changed my gender for me, «Steph» is a female name.\

Another piece of prescriptive Microsoft poor UI. Thanks a lot.

Stephen

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Thank you for your interest in Windows 10.

Please be informed that it is not possible to rename the User folder, if you are using a Microsoft account the user folder will be automatically be named by the account during the account setup process.

Hope this information is helpful. Please do let us know if you need further assistance, we’ll be glad to assist you.

Why the heck was this feature changed?! I understand the folder name being assigned and being unchangeable; however, why is it not named as the account holder?! When I logon to my computer, my correct account name is displayed [along with my Microsoft Account name ]; so , why does my user folder not bear my user name!? Why change something that didn’t need changing!?

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Thank you for your interest in Windows 10.

Please be informed that it is not possible to rename the User folder, if you are using a Microsoft account the user folder will be automatically be named by the account during the account setup process.

Hope this information is helpful. Please do let us know if you need further assistance, we’ll be glad to assist you.

Why the heck was this feature changed?! I understand the folder name being assigned and being unchangeable; however, why is it not named as the account holder?! When I logon to my computer, my correct account name is displayed [along with my Microsoft Account name ]; so , why does my user folder not bear my user name!? Why change something that didn’t need changing!?

Seems like quite typical Microsoft Bovine-Male Feces, they always have to foul something up for users with every operating system. As they begin to design a new OS, all of the major developers gather in a meeting and decide on how many things they can do to mess with the users and give us something to complain about.