5 Ways To Change User Account Name In Windows

A user account name, or a username, is the name of the computer that that you see and use when logging into Windows, or whatever operating system you are using. For example, a Windows OS has a built-in Administrator account, where the account name is “Administrator.” Similarly, a Linux operating system has the default user account named “Root.”

If you have made a mistake in the username while creating a new account, or simply want to change it, the Windows OS allows you to do so without having to create a new account and maintain all data. Regardless if it’s a Microsoft or a local account, both can be renamed so the end-user is not confused about which account they are logging into.

Today we are going to show you multiple ways to get the job done safely, without corrupting or damaging a user account or the data within.

Change username for local account

A local computer account is not associated with a Microsoft account, or any other profile for that matter. If you are logged into Windows with a local account, then you have multiple ways you can change the title of the account.

Change account name from Control Panel

Here is how you can change your account name from the legacy Control Panel:

1. Press the Windows Key + R shortcut keys to open the Run Command box.

2. Type in “control” and press Enter to open the Control Panel.

   

3. Now navigate to the following:

   User Accounts >> User Accounts >> Change your account name

4. Type in your new account name in the given text field, and then click “Change Name.”

   

5. Now, log out of the account and then log back in, or restart the computer for the changes to take effect.

When you log back in, the title of your account will be changed.

Change account name from User Accounts applet

Another way to change your account name is through the User Accounts wizard. Here is how:

1. Press the Windows Key + R shortcut keys to open the Run Command box.

2. Type in “netplwiz” and press Enter to open the User Accounts wizard.

   

3. In the Users tab, click on the user account to select it and then click “Properties.”

   

4. In the pop-up window, change the “Full name” to the new name of the account, and then click Apply and Ok.

   

   Note: The “User name” field does not need to be changed. You may change it optionally.

5. You will now be asked to sign out of the account for the changes to be implemented. Click Yes.

   

6. On the lock screen after signing out, you will see that the new name has been assigned successfully. You may sign back in.

   

Change account name from Computer Management console

The Computer Management console can also be used to rename a computer account. Note that the Computer Management console and the Local Users and Computers Management Console are very similar, therefore, you can use both of them in this method. Here is how:

1. Press the Windows Key + R shortcut keys to open the Run Command box.

2. Type in “compmgmt.msc” for the Computer Management console, or “lusrmgr.msc” for the Local Users and Computers console, and press Enter.

3. Expand “Local Users and Groups” from the left pane, then click “Users.”

   Note: If using the Local Users and Groups console, then go to the “Users” folder.

   

4. Now right-click on the user account you want to rename and then click “Properties” from the context menu.

   

5. Now change the name of the account in the “Full name” text field and then click Apply and Ok.

   

6. Now sign out and sign back in, or restart the computer for the changes to take effect.

   On the lock screen, you will observe that the name has been changed.

   

Change account name from PowerShell

If you prefer using the Windows command line, then you can also use Windows PowerShell to change the name of a user account. Here is how:

1. Open an elevated PowerShell instance.

2. Run the following command to list all user account names:

   Get-LocalUser

   

3. Now use the following command to rename an account while replacing [OldName] with the current name of the account, and [NewName] with the new user account name that you want to set.

   Rename-Localuser -Name "[OldName]" -NewName "[NewName]"

   

4. Now sign out and sign back in, or restart the computer for the changes to take effect.

As soon as you sign out, you will notice that the name of the account has been changed on the lock screen.

Change username for Microsoft account

If you are logged in using a Microsoft account, then there is only one way to change its name. Note that this method will change the name of your Microsoft account as well.

1. Press the Windows Key + i to open the Settings app.

2. Navigate to the following:

   Accounts >> Your info >> Accounts (under Related Settings)

3. You will now be redirected to the default web browser. Sign into your Microsoft account using your credentials.

4. Switch to the “Your info” tab and then click “Edit name.”

   

5. In the pop-up window, edit both the first and last name that you want to set for the user account, and then click Save. If asked, fill in the CAPTCHA.

   

   Now restart your computer for the changes to take effect, and the name of both the Microsoft account and the computer account will be changed.

Final thoughts

Depending on which type of account you have, you can choose the method suited to change your existing user account’s name, rather than deleting the old one, losing its data, and then creating a new one.

Moreover, you can also convert your Microsoft account to a local account if you do not wish to change the name of the Microsoft account itself, but only the computer account, and then choose a method to rename the local account from above.