How to Rename the User Folder in Windows 11

If you are a Windows user, you know your computer’s identity is tied to the user folder. If you’ve ever pondered over the possibility of renaming your user folder but found yourself navigating through a maze of uncertainty, you’re not alone. In this article, we will guide you on how to rename a user folder in Windows 11.

If you’ve just installed a fresh copy of Windows 11 on your PC, you’ve probably set it up by signing into your Microsoft account. While this is the right way to do it, there’s one downside — the user folder gets named based on the first 5 letters of your email address.

This can be annoying if you want to set a custom name for the folder, as the first five characters can sound very random. Luckily, there are a couple of ways to change it, but before that let’s first understand what is user folder in Windows 11.

What Is the User Folder on Windows 11

Every copy of Windows 11 installed will have a folder named after the user account. This folder is where your downloads, documents, pictures, and other personal data are stored.

By default, Windows 11 assigns a five-letter name to this folder which turns out to be the first five characters of your email ID registered with Windows. This can be annoying, especially if your name has six letters, but good old Windows drops the last letter when naming the User folder.

How To Rename the User Folder

Unfortunately, you cannot just right-click on the User folder and rename it. There are two ways to change the User folder name in Windows 11. Let us explain both methods in a step-by-step form.

Method 1: Rename User Folder by Creating a New User Account

This is the simpler method of the two and involves changing some basic settings. Instead of renaming the User folder, it’s easier to create a new user account and name the folder to whatever you want. Here’s how you can do it.

Step 1: Click on the Search icon on your Windows 11 taskbar.

Step 2: Enter Settings in the search bar and click on the app to open it.

Step 3: Navigate to the Accounts section in the left panel.

Step 4: Select ‘Family & other users’.

Step 5: Click on the Add account option next to Other users.

Step 6: You will now see an account setup wizard. Note that you have to select ‘I don’t have this person’s sign-in information’ to proceed further. Do not use your Microsoft account at this stage.

Step 7: Enter a name for the new user account. This will be the name of your User folder as well. You can also choose to enter a password to secure the account. Once done, click on Next.

Step 8: Your new account is now ready. Now, click on the small arrow next to the new user account and select ‘Change account type.’

Step 9: Select Administrator as the account type and click on OK.

Step 10: Shut down your PC and the next time you turn it on, log in using the new user account. That’s one way to get a User folder with a desired, easy name.

This is a workaround since the way to rename the User folder is slightly complex. If you’re willing to take that route, though, here’s how you can do it.

Method 2: Rename the User Folder Using the Registry Editor

This is a slightly advanced method and involves a small element of risk. It’s advisable to take a complete backup of your PC or back up the Windows Registry before proceeding with the steps below.

Step 1: Create a new user account using the steps mentioned in the first method above. Restart your PC and log in to that account.

Step 2: Press the Windows key, and type Command Prompt. Click on the app to open it.

Step 3: Type in the below command and hit Enter.

wmic useraccount get name,SID 

Step 4: From the list of user accounts displaying their respective SIDs, note the SID of the username for which you want to rename the user folder.

Step 5: Press the ‘Windows key + R’ to launch Run. Type the below command and click OK.

regedit 

Step 9: In the Registry Editor, click on the small arrow next to the ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE’ folder on the left. Then, click on the arrow next to SOFTWARE. Keep doing this till you reach ‘\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\SID‘ where the SID is the one you noted down earlier.

Step 10: Click on the SID to expand the contents on the right half of your screen.

Step 11: On the right pane, select the ‘ProfileImagePath’ file and right-click on it. Click on Modify.

Step 12: Enter the desired name for the user folder after the ‘C:\Users\’ path. Click OK.

Step 13: Go to the user directory from Windows Explorer. You will find the user folder with the old name. Right-click on it and select Rename.

Step 14: Enter the same name as what you entered in the Registry Editor. Once done, hit Enter.

Restart your PC and log in to the account you have renamed the admin user folder.

FAQs on Renaming the User Folder in Windows 11

Change the Name of the User Folder

Now that you’ve learned how to change the user folder name in Windows 11, you can promptly and efficiently modify the user folder, especially if you find yourself limited to the 5 letters of your registered Microsoft email address. You may also want to read how to prevent users from running certain programs on Windows 11.