How to Change User Folder Name in Windows 11 | 2 Safe Ways

If you have changed your username on Windows 11 and see that it does not change the user folder name, then you are not alone. The thing is, Windows does not work that way. And since it is about the C: drive and username, you can’t play around. 

In this guide, we will show you the safest way to change the user folder name in Windows 11 so it matches your username if you change it. 

Before You Do

First things first, if you want to change the user folder name in Windows 11, then you have to make sure that you are using a local account and not a Microsoft-linked account. This is very important because if you change the user folder name for the Microsoft account, then you will lose your data. 

Along with this, you also need to make sure to create a backup of the existing user folder. For this, you can just create a copy of the folder to any external disk. 

Finally, you must also create a restore point. Here is how to do it: 

Step 1: Open the Run dialog box by pressing Windows+R keys together. 

Step 2: Now type “sysdm.cpl” and hit enter.

Step 3: Head to the System Protection tab. 

Step 4: Under Protection Settings, make sure that Protection is turned On for the C: drive or the system drive. 

Step 5: Now, click on Create. 

Step 6: In the new window, give your system restore point a name.

Step 7: Then click on Create. 

Now that you are done with the preparations, you have two ways to change the user folder name in Windows 11. 

Change User Folder Name in Windows 11

1. By Creating a New User Account

In this method, we will create a new user account and then transfer all the files to the new user account. Here is how to do it:

Step 1: Click on the Settings icon in the taskbar. 

Step 2: Now, click on Accounts in the right side menu. 

Step 3: Scroll down and click on Other users. 

Step 4: Click on Add account.

Step 5: In the pop-up menu, click on “I don’t have this person’s sign-in information” and then click on Add a user without a Microsoft account. 

Step 6: Now, you just need to fill out the username and password for the new user account.  

Step 7: Once the account is created, click on Change account type. 

Step 8: From the drop-down menu, select Administrator. Hit OK.

Step 9: Sign out of the current user account and log in to the new one.

It might take some time and steps to set up the new user account. Make sure to follow the on-screen instructions and set it up. 

Step 10: Open File Explorer. Go to This PC>Local Disk (C:)> Users. 

Step 11: Go to the previous user account, copy all the content from the old user account folder, and paste it into the new one.

Override any permissions or pop-ups that might appear. 

This is the safest way to do so. 

2. By Changing the Name of the User Folder

Now, the second method might sound very obvious, but it’s not that direct. To change the name of the user folder in the C drive, you need to find its SID value. 

2.1 Finding the SID Value

Step 1: In the search bar, type “Powershell,” right-click on it, and Run as administrator. 

Step 2: In the prompt window, type the following command and hit enter:

get-WMIObject Win32_UserAccount

This will show you the list of all user accounts on your PC. You simply have to find your user account. 

Step 3: Make sure to note down/copy the SID value for the user account for which you want to change the user folder name. 

2.2 Creating a Temporary User Account With Admin Privileges

To move further, you need to create a temporary user account with admin privileges. Without this, we can’t move further. Here is how to do it:

Step 1: Click on the Settings icon in the taskbar. 

Step 2: Now, click on Accounts in the right side menu. 

Step 3: Scroll down and click on Other users. 

Step 4: Click on Add account.

Step 5: In the pop-up menu, click on “I don’t have this person’s sign-in information” and then click on Add a user without a Microsoft account. 

Step 6: Now, you just need to fill out the username for the new user account. In this case, you can just name it “temp” as it is temporary. 

Step 7: Once the account is created, click on Change account type. 

Step 8: From the drop-down menu, select Administrator. Hit OK.

Step 9: Sign out of the current user account and log in to the new one.

It might take some time and steps to set up the new user account. Make sure to follow the on-screen instructions and set it up. 

Step 10: Now, completely shut down your PC and turn it on again, and sign in to the temporary user account. 

2.3 Renaming the User Folder

Step 1: In the search bar, type “CMD,” right-click, and Run as administrator. 

Step 2: Enter the following command and hit enter:

cd c:\users

Step 3: To rename the folder, type this command and hit enter:

ren “OLD_FOLDER_NAME” “NEW_FOLDER_NAME” 

In NEW_FOLDER_NAME, enter the name you want to give to the new user folder. 

Note: You might get an error message reading “Access is denied” and in that case, you must sign out properly from your old user account. 

2.4 Point New User Folder in ProfileImagePath

For the name change to work, we must point the new user folder in ProfileImagePath using Registry Editor. Otherwise, it won’t work, and you will lose your account as well as your data.

Here is what you need to do: 

Step 1: In the search bar, type “Registry Editor” and hit enter. 

Step 2: Using the menu on the left, navigate to this path:

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

Here, you will see different profiles with their SID values. Remember that we noted the SID value earlier; just click on the matched SID value under ProfileList in the menu on the left. 

Step 3: Now, in the right pane, double-click on the ProfileImagePath.

Step 4: Change the value data from the older folder name to the new folder name(C:\Users\NEW_FOLDER_NAME).  

Now, restart your PC and then try logging in with the actual user account. 

2.5 Deleting the Temporary User Account

Now that you are able to log in to the new user folder name in Windows 11, it is time to delete the temporary account you have created. 

Step 1: Click on the Settings icon in the taskbar. 

Step 2: Now, click on Accounts in the right side menu. 

Step 3: Scroll down and click on Other users. 

Step 4: Now, expand the temporary user account and then click on Remove.

A Downside

In either of the methods, there are some issues that you might face, and one of them is the OneDrive not working. The fix is simple: you can just download OneDrive again and set it up. That is one of the reasons why we don’t recommend you to change the user folder name in Windows 11 linked to a Microsoft account. 

Summing Up

So that was all about how to change the user folder name in Windows 11. These are the safest ways by which you can do it. Hopefully, it will help you change the user folder name. In case of any queries, feel free to reach out to us.

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