Change User Name in Windows 11: Local and Microsoft Account

If you want to change user name in Windows 11, the right method depends on how you sign in. The name on the sign-in screen and at the top of Start comes from your Microsoft account if you use one, and from the account on the PC itself if you use a local account. Change it in the wrong place and nothing happens, which is why so many people think the option is missing.

This guide covers both account types, plus work and school accounts, and explains the part that surprises most people: the folder under C:\Users keeps its original name whatever you do.

Step 1: check which account you use

Open Settings > Accounts > Your info (press Win+I, then select Accounts). Under your name you will see either an email address with Microsoft account, or Local account. A work or school account shows your organisation’s email. If you are not sure which one you want long term, our guide to switching to a local account in Windows 11 explains the trade-offs.

Change the name on a Microsoft account

With a Microsoft account, Windows shows the name stored in your account online, so you change it on the web:

1. Go to account.microsoft.com and sign in with the same account you use on the PC. In Windows you can get there from Settings > Accounts > Your info and the link to manage your accounts.
2. Open Your info and select Edit name.
3. Enter the first and last name you want, complete the security check (CAPTCHA) and select Save.
4. Sign out of Windows and back in. Microsoft says the change can take up to 24 hours to show everywhere.

This also changes your name in Outlook.com, Teams and other Microsoft services. It does not change your Xbox gamertag, which has its own setting. Microsoft also notes that special font characters in a name are not supported and can stop you signing in, so stick to ordinary letters.

Change the name on a local account

For a local account, Microsoft’s steps use Control Panel:

1. Select Start, type Control Panel and open it.
2. Select User Accounts, then User Accounts again.
3. Select Change your account name.
4. Type the new name and select Change Name.

You need administrator rights to rename an account. To rename someone else’s local account, choose Manage another account at step 3, select the account and then Change the account name.

Other ways for local accounts

• netplwiz (all editions). Press Win+R, type netplwiz and press Enter. Select the account, then Properties. On the General tab you can set the User name and the Full name. The full name, when set, is what most people see on the sign-in screen.
• Local Users and Groups (Pro, Enterprise, Education). Press Win+R, type lusrmgr.msc and open Users. Right-click the account to Rename it, or open Properties to set the Full name. This console is not available on Windows 11 Home.
• Command line. In an administrator terminal, net user lists local accounts, and Microsoft documents a /fullname option for setting the full name, for example net user alex /fullname:“Alex Smith”.

Work or school accounts

If you sign in with a work or school account, your name comes from your organisation’s directory. Microsoft says you may be able to update it after signing in to that account online, but some organisations do not allow name changes. If yours does not, ask your IT department; Windows settings on the PC will not override it.

Why the C:\Users folder keeps the old name

Windows creates your profile folder, for example C:\Users\alex, the first time you sign in, and it never renames it. Microsoft confirms that renaming an account does not change the profile path and describes this as by design. With a Microsoft account, the folder is often the first five letters of your email address, which is a common reason people want to change it.

Microsoft’s article does describe a manual workaround that renames the folder and edits the registry, but only for Windows 7. It warns explicitly not to apply it on Windows 10 or later, where it can cause the winget command to stop working, and many apps store the full folder path in their own settings. We do not recommend it.

If the folder name genuinely matters to you, the clean route is:

1. Create a new account with the name you want in Settings > Accounts > Other users > Add account, and make it an administrator.
2. Sign in to the new account once so Windows creates its folder.
3. Copy your files across from the old profile, or let OneDrive sync them, and set up your apps again.
4. When everything works, remove the old account. Our guide to deleting a user account in Windows 11 covers that step and what it removes.

Make a backup before you start. Windows 11 System Restore does not protect personal files, so copy them to an external drive or OneDrive first.

User name versus PC name

The user name is not the same as the computer name that other devices see on the network. To change the PC name, go to Settings > System > About and select Rename this PC, then restart. Renaming the PC does not affect your account or your files.

After the change

If the old name still shows on the sign-in screen after a restart, sign out completely and back in, and for a Microsoft account allow up to a day. If you also use a PIN or face sign-in, nothing needs to be redone; Windows Hello is tied to the account, not to its display name. Forgotten the password while you are tidying up accounts? See Windows 11 forgot password.