How to change your account username on a Windows 10 computer without getting lost in menus
Hollis Johnson
- To change your account name on a Windows 10 computer, you'll need to go through your User Accounts menu.
- Your account name is the username that shows up on the login screen when you're signing into your user account.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
When you sign into your user account on a Windows 10 computer, you can see that your account has a name. You choose this name when you set up the computer, and it's often tied to your Microsoft account.
If you have administrator access, it's possible to change your user account's name. This won't change the name of your user folder — the place where all your files are kept — but it will change your account name.
If you're just looking to change the account name, there's a very easy (but not intuitive) way to do it in Windows 10.
Check out the products mentioned in this article:
Windows 10 (From $139.99 at Best Buy)
How to change your account name on Windows 10
1. Press Windows Key + R, or search for the "Run" application in the Start Menu.
2. Type "control userpasswords2" into the search field and hit Enter.
3. This should open a menu labelled "User Accounts." Click the username you want to change, and select "Properties."
4. In the new menu that pops up, change the account username in the first text field to the new one you want.
Ross James/Business Insider
5. Select "Apply," then "OK" to close out of both boxes.
6. Your username should change as soon as you next sign out.
Ross James/Business Insider
If you want to change the name of your user folder as well, don't just rename it like you would any other folder — this could corrupt your files. Instead, create a new profile and copy your files over.
Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:
How to change your Windows password to protect your computer, or reset the password if you've forgotten it
How to turn off the password feature on Windows 10 for quicker access to your computer
How to find your stored Wi-Fi passwords on a Windows 10 computer, and use them to connect another device
How to log off a Windows 10 computer in 4 different ways