Win 10 won't let me change the folder name.

The need to change the username may arise for various reasons. Most often this has to be done because of programs that save their information to the user folder and are sensitive to the presence of Russian letters in account. But there are times when people just don't like the name of the account. Be that as it may, there is a way to change the name of the user folder and the entire profile. It is about how to implement this on Windows 10 that we will tell today.

Please note that all the actions that will be described below are performed on system drive. Therefore, we strongly recommend creating a restore point for safety net. In case of any error, you can always return the system to its original state.

First we will consider correct order steps to rename the user folder, and then we will talk about how to avoid the negative consequences that can be caused by changing the account name.

How to change the account name

All the described actions must be performed in aggregate, otherwise in the future there may be problems with the operation of some applications and the OS as a whole.

1. First right click on "Start" in the lower left corner of the screen. Then, in the context menu, select the line that is marked in the image below.



2. A command prompt will open, in which you must enter the following value:

   net user Administrator /active:yes

   If you are using the English version of Windows 10, then the command will look a little different:

   net user Administrator /active:yes

   After entering, press on the keyboard "Enter".



3. These steps will enable the built-in administrator profile. It is present by default in all Windows systems 10. Now you need to switch to an activated account. To do this, you need to change the user in any way convenient for you. Alternatively, press the keys together "Alt+F4" and select from the dropdown menu "Change user". You can learn about other methods in a separate article.



4. In the start window, click on the new profile "Administrator" and press the button "To come in" in the center of the screen.



5. If this is the first time you have logged in with the specified account, you will need to wait a while until Windows completes initial settings. This usually lasts only a few minutes. After the OS boots up, you need to click on the button again. "Start" RMB and select "Control Panel".

   

   In some editions of Windows 10, this line may not be there, so you can use any other similar method to open the "Panel".

6. For convenience, switch the display of labels to the mode "Small Icons". You can do this in the drop-down menu in the upper right area of ​​the window. Then go to section "User accounts".



7. In the next window, click on the line "Managing Another Account".



8. Next, you need to select the profile for which the name will be changed. Click on the corresponding area LMB.



9. As a result, a window for managing the selected profile will appear. At the top you will see the line "Change account name". Click on it.



10. In the field that will be located in the center of the next window, enter a new name. Then press the button "Rename".



11. Now go to disk "C" and open the directory in its root "Users" or "Users".



12. On the directory that matches the username, right-click. Then select from the menu that appears "Rename".



13. Please note that sometimes you may experience a similar error.

    

    This means that some processes in the background are still using files from the user folder on another account. In such situations, you just need to restart your computer / laptop in any way and repeat the previous paragraph.

14. Once the folder is on disk "FROM" will be renamed, you need to open the registry. To do this, simultaneously press the keys Win and "R", then enter the regedit parameter in the field of the window that opens. Then click OK in the same window or "Enter" on keyboard.



15. The Registry Editor window will appear on the screen. On the left you will see a folder tree. You need to use it to open the following directory:

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

16. In folder ProfileList there will be several directories. You need to look at each of them. The folder you are looking for is the one with the old username in one of the options. Approximately it looks like the screenshot below.



17. After you find such a folder, open the file in it "ProfileImagePath" by double clicking LMB. It is necessary to replace the old account name with a new one. Then click OK in the same window.



18. Now you can close all previously opened windows.

This completes the renaming process. You can now sign out of your account "Administrator" and log in with your new name. If you do not need an activated profile in the future, then open command line and enter the following parameter:

net user Administrator /active:no

Prevent possible errors after name change

After you log in with a new name, you need to take care that there are no errors in further work systems. They may be due to the fact that many programs save some of their files in the user folder. Then they periodically refer to it. Since the folder has a different name, there may be malfunctions in the operation of such software. To correct the situation, do the following:

Having done such manipulations, you specify the folders and system functions path to the new user folder. As a result, all applications and the OS itself will continue to work without errors and failures.

This concludes our article. We hope you carefully followed all the instructions and the result was positive.

At primary Windows setup the user always needs to create a profile in the operating system. For each individual user, a separate profile is created, the files of which are stored on the C:\Users system partition. Sometimes it happens that the user has to change the name of an already created folder for a number of specific reasons. Most often, such a need arises at a time when the system or application is not working properly. Very often the reason for such anomalies is the fact that the user's folder is named using Cyrillic characters. For example, "Taras", not "Taras". Another, more banal reason may be the simple desire to use a new name.

Here it is worth considering a few points:

• If you are creating a profile using an account Microsoft records, Windows 10 will most likely create a folder whose name is short for the address of your Email. It is because of this that many users wish to rename their profile folder. The inconvenient name is especially annoying when the user needs to deal with the command line and usernames.
• The name of the account itself can be changed at any time, but renaming does not change the name of the profile folder. That is why the problems associated with Cyrillic characters in the name of the profile folder cannot be solved by simply renaming the account.
• Renaming a linked folder may cause some applications or services to stop working. That's why, best solution there will be a creation of a new local profile with a further connection of a Microsoft account to it.

The easiest way to rename a user folder in Windows 10

This method can be called the simplest with reservations. For some, on the contrary, it will seem too complicated due to the need to transfer data and reinstall applications. But it is safe to say that this method will the safest and win-win. You will definitely not run into problems or jambs caused by account renaming. For those who do not have too much information and reinstalling programs will not be difficult, it is best to use this particular method. It is also recommended after clean install if you named the user incorrectly and want to rename their profile folder. In short, the essence of this whole undertaking is simply to create a new user and delete the old one.

How to change user folder name in Windows 10 Pro

When it becomes necessary to rename a user's folder, and creating a new one is not an option, the first thing the user comes up with is the idea of ​​simply renaming the folder, by analogy with any other file or directory. The trouble is that this method does not work with the profile folder. Windows simply won't let you do it.

Note Note: This method is not valid for Windows 10 Home. Instead, use the method described below.

First you need to create a new Computer Administrator account. You should have two profiles: the one you want to rename and another profile that has Administrator rights.

If you do not want to create a new account, you can activate the hidden Administrator profile, which is installed by default with the operating system. To do this, do the following:

Now you need to log in to the newly created local account with Administrator rights or to the profile activated via the command line. Keep in mind what you need go out out of the system, and not just change the user, so save all files and close all applications so as not to lose important information.

This is not the end of the matter. The user folder is a very important section of the structure operating system, so its name must be changed not only in the explorer itself, but also in the system registry.

Sign in to your previous profile and check if the name has changed. If yes, then temporary profiles can be removed or disabled.

1. If you created a new local account, click Win+ I and go to section Accounts - Family and other people.
2. Click on the profile in the section Other people and choose Delete.
3. Confirm account deletion.
4. To disable the standard Administrator account, open a command prompt as Administrator (Start - command "CMD" - right-click - run as administrator) and enter the following command: netuserAdministrator/active:no.

How to change user folder in Windows 10 Home

The first method won't work on Windows 10 Home, so you'll need to use another method. Please note that in the first case, no unpleasant consequences were found from renaming the user folder. In the case of Windows 10 Home, programs may experience crashes. For example, the program can tell you about errors in addresses and links. This method is also must work on Windows 10 Pro, but we do not recommend using it, since this edition of Windows 10 has its own instructions that do not cause crashes or malfunctions in applications. Keep in mind that Windows 10 Home is the most the best way renaming the profile folder will create a new one. If something goes wrong and apps stop working after the rename, you still have to create a new user.

As in the previous case, start by creating a new local account with Administrator rights:

1. Click Win+ I and open Accounts - Family & other people - Add a user for this computer.
2. Click I don't have this person's login details.
   
3. Click Add user without account Microsoft. Any name will do, and you can not set a password at all.
   
4. In chapter Other people Press new profile and choose Change account type.
   
5. From the drop down list select Administrator. Click OK.
   
6. Alternatively, you can simply activate the standard but hidden and by default deactivated Admin account. Run Command Prompt as Administrator, and then enter the following command: netuseradministrator/active:yes.
7. Now go to the created account and open the Registry Editor. To do this, click Win+ R and type regedit.
8. Go to: A computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList.
   
9. Select your account section from the list and change the setting ProfileImagePath. Enter the name you would like to set.
   
10. Now on the left side of the registry editor at the very top, click on A computer, and then click ctrl+ F. Enter in search C:\Users\Old user folder name. Press Enter and change the folder name to everyone found parameter. This process can be quite lengthy, so please be patient. After each rename press F3 to move to the next parameter.

When you're done, log out of the account and switch back to the one you renamed. Check if the profile name change was successful.

The question of how you can rename the Windows 10 user folder (meaning the folder that usually corresponds to your username, located in C:\Users(which in Explorer shows C:\Users, but the actual path to the folder is exactly what was listed) is set quite often. This tutorial shows how to do this and change the user folder name to whatever you want.

Why might this be needed? There are different situations here: one of the most common - if there are Cyrillic characters in the folder name, some programs that place the components necessary for work in this folder may not work correctly; the second most common reason is simply not liking the current name (besides, when using a Microsoft account, it is abbreviated and not always in a convenient way).

Warning: potentially, such actions, especially performed with errors, can lead to incorrect operation of the system, a message that or the inability to enter the OS. Also, don't try to just rename the folder in any way without going through the rest of the procedures.

Renaming a user folder in Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise.

The described method, when checked, successfully worked both for a local account Windows entries 10, and for a Microsoft account. The first step is to add a new administrator account (not the one for which the folder name will change) to the system.

The easiest way to do this for our purposes is not to create a new account, but to enable the built-in hidden account. To do this, run a command prompt as Administrator (via context menu, called by right-clicking on Start) and enter the command net user Administrator /active:yes and press Enter (if you do not have Russian-language Windows 10 or it was Russified by installing a language pack, enter the account name in Latin - Administrator).

The next step is to log out of the system (in the Start menu, click on the username - log out), and then on the lock screen, select the new Administrator account and log in under it (if it does not appear for selection, restart the computer). The first time you log in, it will take some time to prepare the system.

After logging into your account, follow these steps in order:

Close the Registry Editor, log out of the Administrator account and log into your normal account - the renamed user folder should work without failure. To disable a previously activated administrator account, run the command net user Administrator /active:no on the command line.

How to change user folder name in Windows 10 Home?

The method described above will not work for the home version of Windows 10, however, there is also a way to rename the user folder.

Note: this method has been tested on a completely clean system. In some cases, after using it, there may be problems with the operation of programs installed by the user.

So, to rename the user folder in Windows 10 Home, follow these steps:

1. Create an administrator account or activate the built-in one, as described above. Log out of the current account and log in with a new administrator account.
2. Rename the user folder (via explorer or command line).
3. Also, as described above, change the value of the parameter ProfileImagePath in the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\ ProfileList to a new one (in the subsection corresponding to your account).
4. In the registry editor, highlight the root folder (Computer, top left) then select Edit - Search from the menu and search for C:\Users\Old_folder_name
5. When found, change it to the new one and press edit - find next (or F3) to search for places in the registry where the old path remains.
6. When finished, close the Registry Editor.

At the end of all these steps - log out of the account used and go to the user account for which the folder name was changed. Everything should work without failures (but in this case there may be exceptions).

We hope that this material will be useful to you. If you have questions, or have additions, write in the comments.

Windows 10 is not so different from previous versions of the OS from Microsoft, however, performing some actions here causes difficulties for users. For example, do you know how to change username in Windows 10? If not yet, then this guide will help fill the gap in knowledge of the system's capabilities.

Local Profile

If you use a regular local account, then you can change its name in the same way as in previous versions Windows - through the control panel. You should already know Windows 10.

Your local profile window will open. You can change the account name and type. There is nothing complicated: click on the "Change name" link and enter a new name in the line that appears.

Then click "Rename" to save the changes. You must restart your computer for the configuration to take effect. When you log in again, the profile name will be different. There is another, more fast way change name.

There is no fundamental difference between the described methods: in fact, you perform the same actions using different system tools.

Microsoft account

If a Microsoft profile is used for authorization in the system, then changing its name through the control panel will not work. The Microsoft account name can only be changed on the official website of the corporation using a special form. Let's see how to get to it:

After clicking on the link, the browser will automatically launch. You will be directed to the Microsoft profile management site, where you must enter your username and password to authorize. After successfully logging in, click on the "Change name" link.

A special form will appear in which you need to specify personal data that will be used in the Microsoft account login. To apply the new configuration, click Save.