How to Change User Account Name in Windows 11

Option 1Change Name of Microsoft Account Online

The easiest way to change your account name in Windows 11 is by updating your Microsoft account online. Just go to the ‘Your info’ page on the Microsoft account website, sign in, and you can edit your first and last name there. This change will then appear on all your connected devices and services.

1. Go to the “Your info” page on the Microsoft account website, and sign in to your Microsoft account if not already.
2. Click/tap on the Edit name link.
3. Type a new First name and Last name you want as the display name for your Microsoft account. Enter the Captcha characters you see to verify, and click/tap on Save.
4. The First name and Last name you enter will be used as the full name of your Microsoft account shown on the lock screen and at sign in on your devices.
5. While connected to the Internet, sign out and sign in to your Microsoft account on your Windows 11 PC to apply the changes.

Option 2Change Name in Settings

You can change your Windows 11 account name directly in ⚙️ the Settings app, which works for both local and Microsoft accounts. Open Settings by pressing ⊞ Win+I, then click on ‘Accounts’ on the left, and ‘Other users’ on the right. This option might still be rolling out to everyone, so you may or may not see it.

1. ⚙️ Open Settings by pressing Win+I.
2. Click/tap on Accounts on the left side, and click/tap on Other users on the right side.
3.  Open Other users settings
4. Under Other users, click/tap on the account you want to change the name of to expand it open, and click/tap on Change account name.
5. Type a new account name you want, and click/tap on OK.
6. You can now close Settings if you like.

Option 3Change Name in 🎛️ Control Panel

For local accounts in Windows 11, you can change the account name using the 🎛️ Control Panel. Open the 🎛️ Control Panel, then click on ‘User Accounts,’ and select ‘Manage another account.’ From the list, pick the local account you want to rename and then choose the option to change its name.

1. Open the 🎛️ Control Panel (icons view), and click/tap on the User Accounts icon.
2. Click/tap on the Manage another account link.
3. Click/tap on a local account you want to change the name of.
4. Click/tap on the Change the account name link.
5. Type a new account name you want, and click/tap on Change Name.
6. You can now close the 🎛️ Control Panel if you like.

Option 4Change Name in netplwiz

You can change a local account name in Windows 11 using the netplwiz tool. Press the Windows key + R, type ‘netplwiz,’ and hit Enter to open it. Select the local account you want to rename from the list that appears, then click the ‘Properties’ button to make your changes.

1. Open netplwiz.
2. Check the Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer box if available. Select the local account you want to change the name of, and click/tap on the Properties button.
3. Note: If you turned on For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device (aka: passwordless sign-in), you will not see the Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer check box until you turn off this setting. If your PC is currently joined to a domain, then the Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer box will not be available.
4. In the General tab, type the new User name (ex: "Generic_User3") you want for the local account, and click/tap on OK.
5. If you wanted to have Windows automatically sign in to an account at startup, then you will need to set this up again now.
6. When finished, click/tap on OK.
7. If you are currently signed in to this local account, click/tap on Yes when prompted to sign out and apply your changes.

Option 5Change Name in Command Prompt

If you’re comfortable with command-line tools, you can change a local account name in Windows 11 using the Command Prompt. You’ll need to open Windows Terminal as an administrator and use special WMI commands to rename the account. Make sure you write down the current account name before you start.

⚠️ Admin Privileges Required

1. Open Windows Terminal (Admin), and select Command Prompt.
2. Copy and paste the command below into the elevated command prompt, and press Enter. Make note of the current name of the local account you want to change the name of.
3. wmic useraccount get fullname, name
4. Type the command below into the elevated command prompt, and press Enter.
5. wmic useraccount where name="Current Name" rename "New Name"
6. Substitute Current Name in the command above with the actual current name of the local account from step 2 above. Substitute New Name in the command above with the actual new name you want for the local account.
7. For example: wmic useraccount where name="Generic_User2" rename "Generic_User3"
8. You can now close Windows Terminal (Admin) if you like.

Option 6Change Name in PowerShell

If you prefer using PowerShell, you can change a local account name in Windows 11 with this more advanced method. Open Windows Terminal as an administrator and select PowerShell. You’ll then use specific PowerShell commands to rename the local account, giving you more detailed control over the process.

⚠️ Admin Privileges Required

1. Open Windows Terminal (Admin), and select Windows PowerShell.
2. Copy and paste the command below into the elevated PowerShell, and press Enter. Make note of the current name of the local account you want to change the name of.
3. Get-LocalUser
4. Type the command below into the elevated PowerShell, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
5. Rename-LocalUser -Name "Current Name" -NewName "New Name"
6. Substitute Current Name in the command above with the actual current name of the local account from step 2 above. Substitute New Name in the command above with the actual new name you want for the local account.
7. For example: Rename-LocalUser -Name "Generic_User2" -NewName "Generic_User3"
8. You can now close Windows Terminal (Admin) if you like.

Option 7Change Name of Built-in Administrator Account

In Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions, you can rename the built-in Administrator account using the Local Security Policy tool. You need administrator privileges for this, and access to the ‘secpol.msc’ tool. This method lets you rename the default administrator account for better security or specific setups.

⚠️ Admin Privileges Required

1. Open Local Security Policy by typing secpol.msc in 🔍 the search box.
2. Expand open Local Policies in the left pane, and click/tap on Security Options.
3. In the right pane of Security Options, double click/tap on Accounts: Rename administrator account.
4. Type a new name you want for the built-in Administrator account, and click/tap on OK.
5. You can now close Local Security Policy if you like.

Summary

Changing your user account name in Windows 11 is simple, and you have multiple ways to do it. You can update your Microsoft account name online for changes across all devices, use ⚙️ the Settings app for a quick update, or use tools like 🎛️ Control Panel, netplwiz, Command Prompt, or PowerShell for local accounts.

Quick recap:

• Option One: Change your Microsoft account name online. This works on all your devices.
• Option Two: Use ⚙️ the Settings app to change a local or Microsoft account name. (New feature, rolling out gradually)
• Option Three: Use 🎛️ Control Panel to change a local account name. Works on most Windows versions.
• Option Four: Use netplwiz to change a local account name. Good if you need to manage multiple accounts.
• Option Five: Use Command Prompt to change a local account name. Fast if you know command-line tools.
• Option Six: Use PowerShell to change a local account name. More modern than Command Prompt.
• Option Seven: Change the built-in Administrator account name. Only works on Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.