How to Change User Account Name in Windows 11

Option 1Change Name of Microsoft Account Online

Changing your Microsoft account name online is the easiest way to update it everywhere, including your Windows 11 computer, by visiting the ‘Your info’ page on Microsoft’s website.

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 right in ⚙️ the Settings app, which works for both local and Microsoft accounts, though this option is still becoming available to everyone.

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

To change the name of a local account in Windows 11, you can use the 🎛️ Control Panel by going to User Accounts and then choosing to manage another account.

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 also change a local account name in Windows 11 using the netplwiz tool, which you can open by typing ‘netplwiz’ into the Run box.

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 the Command Prompt, you can quickly change a local account name in Windows 11 by using a few specific commands.

⚠️ 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

For a more advanced method, you can change a local account name in Windows 11 using PowerShell, which gives you more control if you’re used to writing commands.

⚠️ 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

You can rename the built-in Administrator account in Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education using the Local Security Policy tool.

Note: This option is only available in the Windows 10/11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

⚠️ 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 Windows 11 account name is simple, and you have many ways to do it, like changing it online for your Microsoft account, using Settings, 🎛️ Control Panel, or command tools.

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.

Remember: Changing your account name does not change your user profile folder name (like C:\Users\Generic_User). You need administrator privileges to make these changes. Choose the option that works best for you!