How to Hide or Show Account Name and Profile Picture on Start Menu in Windows 11

Hiding your account name and profile picture on the Windows 11 Start menu ⊞ removes your personal details from view whenever you open the menu. This privacy tweak stops people nearby from seeing your real name or photo when you share a PC with family, roommates, or coworkers.

You can turn off this display in the Windows 11 Settings app under Account settings without digging through complex menus. While your full profile details still appear if someone clicks your profile icon directly, this simple change keeps your personal info hidden on the main screen.

Option 1Using Settings

Controlling these visual elements takes only a few clicks inside the main configuration panel. Managing account visibility happens directly on the Start screen without requiring complex administrative procedures.

1. Open Settings. You can do this by pressing the Win+I on your keyboard.
2. On the left side, click on Personalization.
3. On the right side, click on Start.
4. Look for the section called Other settings.
5. You will see an option called Hide your name and profile picture on Start.
6. Turn this setting On to hide your name and picture.
7. Turn this setting Off to show them. The default setting is Off, which shows your information.
8. You can now close the Settings ⚙️ window.

Option 2Using the Registry Editor

The Registry Editor offers another way to control whether your account name and profile picture appear on the Windows 11 Start menu ⊞. This method serves administrators who prefer direct configuration or instances where the graphical interface fails.

The Windows Registry (a hierarchical database storing low-level system settings) provides an alternative configuration route when the graphical menu falls short.

What happens after you make the change? Your account name and picture will either be hidden or shown on the Start menu ⊞, depending on the registry value you set.

To Hide Account Name and Profile Picture on Start Menu:

1. Press Windows key + R to open the Run box.
2. Type regedit and press Enter. Click Yes if a User Account Control prompt appears. (Requires administrator privileges)
3. In the Registry Editor, go to this location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Personalization\StartMenu
4. Right-click on the Personalization key in the left pane.
5. Select New, then select DWORD (32-bit) Value.
6. Name the new value HideUserInformation.
7. Double-click on the new HideUserInformation value.
8. Set the Value data to 1.
9. Click OK.

To Show Account Name and Profile Picture on Start Menu (Default):

1. Follow steps 1-6 from the "Hide" section above to create or find the HideUserInformation value.
2. Double-click on the HideUserInformation value.
3. Set the Value data to 0.
4. Click OK.

Restarting the machine or signing out and back in forces the interface to display updated configurations.

Reference:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-insider/release-notes/experimental/preview-build-26300-8493

Summary

Modifying settings occurs through the Settings app under Personalization > Start. Advanced configurations allow modifying the HideUserInformation DWORD value directly via the Registry Editor.