How to change Name of User Profile Folder in Windows 11

Getting Ready to Rename

Follow these steps before you start changing anything to make the process easier.

Step 1Sign Out of Your Account

You can’t change a folder that Windows is currently using. So, first, log out of the account you want to rename.

• Click the Start button.
• Click your user account picture or name.
• Choose Sign out.

Step 2Log In to an Administrator Account

You need to sign in to a different account that has administrator rights to change your user profile folder name. If you don’t have another admin account ready, it’s a good idea to create one temporarily before you start this process.

You can create a temporary administrator account before starting the profile folder name change process. Remember to delete this temporary administrator account afterward if you no longer need the temporary administrator account.

Step 3Open Windows Terminal

We need a special tool to get some information about your account. Windows Terminal is the best way to do this.

• Right-click the Start button.
• Choose Windows Terminal (Admin). This gives it the needed permissions.

Step 4Find Your Account’s Unique ID (SID)

Every Windows account has a unique code called a Security Identifier, or SID, which Windows uses to tell accounts apart. You’ll need this special code to find your account in the next steps. Open Windows Terminal and type this command: powershell “Get-LocalUser | Select-Object -Property @(‘Name’, ‘SID’)”

This will show you a list of accounts and their SIDs. Find the username of the account you want to rename and write down its SID. It will look like a long mix of numbers and dashes, similar to S-1-5-21-....

Editing the Windows Registry

Now, let’s move on to editing the Windows Registry. Here, we’ll inform Windows about the new name for your user folder. The Registry Editor is a powerful tool, so be very careful.

Step 5Open Registry Editor

Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard. Type regedit and press Enter. Click Yes if a security window pops up.

Step 6Go to the List of User Profiles

In the Registry Editor, you need to find the specific list where Windows keeps track of all user profiles. Navigate to this exact location: 🗝️HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileListcopy. Inside this folder, you’ll see other folders named with SIDs.

Inside the ProfileList folder, you’ll see several folders named with those long SIDs. Click on the folder that matches the SID you wrote down earlier.

Step 7Change the Profile Path

After clicking on the correct SID folder, look to the right side. You should see an entry named ProfileImagePath. This tells Windows where your user folder is. Double-click on ProfileImagePath to change it.

Step 8Enter the New Folder Name

A window will pop up showing the current location of your user folder. You only need to change the very last part of this address, which is the folder’s name itself, to your desired new name. Make sure to use a simple name without any strange characters and remember it exactly.

Important: Use a simple name without unusual characters. Remember the exact new name and its full path for the next steps.

Click OK. You can now close the Registry Editor and Windows Terminal.

Renaming the Actual Folder

We’ve told Windows the new path in the registry. Now, we need to rename the folder on your computer to match.

Step 9Open 📁 File Explorer

Press Windows key + E to open 📁 File Explorer.

Step 10Go to the Users Folder

In 📁 File Explorer, go to the main folder where user profiles are kept. It’s usually here:C:\Users

Step 11Rename the Profile Folder

Find the folder with your *old* user profile name. Click on it once to select it. Then, click the Rename option at the top, or right-click the folder and choose Rename.

Step 12Enter the New Name

Now, you need to actually rename the folder on your computer to match what you just typed in the registry. Go to 📁 File Explorer and find your user folder, then change its name to the exact new name you chose earlier. If you get an error, double-check that you’re signed out of the account you’re renaming.

Press Enter.

Tip: If you get an error saying the folder is in use, make sure you’re signed out of the account you’re renaming and logged into an administrator account.

Creating a Shortcut (Optional but Recommended)

This next step is a bit more advanced but helps prevent problems. Some older programs might still look for your folder using the old name. A symbolic link, often called a symlink, functions like an intelligent shortcut, automatically redirecting requests to the new name.

Step 13Open Command Prompt as Administrator

Open the Command Prompt with administrator privileges. Search for cmd in the ⊞ Start menu, right-click the result, and then select Run as administrator.

Step 14Create the Symbolic Link

To make sure Windows can still find your files after renaming the folder, you need to create a special link. Open the Command Prompt and type this command, replacing the example paths with your old and new folder names: mklink /d “📁C:\Users\YourOldFolderNamecopy” “📁C:\Users\YourNewFolderNamecopy”.

For example, if your old folder was C:\Users\Richard2 and your new one is C:\Users\Richard3, the command would be:mklink /d "C:\Users\Richard2" "C:\Users\Richard3"

Press Enter. If it works, you’ll see a message saying the link was created. You’ll see a new folder icon in your C:\Users folder that looks like a shortcut.

Warning: If you skip creating the symbolic link and later find some apps cannot find your files, you might need to return to the registry editor and create this symbolic link to fix the problem.

Final Checks

You’re almost done! Here are a couple more things to make sure everything works with your new folder name.

Step 15Check OneDrive Settings (If You Use It)

If you use OneDrive to save your files, you might need to tell it about your new folder name. After you sign back into your renamed account, open OneDrive settings and check if the folder location needs to be updated to match your new profile folder. This usually involves going to Settings > Account > Choose folders.

Step 16Rebuild the Windows Search Index

Windows Search might show outdated information and slow down searches after you change your user folder name. To fix Windows Search slowness, you need to rebuild 🔍 the search index. Type 'Indexing Options' in the ⊞ Start menu, open the tool, click 'Advanced,' and then under 'Troubleshooting,' click 'Rebuild.' Rebuilding the index updates Windows Search with your new user folder name.

• In the ⊞ Start menu search, type Indexing Options and open it.
• Click the Advanced button.
• Under “Troubleshooting,” click the Rebuild button.

This might take a while depending on how many files you have. Your computer might seem a bit slower during this process.

Summary

Changing your user profile folder name in Windows 11 involves several steps: sign into an administrator account, locate your account’s unique SID, update the registry to reflect a new folder name, rename the folder itself in 📁 File Explorer, and then create a symbolic link. Finally, check your OneDrive settings and rebuild the Windows search index to ensure everything works correctly.