How to Rename User Profile Folder in Windows 11

Getting Ready to Rename

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

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

Sign in to a different account with administrator rights so you have the permissions needed to rename user home folder paths. If you lack a secondary admin account, create one temporarily through Settings before you begin this process. Remember to delete this temporary administrator account afterward once your main profile folder name is successfully updated.

Create a temporary admin account now if you do not have a secondary one ready. 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)

Find your Security Identifier (SID), which is a unique code Windows uses to tell user profiles apart, by using Windows Terminal. Open Windows Terminal and type powershell "Get-LocalUser | Select-Object -Property @('Name', 'SID')" to view a complete list of all local accounts and their corresponding SIDs. Locate the SID that matches the exact username you want to change.

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-....

If you use the wrong one, it could cause serious problems.

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

Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList inside the Registry Editor to access the directory where Windows stores active user profiles. Expand this ProfileList key to view subfolders named after the unique SIDs of every account on your computer. Click the specific folder that matches the SID you located in the previous step.

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.

Then, look at the ProfileImagePath value in the right-hand box. This shows the current user folder name, like C:\Users\YourOldName.

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

Change the profile image path in the registry by editing the ProfileImagePath value to show your desired new folder name. Double-click the ProfileImagePath entry inside your account's SID folder and type the full updated path using a concise name without spaces or special characters. Click OK to save the registry modification before you close the editor.

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

Rename user home folder directories directly in File Explorer so the physical directory name matches the new path you just set in the registry. Open File Explorer, go to C:\Users, right-click your old user folder, select Rename, and type the exact new name you chose earlier. Press Enter on your keyboard to confirm the change.

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

Create a symbolic link using Command Prompt to ensure Windows and your installed apps can still locate your files after you rename user home folder directories. Open Command Prompt as an administrator and type mklink /d "C:\Users\YourOldFolderName" "C:\Users\YourNewFolderName" while replacing the placeholder text with your actual old and new folder names. Press Enter to execute the command and bridge the old path to the new one.

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)

Update OneDrive settings after you rename user home folder paths to prevent syncing errors and broken file locations. Sign back into your renamed account, open OneDrive from the system tray, and check if the cloud storage folder location needs to be updated to match your new profile path by going to Settings › Account › Choose folders

Step 16Rebuild the Windows Search Index

Rebuild the Windows search index to fix slow searches and outdated file results that happen after you rename user home folder directories. Type Indexing Options in the Start menu search bar, open the control panel applet, click Advanced, and select Rebuild under the Troubleshooting section. Wait for Windows to recreate the search database so it indexes your files at their new location.

• 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

Rename user home folder directories safely in Windows 11 by signing into an administrator account, finding your account SID, updating the ProfileImagePath registry key, renaming the folder in File Explorer, and creating a symbolic link. Complete the process by updating OneDrive and rebuilding your Windows search index so all apps and files function normally.