6 Best Ways to Change User Account Name in Windows 10

This is the user account name you see on the Login screen when you start your Windows PC. And for different reasons, you might want to change it to look personal or to be easily identifiable. You may have entered your full name during the Windows installation or your IT person may have mistyped it.

You should be absolutely clear that the user account name is not the same as a computer name. The computer name is the name of your hardware device (desktop or laptop), while your user account name is actually your Microsoft account name and is different. This means you can create multiple user accounts on the same computer and name them differently (for example, one for each family member). However, the Windows 10 computer name will remain the same for each user account. You can change the computer name later if you want.

This guide will cover all the ways to change only the user account name, not the computer name.

Note: There are two types of accounts. One is a Microsoft user account where the computer is linked to your Microsoft account ID and stays in sync with other connected devices. The other is a local account that works offline. We will cover both.

Let’s start.

1. Change Microsoft Account Name Online

You can change the name of your Windows 10 computer on Microsoft’s website, but only if you have connected the computer to it. This method will not work if you are using a local account on your computer that works offline.

Stage 1: Go to the Microsoft Account Profile page and sign in. Click Edit name below your name to get started.

Step 2: You will need to fill the captcha for verification. Other contact and profile information can also be edited if needed.

You will need to restart your computer to apply the changes.

2. Change Local Account Name from Control Panel

Here’s how to change your name from Windows settings.

Stage 1: Search for and open Control Panel in the start menu.

Step 2: Go to User Accounts > User Accounts and click Manage another account. You will see a list of all accounts. Click on the local account name you want to rename.

Stage 3: Click Change account name.

Step 4: Enter the new user account name in the box provided and click the Change Name button to save the changes.

Restart to apply the changes and view the new name.

3. Change Local and Admin Account Name Using Netplwiz

This is a hidden settings file designed to manage user accounts in Windows 10.

Stage 1: Search for Netplwiz in the start menu and open it. You can also open it using the run command (Windows key+R).

Step 2: You will see a list of all user accounts, including administrator accounts. Select the user account you want to rename and click Properties.

You can change the account name, username and description. The same steps will apply to administrator accounts.

Click Apply to restart to save and apply the changes.

4. Change Local Account Name in Local Users and Groups

Stage 1: You can open Local Users and Groups from the Start menu or the Run command by searching for the string lusrmgr.msc.

Step 2: Double-click the Users folder in the left window pane to view a list of all users. Now double click on the user account name to open the Properties window and change the name and description there.

Note: You will also notice the hidden administrator and guest user accounts that were created when the Windows operating system was first installed. You can and should disable them for security.

5. Change Local User Account Name Using Command Prompt

This trick is for advanced users and enthusiasts who are experts in Command Prompt.

Stage 1: Search and open Command Prompt (CMD) from Start by clicking on Run as administrator.

Step 2: Type the following command to find the local user account name.

wmic useraccount get fullname, name

Stage 3: Now, issue the following command to change the name. Replace “old-name” with the name of the account you want to change, and “new-name” with the name you want to give it.

wmic useraccount where name="old-name" rename "new-name"

6. Change Local Username Account Using PowerShell

PowerShell is the advanced version of CMD and will replace it sometime in the future. Here’s how things work in PowerShell for those going on.

Stage 1: To find PowerShell, use the Windows key+X keyboard to open a hidden menu or search for it in the Start menu. Always open with administrator rights to make system-level changes.

Step 2: The first command returns a list of all local user account names. Second, it will change the user account name in Windows 10. As in the previous step, replace the “old name” and “new name” accordingly.

Get-LocalUser

Rename-LocalUser -Name "Current Name" -NewName "New Name"

Difference Between System Name and Username

These are six different ways to change the user account name in Windows 10. You can use one of these to rename accounts created for offline purposes. Changing the online user account name linked to your Microsoft account is even easier. What’s more, you can do it from any computer by signing into your Microsoft account in a browser. This makes it really important to set up 2FA everywhere, as your security could be at risk. Also, if supported, you should enable Windows Hello on your computer to ensure that no one with physical access to your computer can access it and change things. As always, your safety is in your hands.

Next: Accidentally deleted your administrator account in Windows 10? Find out how to fix this problem and gain access to your computer, but more importantly, make sure it never happens to you again.