How to Rename the User Folder on Windows

This wikiHow teaches you how to change the name of your user folder on your local drive, and edit the Profile Image Path string, in order to rename your user account on Windows. If you don't edit the Profile Image Path, your username will...
Part 1 of 2:

Editing the Folder Name

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    Log into a different administrator user on your computer. You can't change the name of your user folder when you're logged in from the same account. You have to log in from a different admin account to change a user account's name.
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    Open the Start menu. Find and click the Windows icon in the lower-left corner of your screen to open it.
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    Click This PC on the Start menu. This will open a list of all your connected drives and devices in a new window.
    1. On some versions of Windows, this option may be named Computer or My Computer.
    2. If you don't see this option, you can search the Start menu by typing in the search box here.
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    Double-click your system hard drive. This is the hard drive that contains your Windows folder.
    1. Your system hard drive is indicated by "C:" on most computers. However, if you have multiple internal storage drives or disk partitions, you may find your Windows folder on a different drive, such as "D:", "E:" or "F:".
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    Double-click the Users folder.
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    Right-click the user folder you want to rename. This will open a drop-down menu.
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    Select Rename. This option will let you edit, modify, or rewrite the name of this user folder.
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    Enter a new name for the user folder. You can modify this user's current name, or delete it and enter a new one
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    Press Enter on your keyboard. It will save this user folder's new name.
Part 2 of 2:

Editing the Profile Image Path

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    Open the Run window. You can find and click Run on the Start menu, or press the Win+R shortcut on your keyboard to open it.
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    Enter regedit in the Run window. Click the text field next to "Open:" in order to type.
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    Click OK in the Run window. This will open your Registry Editor in a new window.
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    Find and click the
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    icon next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE on the left panel. It will reveal a list of all of this folder's sub-folders.
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    Click the
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    icon next to SOFTWARE.
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    Click the
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    icon next to Microsoft.
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    Click the
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    icon next to Windows NT.
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    Click the
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    icon next to CurrentVersion.
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    Click the
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    icon next to ProfileList. This folder contains a different sub-folder for each user account saved on your computer.
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    Find the correct sub-folder for the user you want to rename. Open a sub-folder under ProfileList, and check the Data column next to ProfileImagePath. The Data column should indicate the folder directory for your user folder.
    1. For example, if your user account's name is USER1 and your system files are stored on your C: drive, the Data column should read C:UsersUSER1.
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    Double-click the ProfileImagePath file. This will open a new window titled Edit String.
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    Click and edit the username under the Value data heading. The user account name here should match the new name of the user folder on your system drive.
    1. For example, if you changed your user folder's name from USER1 to USER0, the directory here will still read C:UsersUSER1. Change it to C:/Users/USER0.
  13. Click OK. This will save your changes. You can now log out of this account, and log into your original user account with your new account name.
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