Windows 10: Changing the Windows 10 truncated local account username

This has been discussed before, however, for some strange reason it was closed before a solution was posted.


After the Windows 7 May security update, my system bit the dust. So, I purchase a copy of Windows 10, USB version from Amazon.


ISSUE: Windows 10, version 1809 does not offer the option to just "Install as a Local account", you first have to set up with a Microsoft account. If you later convert to a Local Account, Windows 10 uses the first 5 characters of the users Microsoft Account's email address. So, Samuel @ Outlook.com becomes samue. When you look under C://Users you see samue under users. You cannot change in the Windows account settings.


This issue was first reported in 2015 or 2016 in the Microsoft Community and elsewhere.


What I'd like in the responses is:

a) a solution, if there is one,

AND b) posters to share which version of Windows they had the issue with...


Windows 10, version 1809

USB version purchased from Amazon, August, 2019

:)

 

How to change the Windows 10 truncated local account username without losing all the associated account information?

When Windows 10 creates the local user, it uses the first 5 characters of the Microsoft Account's email address.

It also uses it to name the directory where the users information is kept.

If the Microsoft Account email address is myusername@gmail.com ...

then the local account username will be myuse

and the directory path will be ...

C:\users\myuse

This is bad for many reasons we can discuss later.

The problem is that there is no one at Microsoft Support that understands the issue.

There are hundreds of posts here and elsewhere on the net about this.

Below I pasted one suggestion from a Microsoft Support Engineer.

It is wrong.

One can only "Change the account type" in Control Panel using this method.

It cannot "rename the local user account."

Even if you create another administrator user the option to Change the account name

is not available if that user has a Microsoft Account.

So my question: is there a way to correctly change the truncated local username from myuse to myusername without
losing all the associated Microsoft Account information?

I have seen many convoluted solutions on the net.

Please... NO guessing and NO "point-and-click-and-pray" solutions.

Just an honest discussion from Microsoft or the community.

Thank you,

Robert Lorbeer

*** Email address is removed for privacy ***

_________________________________________________________________

Parth P Patel replied on

• Microsoft
• Support Engineer

Hi,

Thank you for showing your interest in Windows 10.

I understand that you want to rename the local user account. I will certainly help you with this. I suggest you to try the below given steps to rename the local account name and check if it helps:

• Press Windows key + X key.
• Click on Control Panel and search and click to User Account.
• Click on Manage another account.
• Select the User Account which you want to rename.
• Click on Change the account name and provide desired name.

_______________________________________________________________

 

change admin username account

Hi
vasilisnikolo,

Are you logged in with the Microsoft account or a local account?

You can follow the steps below to change the username and check if it helps.

• Press Windows key + X key.
• Click on Control Panel.
• Under view, select large icons.
• Go to User Account.
• Click on Manage another account.
• Select the User Account for which you want to select the password.
• Click on Change the username.
• Click on Change Name button.

Hope this information is helpful.

 

How to change the Windows 10 truncated local account username without losing all the associated account information?

Does creating a local account at initial login then changing to a linked Microsoft account remedy this issue? There are some pretty annoying issues with this: for instance, network authentication requires using the 5 character truncated name to login.