Windows 10: Help! I tried to change the name on my user folder now all my files are lost!

Hi,I wanted to rename my user folder from the default on my Windows 11 laptop and I followed a YouTube video to do it.I created a new user with admin privileges, and changed the name of my other original user in the registry editor. I then tried to change the user folder but it wouldn’t let me, saying that I can’t change it while the folder is in use even though I had already signed out of that user. So I proceeded to log back into my original user but it wouldn’t let me. I tried three times before going back to the temporary user I created to undo what I did. I then had 3 new Temp users on

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User Account folder name

Hi,

Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Community.

I understand that you are facing issues with changing the folder name under Users folder in Windows 10.

I suggest you to perform the below steps and check if it helps.

1. Open the File Explorer and double click on C drive.

2. Open Users folder from the list.

3. Click on the user name folder and then tap on F2 Key.

4. Change the name of the folder and hit on Enter Key.

5. It will ask for Administrator Permission and click on Ok.

6. Folder name will be changed.

Get back to us if you need any further assistance on Windows related issues and we will be glad to help.

 

Need help with changing name of user profile folder

I would like to change the name of the user profile folder. I have found and tried a few methods including one from Microsoft forums. None of them worked. I kept getting something about my User needing to sign out and back in again that there was a problem, so I would sign out and back in again and it didn't work. I think the reason is because Windows created a TEMP user and would log me in under that so there would be a folder named C/User/TEMP and still the original named folder of C/User/myuserfolder.

I found this on the forums here: Change Name of User Profile Folder in Windows 10 | Windows 10 Tutorials

The instructions are very similar to what I have tried. In the above post John W used safe mode. Do I need to go through all the steps again as listed in the post and then go into safe mode, or can I just use safe mode to change the folder name?

Also, are there newer instructions for how to do this with updates to Windows since the above thread was posted over a year ago?

Thanks in advance.

 

Change User Name Folders

"The change the name on the Account folder is more difficult because it is more heavily protected. See this tutorial:https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/89060-chang..."

On this link, the details show renaming another account. I'm wanting to change the Admin account. It's a good thing I had another user setup on my computer, also as an Admin, because after changing the SID in step 8. And, unable to change the name in step
11. As "Rename" wasn't in the list. I restarted the computer, since the Admin user account name was changed I was unable to load windows. I had to log into my other account, which was setup as Admin and change the SID back to the 5 letters the user name was
titled.

My computer, Admin account, works again.

I wasn't wanting to just change another account user name, which this is possible to do. I wanted to change the main user, myself.