Windows 10: How do I change the Windows 10 username associated with my Microsoft Account

When I add my Microsoft account to a new PC running Windows 10, it creates a folder in the C:\Users\ path. This folder has a nickname I used to go by and not my real name. When I first created my Microsoft account decades ago I used the nickname as my name when I created the account. I want to change the name that Windows 10 uses to create the local account username.

• This username is NOT my Microsoft Account display name
• This username is NOT my Xbox gamer tag
• This username is NOT my e-mail address
• This username is NOT a local account
• This username IS associated with my Microsoft account

What's funny is that when Windows 8 came out and I first discovered that my Windows username would be based off of my Microsoft account, I updated my Microsoft account to use my real name and for Windows 8 and 8.1 this worked and Windows would use my First Name when creating the local user account associated with my Microsoft Account. When I installed Windows 10 the first time, this behavior was broken and Windows 10 used, and still uses, my old nickname.


Just to help clarify, THIS is the username I want to change and this is for a MICROSOFT ACCOUNT.



:)

 

change local account username associated with a microsoft account?

My first name is "Mathew".

On all my windows 10 devices, I prefer to login using my microsoft account. (*** Email address is removed for privacy ***)

On all of these devices, the default local user name is always "mathe", missing the "w".

My home directory is "C:\Users\mathe"

This is really annoying!

I have gone through the insane steps to change this username and home directory on two of my three personal desktops/laptops, but how can I make it so the next new computer I log into uses "mathew" instead of "mathe" for the local account name?

I just reset my Hololens and found it added "mathe" here, as well.

I do not know the correct terminology to find this answer in forums. I've tried:

Change default local username for microsoft account

Change name of roaming profile

and variations on those themes.

 

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?

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.

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