Renaming the User folder (Microsoft account)

[DR M]

Time for a new topic. :)

I am helping a lady who recently bought a new computer. She signed in for a first time with a Microsoft account, and we all know that by default Windows takes the first 5 characters of the email used to name the User folder in C.

If she was signed in with a local account, she could put any name she wanted and then move to a Microsoft account with that name.

But what is happening now?

I had that problem of renaming my User folder some years ago and it was a pain.

Now, from what I read, I see that this could help, but I am not sure, and if you have any advice I would appreciate.

1. Create a new local account with admin privileges and the name she wants.
2. Sign in with that account.
3. Go to the Microsoft account and copy Documents, Pictures, Videos and AppData.
4. Paste the above to the new account.
5. Delete the Microsoft account.
6. Sign in with a Microsoft account, keeping the name she already has for the new account.

It is risky and I am not sure if it works.

What do you say?

Opinions?

[Corrine]

Personally, I don't understand or see the need to rename the user folder.  I would also point out that it is risky to do so and could result in loss of data if done incorrectly.  It also isn't a one-step process. 

Although I haven't tested this myself so cannot verify the results, I did see the same procedure written at several sites.  This one appears to be nicely illustrated:  How to Change the User Folder Name in Windows 10].

Important:  If she decides to proceed with the change, I strongly recommend creating a System Restore Point first.

[winchester73]

+1

[plodr]

A wee bit OT question.
My husband doesn't have a MS email account so if I bought a new laptop for him with Windows 11, I'd have to open a MS email account for him before he could use the laptop?

For me, I'm done with Windows. Between my chromebook and 10" android tablet, I can do the little I need to do.

[Corrine]

No, a Microsoft email account isn't required for a Microsoft account.  In fact, if a person changes their primary email address for one reason or another, they can also change the email address associated with their Microsoft account.  (See Change the email address or phone number for your Microsoft account.

[DR M]

+1

+1000 actually, as always.  :)

Corrine,

I passed your advice along and, as a result, the lady is leaving the user folder name as it is. Although she doesn't like that.  :D

[Corrine]

Thank you, Panos, for letting me know her decision not to attempt changing the folder name.  I was surprised by the name of the user folder when I got my new laptop since previous devices used my name from my Microsoft Account but got used to it after a while so it doesn't bother me now.

[plodr]

So, if I understand correctly, if one has a desktop and a laptop and uses the same email on both then the user folder on both devices would be exactly the same. Truthfully, I wouldn't like that. All our computers have different usernames.

[Corrine]

This isn't something new with Windows 11.  It started quite a few years ago.  See, for example, this reddit discussion: Windows use first 5 letters of our e-mail addresses as the name of our user account folders. Please can you give us an option to change it?. 

As to having the same username on two devices using the same Microsoft Account, when I had two PC's, both my laptop and desktop had the same username folder.