[6 Methods] How to Change Account Name in Windows 11

What is the account name in Windows 11?

An account name, often called a username, login ID, or user ID, is a key identifier associated with a user profile or account on the system. It acts as a gateway to log into your computer and access your personalized settings, files, and applications.

After you set up a user account in Windows 11, you can establish a username as the account name. This username is important during the login process and appears in different parts of the operating system, including the login screen, user folders, and specific settings.

The flexibility is that you can easily change account name Windows 11, whether you use a local account or a Microsoft account. If you're tired of using the same username for so long or you were assigned a random username during the account creation process, Windows 11 change user name in an easy manner.

How to change account name in Windows 11

To change local account name Windows 11, the initial 5 methods outlined below are suitable options. However, if the goal is to change your Microsoft account username, the most straightforward approach is to take the last option: change your account name on the Microsoft website.

Option 1. Change account name with Control Panel

Control Panel acts as a central hub within the Windows operating system, allowing users to customize the operating system, from changing its appearance to configuring connected hardware. This versatile tool can effectively manage user accounts, including the option to Windows change account name.

To change local account name Windows 11 using the control panel, follow these steps:

Step 1. Type "Control Panel" in Windows Search to open Control Panel.

Step 2. Make sure "Category" is selected from the "View by:" drop-down menu.

Step 3. Navigate to "User Accounts".

Step 4. Click "Change your account name".

Step 5. Confirm by selecting "Yes" in the User Account Control (UAC) window.

Step 6. Enter your desired new username in the "New account name" field. Click "Change Name" to continue.

Option 2. Change account name with Settings

Here is the second way to easily change account name Windows 11 using the Settings tool. The picture-detailed steps are listed below:

Step 1. Press the "Windows + I" keys to quickly open Windows 11 settings.

Step 2. In the left pane of Settings, select "Accounts". In the right pane, select "Your Info". Scroll down and click "Accounts > Manage my accounts" under the "Related settings" section.

Step 3. Use Microsoft Edge to open the link provided and log in with your account.

Step 4. Select the "Your info" tab and click "Edit name".

Step 5. In the pop-up window, enter your new name and complete the Captcha verification code on the page. Click "Save".

Step 6. Wait for the system to process the changes and verify the updated account name in Settings.

Option 3. Change account name with Netplwiz

There is another easy-to-use approach to accessing the User Accounts settings: "netplwiz". This command simplifies the process of changing usernames in Windows by providing direct access to the dedicated account management panel. Proceed as follows:

Step 1. Press the "Win + R" keys to open the "Run" command.

Step 2. Type "netplwiz" in the Run box and press "Enter".

Step 3. When prompted by the User Account Control (UAC) window, click "Yes".

Step 4. In the "User Accounts" window, select the specific user account whose username needs to be changed. Click "Properties".

Step 5. In the "General" tab, find your current username. Replace it with your desired new username.

Step 6. After entering your new username, click "Apply" and "OK".

After completing these steps, log out of your account. After logging back in, you'll see your newly updated username on the login screen.

Option 4. Change account name with PowerShell

Windows PowerShell is an automation engine designed primarily for IT administrators, providing versatility suitable for users without programming expertise. It provides an easy way to change account name Windows 11. That's it:

Step 1. Open the Windows PowerShell app by typing "Windows PowerShell" in Windows Search.

Step 2. Enter the command "Get-LocalUser" and press "Enter" to identify your current username

Step 3. Enter the command Rename-LocalUser -Name "your current username" -NewName "the new username" along with your current and desired username.

Step 4. Press "Enter" after entering the command.

After following these steps, log out of your account and log in again. This procedure allows you to implement new usernames using Windows PowerShell, providing an alternative to modifying usernames in Windows.

Option 5. Change account name with Command Prompt

Apart from the previous methods, you can also perform Windows 11 change account name using Command Prompt.

Step 1. Press the "Window + R" keys to open the Run window.

Step 2. Type "CMD," press "Ctrl + Shift + Enter" to run Command Prompt as Administrator.

Step 3. Type "wmic useraccount get name" and press "Enter" to display a list of all user accounts on the computer.

Tip: For full name, use command: "wmic useraccount get fullname, name".

Step 4. Type "wmic useraccount where name='Sophia' rename Sherry". (Replace "Sophia" with your old account name; Replace "Sherry" with your new account name.) Then press "Enter" to execute the command.

After the account name has been changed successfully, close the command prompt and restart the computer for the changes to take effect.

Option 6. Change account name on the Microsoft website

To modify a username linked to a Microsoft account, the process involves updating your profile information on the Microsoft website. In this order:

Step 1. Visit your account page on the Microsoft website.

Step 2. Sign in to your Microsoft account if you're not already logged in.

Step 3. Find your "Your info" menu.

Step 4. Click the "Edit Name" button.

Step 5. Replace your current username with your desired new username.

Step 6. Click "Save" to apply changes.

Please note that changes to your Microsoft account username may not take effect immediately. Unlike other methods where logging out is usually sufficient, changing the username for a Microsoft account may require a device restart to ensure the updated username displays correctly.

Further reading: How to change account password in Windows 11

Apart from the account name, the password is the other key part of a Windows Local or Administrator account. Only the correct username and password combination can authorize you to access and make changes to your computer.

In the modern days, the security of personal information is at the top of the list, and regularly updating passwords is a critical step in data protection across devices and online accounts. Since we've already discussed how to change account name on Windows 11, this comprehensive guide will walk you through how to change your Windows 11 password as well.

Change account password with Settings

Resetting your account password on a Windows 11 computer is easy. Just follow these steps:

Step 1. Click the "Start" button in the lower-left corner of the screen and select "Settings" from the menu.

Step 2. In the "Settings" menu, navigate to "Sign-in options" > "Password" > "Change".

Step 3. Enter your "Current password" and click "Next".

Step 4. Set your "New password", "Confirm password", and "Password hint". Click "Next".

Step 5. Click on "Finish".

Your Windows 11 account password change is now completed. For the changes to take effect, please restart your device.

Change account name via password reset app

Changing the account name via the previously mentioned method requires logging into the Windows system and providing a current password. But what if you forget your account password and can't access your computer?

No need to worry. In this case, consider using the reliable AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional to reset the password. This tool can create a bootable USB for effective password reset. The "Reset Windows Password" feature extends its support to all Windows PC brands and versions.

Furthermore, in addition to the password reset feature, the tool also offers multiple features such as disk cloning, partition resizing, disk conversion (MBR/GPT), application moving, and disk speed test.

Here are the instructions for resetting a forgotten password using AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional Edition:

★Tips:

Prepare a USB flash drive to create a password reset USB flash drive.

Remember that all data on the USB will be erased. Back up important files in advance.

Step 1. Plug the USB into another working laptop, install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional.

Step 2. Access "Tools" > "Reset Windows Password" in the software.

Step 3. Follow the prompts to create a bootable USB. Click "Next" to continue.

Step 4. Select the specified USB boot device and click "Proceed".

Step 5. Confirm to delete the USB data to create a bootable device.

Step 6. Once the password reset USB is created, click "Finish".

Step 7. Unplug the USB and plug it into your computer and restart. Change the boot order to make your PC boot from the USB.

Step 8. After booting into the PC, the AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional will open automatically. Please click "Reset Password" again, select the target, and click "Next".

Step 9. Select the target account, select "Reset Account Password", and click "Next".

Step 10. Set a new password, and click "Yes".

Step 11. Restart the computer to implement the changes.

This method provides an alternative way to change the account password when you cannot log in to Windows, providing a powerful solution through a series of features of AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional.

Conclusion

In summary, this comprehensive guide covers 6 ways to change account name Windows 11, complemented by two solutions for changing your account password, with an emphasis on protecting personal information and ensuring authorized data access.

For changing account passwords without logging into the Windows operating system, a reliable password manager like AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional proves to be a valuable resource.

In situations where you need to reset a password on a Windows Server computer that does not have login access, or when advanced functionality is required, the Server Edition of this multi-function tool provides a suitable solution.