How to Change Profile Picture and Username in Windows?

Windows 10 allows users to sign in from the login screen by selecting a user account and password (where applicable). This allows the PC administrator to control unauthorized access to information or programs on the computer. Each profile has a username and a picture, visible from the login screen and from the Windows Start menu.

This article will take you through the process of changing the profile picture and the username in Windows 10.

Related: Change computer name in Windows 10?

How to Change User Profile Picture in Windows 10?

• Go to the Windows Start menu and right-click the profile picture or the avatar icon, if you have no picture.
• Click “Change account settings” to open the account properties in the setting app.

• Under “Your info” section, you will find the user account details displayed on the right-side panel.
• Scroll down to the “Create your picture” heading. You can choose to take a photo with the webcam or browse from your PC files.

• If you have an existing photo on your computer, go to “Browse for one”, select a photo and click the “Choose picture” button.

• Windows will automatically add and display the newly added picture on “Your info” page.

How to Change Your Profile Username in Windows 10?

In Windows 10, you can sign in with your local account or Microsoft account. In each of the case, you change the name that appears on the login screen or under your info in the user account settings.

Method 1: How to change your local account username in Control Panel

• Press the “Win + R” keys on your keyboard, type “Control” and click “Ok” to open the control panel.
• On the Control Panel, open the “Change account type” under the “User Accounts” options.

• This will list all the user profiles on your computer. Select the local account you wish to change.
• Click the link for changing the account name (first option).

• Type the new name and click the “Change Name” button.

• Windows will update the change on the list of accounts automatically.

Method 2: How to your profile username when signed in with a Microsoft account

• Go to the Start Menu click on the user account and select the “Change account settings” link.
• Click the link for managing your Microsoft account and enter your password when asked to verify.
• On your Microsoft profile page, click the “More Actions” arrow and select “Edit profile”

• You can access the same page by switching to the “Your info” tab at the top of the page.
• Click “Edit Name”, enter your first and last name, the security code and then click the “Save” button.

• You can also change the MS account profile picture from here. Click “Change Picture” on the left side of the screen.
• Browser for a picture in your local files, resize the picture and click “Save”.

• When you sign in to Windows, your computer will automatically download and display the new Microsoft Account details (name and picture).

Method 3: How to Change your profile username in Windows 10 User Account Manager

• Press “Win + R” to open the Run utility, type “netplwiz” and then click “Ok” to open the User Account Manager.
• Select the username from the list and go to its “Properties”.

• Change the “Username” field to your preferred short username and for the “Full name” enter the name that you want to be displayed on the sign-in screen.
• Click “Apply” and then “Ok” to confirm the change.

• Then click the “Ok” button on the Accounts Manager window to exit.
• Windows will display the name you entered in the “Full name” text field on the user accounts list.

Note: Changing the profile username in Windows 10 may create some confusion and compromise your user experience, since the change does not apply to user folder in “C:\Users”.

• To prevent the problem you need to edit the registry to change the User Profile Folder path.
• Open the Registry editor by running “regedit” command in Run, and follow the following path “Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList” and expand the “ProfileList” folder.
• Click through the various sub-keys to find the “ProfileImagePath” for the account you want to change.

• Double-click the key and replace the old profile name with the new one in the path.

• Click “Ok” to save the changes, exit the Registry editor and restart your computer.

Conclusion

You can change the sign-in username and profile picture from either the windows settings or the Windows User Account Manager. However, if you are signed in with a Microsoft profile, you will have to access your account online and make the changes. In both cases, your new name and picture will display on your computer login screen and the Start menu. Remember to edit the profile user folder to avoid problems when working with Windows 10.