How to Change a User Profile Name
Microsoft Windows user accounts have display names that are associated with them as well as lower-level folder names that appear under "C:\Documents and Settings\" or "C:\Users\" on newer versions of Windows. Unfortunately, there is no way to directly rename this folder name. Change the user profile name by creating a new user profile with the desired name and copying your personal data to it.
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Instructions
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Open the Control Panel by clicking "Start" in the lower left corner of your screen, then click "Control Panel."
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Open the User Accounts tool by clicking "User Accounts" in the Control Panel window.
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Create a new user account by clicking "Create a New Account."
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Name the user account. Type the new account name into the "Name" box, then click "Create."
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Log off and log in as a different user. Click "Start," then click "Log Off." Log in to a user account other than the ones you are renaming or renaming it to. For example, log in to the administrator user account by clicking "Administrator."
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Open Windows Explorer. Click "Start," click "All Programs," then click "Windows Explorer."
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View all files in Windows Explorer. Click the "Tools" menu at the top of the window, then click "Folder Options." Click the "View" tab in the Folder Options window, then enable "Show Hidden Files and Folders" by clicking it. Disable "Hide Protected Operating System Files" by clicking the check box next to it. Click "OK."
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Navigate to the old user name's folder. On Windows XP, click "C:\", double-click "Documents and Settings," then double-click the folder with the old user name's name. On newer versions of Windows, click "C:\", double-click "Users," then double-click the folder with the old user name's name.
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Copy the old user name's files. Hold down the "CTRL" key on your keyboard while clicking each file and folder inside the user's folder. Do not click "Ntuser.dat," "Ntuser.dat.log" or "Ntuser.ini." Click the "Edit" menu at the top of the window, then click "Copy."
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Navigate to the new user name's folder. Click the back button on the Windows Explorer toolbar, then double-click the folder with the name of the new user.
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Paste the old user name's files into the new user name's folder. Click the "Edit" menu at the top of the Windows Explorer window, then click "Paste."
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Log off and log back on as the new user. Click "Start," then click "Log Off." Click the new user name and then click the new user account name to log in to it.
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Tips & Warnings
Change the display name (but not the user profile name) of a user account by clicking "Change an Account" then "Change the Name" in the "User Accounts" control panel. This renames the visible user name on the logon screen, but not the user profile name as seen under "C:\Documents and Settings\" or "C:\Users\".
Delete the old user account with the "User Accounts" tool in the control panel if desired, but ensure your new user account has all your important data first.
