Hi, I have Windows 11 Home. I tried to change a folder name and fixed it, but now I have a problem with all my apps I can't use them. I changed my Microsoft account to a local account, and now I can't open the Microsoft account app. When I restart, I have this problem. When I click "Sign in with a Microsoft account," the app opens for only one second before closing.
I'm mostly repeating what
@antspants said, but this my advice...
There should be no problem using a Local account, instead of a Microsoft account, for your Windows login. Many members, including myself, use Windows that way and still have access to all Microsoft services. The problem(s) you're encountering is a result of renaming your user profile. That should be avoided. Many people are tempted to rename the user folder because Windows names it from the first five characters of your account name when you use a Microsoft account. But it's just a storage location. No one sees that name but you. And, as you've discovered, messing with it leads to trouble.
Possible remedies:
Option 1: Rename the folder back to what it was before. If you still have errors it may be because you now have software that also references the new name. In which case, you could try adding a symbolic link to the new name, as per step 14 of
this tutorial (swapping old and new around).
Option 2: Keep the new name and add a symbolic link to the old name, as per step 14 of
this tutorial. Many people have had success with this approach, but I prefer to start fresh (see Option 3).
Option 3: Create a new local user account (no spaces, no special characters, make it an Administrator), login with that account, move your data files from the old profile to the new profile, and reinstall any software that wasn't already installed for "all users".
