User name different that file explorer name

It's possible to have the file explorer user name be one thing, and the user account name be another. In the case you want them to be different (not suggesting that is a good idea), does each one have its own environment variable. Can you programmatically determine the name that file explorer is using if it's not the same as %USERNAME%?

Hello,

The default is for Windows to use the first five letters of your Microsoft Account as the User name. You can add new users to the computer, or you can change the existing Account name or change the folder name. Please follow these Forum tutorials for how to make those changes:
Change User Account Name in Windows 11

Change Name of User Profile Folder in Windows 11

Atom said:

It's possible to have the file explorer user name be one thing, and the user account name be another

Click to expand...

Yes

Atom said:

does each one have its own environment variable

Click to expand...

No, it's more complicated than that.

Atom said:

Can you programmatically determine the name that file explorer is using if it's not the same as %USERNAME%?

Click to expand...

Unless you have stepped in and changed account setup, it will be %USERNAME%
For a procedure, please see From FullName-Name through SID to UserFolderPath [my post #12] - TenForums


Denis

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Thanks for all the helpful replies. I don't like that MS forces you to use a particular user name when you install Windows11. I have 4 or 5 windows computers in my home office and having each one with the same Windows user name would not work for me. I also do not like how sticky OneDrive is. I don't use it or want to use it and getting rid of it is not as straightforward as I would like. It should be something you can add if you want but should not be installed automatically.

If you use the Clean install tutorial procedure then you can create a local account with a name of your own choosing.
You can later convert that into an MSAccount-linked user account if you want and the C:\Users\Username folder path will not change.

Clean Install Windows 11 - ElevenForumTutorials


Denis

What Denis said. Using a local account gives you much more control. OneDrive will not automatically start syncing and your folder name will match your username. Stick to a single word username. Windows will allow a space, but a space in your user folder name can trip up some software.

You can create a local username at build time by entering something like "a" for the email and password. You will then get prompted to create a local account.

Any existing Windows login account can be switched to a local account by creating a new local account, logging in with that account, and then moving files from old to new folders. Do not attempt to rename an existing account folder name, regardless of what any tutorials say. It usually goes sideways.