Renaming the user account folder in Windows is not as simple as changing the display name.

If you try to rename the folder directly, you may encounter the error The action can’t be completed because the folder is open in another program.

This guide walks you through the safe way to change your Windows user account folder name while avoiding sync issues with OneDrive.

Step 1: Prepare a Temporary Administrator Account

Before making changes, create another administrator account. This ensures you won’t be locked out of your system while modifying the original account.

1. Create a new user account with administrator privileges.
2. Sign out of your current account and log into the new administrator account.

Step 2: Disconnect OneDrive

To prevent sync conflicts:

1. Click the OneDrive icon in the Windows taskbar.
2. Go to Settings > Account > Unlink this PC.
3. Sign out of OneDrive for the account you plan to rename.

Step 3: Adjust Account Privileges

1. Log into the new administrator account.
2. Change the privileges of the account you want to rename from Administrator to Standard User.

This prevents Windows from blocking modifications to the profile folder.

Step 4: Rename the User Profile Folder

Follow this detailed guide:
How to Change Name of User Profile Folder in Windows 10 (TenForums)

If you see the error The action can’t be completed because the folder is open in another program, proceed to the troubleshooting steps below.

Step 5: Resolve the “Folder in Use” Error

If the folder cannot be renamed:

1. Open Task Manager → go to the Performance tab → click Open Resource Monitor.
2. In Resource Monitor, open the CPU tab and use Associated Handles search.
3. Search for your user profile folder name.
4. Identify which processes are locking the folder and end those tasks. (You may need to restart your computer afterwards.)

Step 6: Change the Account Name via Command Prompt

1. First, rename the user profile folder manually (once the folder is no longer in use).
2. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
3. Run the following command to list user accounts:

   wmic useraccount get name
   

4. Run this command to rename the user account:

   wmic useraccount where name="current name" rename "new name"
   

5. Restart your PC.

Step 7: Re-enable OneDrive

1. Sign back into the renamed account.
2. Open OneDrive from the Start Menu.
3. Log in and select the location where you want to sync your OneDrive folder.

To Summarize

• Always create a backup or restore point before making changes.
• Ensure OneDrive is unlinked before renaming the account, otherwise sync paths may break.
• Use the temporary administrator account only as a helper. Once everything works, you can delete it or leave it as a backup.