Rename a local user account

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To rename a local user account

Open Computer Management.
In the console tree, click Users.

Where?
- Computer Management/System Tools/Local Users and Groups/Users
Right-click the user account you want to rename, and then click Rename.
Type the new user name, and then press ENTER.

Notes

To perform this procedure, you must be the member of the Power Users group who created the account or a member of the Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure. For more information, see Default local groups, Default groups, and Using Run as.
To open Computer Management, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.
Because it retains its security identifier (SID), a renamed user account retains all its other properties, such as its description, password, group memberships, user profile, account information, and any assigned permissions and user rights.
A user name cannot be identical to any other user or group name of the computer being administered. It can contain up to 20 uppercase or lowercase characters, except for the following:

" / \ [ ] : ; | = , + * ? < >

A user name cannot consist solely of periods (.) or spaces.

Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.