Windows 10 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It is the successor to Windows 8.1, which was released nearly two years earlier, and itself was released to manufacturing on July 15, 2015, and broadly released for the general public on July 29, 2015.

What does Windows 10 OS include?

Windows 10 includes online versions of OneNote, Word, Excel and PowerPoint from Microsoft Office. The online programs often have their own apps as well, including apps for Android and Apple smartphones and tablets

FEATURES OF WINDOWS 10

1. Start Menu Returns. It’s what Windows 8 detractors have been clamoring for, and Microsoft has finally brought back the Start Menu. …
2. Cortana on Desktop. Being lazy just got a lot easier. …
3. Xbox App. …
4. Project Spartan Browser. …
5. Improved Multitasking. …
6. Universal Apps. …
7. Office Apps Get Touch Support. …
8. Continuum.

Understanding user accounts

A user account allows you to sign in to your computer. By default, your computer already has one user account, which you were required to create when you set up your computer. If you plan to share your computer with others, you can create a separate user account for each person.

Why use separate user accounts?

At this point, you may be wondering why you would even need to use separate user accounts. But if you’re sharing a computer with multiple people—for example, with your family or at the office—user accounts allow everyone to save their own files, preferences, and settings without affecting other computer users. When you start your computer, you’ll be able to choose which account you want to use.

Administrator, Standard, and Managed accounts

Before you create new user accounts, it’s important to understand the different types.

• Administrator: Administrator accounts are special accounts that are used for making changes to system settings or managing other people’s accounts. They have full access to every setting on the computer. Every computer will have at least one Administrator account, and if you’re the owner you should already have a password to this account.
• Standard: Standard accounts are the basic accounts you use for normal everyday tasks. As a Standard user, you can do just about anything you would need to do, such as running software or personalizing your desktop.
• Standard with Family Safety: These are the only accounts that can have parental controls. You can create a Standard account for each child, then go to the Family Safety settings in your Control Panel to set website restrictions, time limits, and more.

Generally, it’s safer to be signed in to a Standard account than an Administrator account. If you’re logged in as an Administrator, it may actually make it easier for an unauthorized user to make changes to your computer. Therefore, you may want to create a Standard account for yourself, even if you’re not sharing the computer with anyone. You’ll still be able to make Administrator-level changes; you’ll just need to provide your Administrator password when making these changes.

Adding and managing user accounts

The process for adding and managing user accounts is quite different for each version of Windows. To learn more about adding and managing user accounts, review the appropriate lesson from these Windows tutorials:

Switching between user accounts

If you have multiple user accounts on your computer, it’s easy to switch between users without signing out or closing your current apps. Switching users will lock the current user, so you won’t need to worry about someone else accessing your account.

To switch between user accounts (Windows 10):

Click the current user icon on the left side of the Start menu, then select the desired user from the drop-down menu. The user will then need to enter a password to sign in.

How to change sign-in account name on Windows 10

On Windows 10, you may have many reasons to change an account name. For instance, you recently changed your name, and you want to reflect the correct information. The device has a local account, and you want to display your actual name instead of the nickname. Or you want to modify the name of the account to make it a little more private.

Regardless of the reason, Windows 10 includes different settings to change the name that appears in the Sign-in screen and across the experience, but it is not a straightforward process. Depending on the account type you are using, the instructions will be entirely different.

In this Windows 10 guide, we will walk you through the various methods to change the account name that appears on the Sign-in screen for a local or Microsoft account.

How to change account name with Settings on Windows 10

If the device uses a Microsoft account, Windows 10 pulls the account name from the cloud. As a result, you have to change the settings online if you want to change your device’s account name.

To change the name of the Windows 10 account, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Accounts.
3. Click on Your info.
4. Click the Manage my Microsoft account option.Source: Windows CentralQuick tip: You can always access your account settings online on this Microsoft page.
5. Sign in to your account (if applicable).
6. Click the Your Info tab.Source: Windows Central
7. Under your current name, click the Edit name option.Source: Windows Central
8. Change the new account name as needed.Source: Windows CentralQuick tip: If you want to make your information a little more private, you can use the first six letters of your name and the first two letters of your last name (often known as “six-by-two” by network administrators).
9. Confirm the challenge to verify that a robot is not making the changes.
10. Click the Save button.
11. Restart the computer.

Once you complete the steps, the Sign-in screen should reflect the new name change, but allow sometime before the changes sync and apply to all your computers.

Although changing the account name is a straightforward process, the caveat is that renaming the account online also changes the first and last name of any services connected to your Microsoft account, including Xbox Live, Outlook, OneDrive, Microsoft 365, and others.

How to change account name using Control Panel on Windows 10

When using a local account, you have several different ways to modify the account’s name using Control Panel.

Change account name with User Accounts

To change the account name using the User Accounts settings, use these steps:

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Under the “User Accounts” section, click the Change account type option.Source: Windows Central
3. Select the local account to change its name.Source: Windows Central
4. Click the Change the account name option.Source: Windows Central
5. Confirm the new account name to in the Sign-in screen.Source: Windows Central
6. Click the Change Name button.

After you complete the steps, sign-out of the current session and the Sign-in screen should display the new name.

Change account name with netplwiz

You can also use the legacy account management tool (netplwiz) to complete the same task on Windows 10.

To update the account name with netplwiz, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for netplwiz and click the top result to open the legacy account management tool.
3. Click the Users tab.
4. Select the account to change its name.
5. Click the Properties button.Source: Windows Central
6. (Optional) Update the “User name” field to change the account nickname.
7. Confirm the new name in the “Full Name” field – for example, “John Smith.”Source: Windows CentralQuick tip: If you want to display a nickname instead of your real name, you can leave the “Full Name” field empty.
8. Click the Apply button.
9. Click the OK button.
10. Click the OK button again.

Once you complete the steps, sign-out, and the Sign-in screen will show the name you specified in the “Full Name” field.

You can also edit the accounts linked to a Microsoft account with the legacy tool. However, the information will again be overwritten by the cloud settings, thus making this option only available for local profiles.

Change account name with Computer Management

To use a different name for an account on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Computer Management and click the top result to open the console.
3. Double-click to expand the System Tools branch.
4. Double-click the Local Users and Groups branch.
5. Click on Users.
6. Right-click the account you want to edit and select the Properties option.Source: Windows CentralQuick tip: You can use the Rename option to change the profile nickname from the context menu.
7. Click the General tab.
8. In the “Full name” field, confirm a new name for the Windows 10 account.Source: Windows Central
9. Click the Apply button.
10. Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, the next time you sign in to the account, the Sign-in screen will show the local account’s new name.

On Windows 10, you have several methods to change the name of an account, but any of the available options will not change the name of the profile folder in the “Users” folder. You might find online some workarounds, but it is not recommended to use those instructions, as you may end up creating other issues.

If you want to change the account name everywhere on Windows 10, you should create a new account with the name you wish to use, and then transfer all your settings and files to the newly created account.

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