# Windows XP question re: changing user profiles
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-question-re-changing-user-profiles/299164
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 13, 2005, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-question-re-changing-user-profiles/299164 "2005-04-13T19:16:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2005, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-question-re-changing-user-profiles/299164/1 "2005-04-13T19:16:38Z")
I basically have the exact problem this guy asked: [http://www.experts-exchange.com/Operating\_Systems/WinXP/Q\_21054627.html](http://www.experts-exchange.com/Operating_Systems/WinXP/Q_21054627.html)
I’ll just copy his text here since it’s the same problem:
\*How do I change a user name that’s under “Documents and Settings”?
If I right click and select rename, windows does not allow that folder to be renamed, giving some “security” warning.
I’ve been to control panel , but that name does not show up under “users”.\*
I need to do this for two computers here at the office. One is my boss’s, and the name is the guy who set up the computer for him, and it just kind of annoys him that it’s there, plus it’s cluttery. The other one, and the funny thing, is that before he realized that it was hard/impossible to change this, he (my boss) had set up a computer for one of the other women in the office, and as a joke set up her first/default/whatever user as “BUTTMUNCH” which as you can probably imagine, would be nice to change.
I haven’t looked at her system, but I think it’s the same as his… on his the user “Kent” (the one we don’t want) no longer shows up in the user accounts under control panel, so it’s either been renamed or deleted… but the “Kent” folder still exists under “Documents and Settings” and can’t be deleted or renamed. I assume it’s the same for the “Buttmunch” thing on the other computer…
Really we’d rather not have to reinstall Windows… please tell me there is another answer?
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### Author:  [@NillyWilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NillyWilly)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-question-re-changing-user-profiles/299164/2 "2005-04-13T23:54:26Z")
I don’t have the time to test it. But, this should work:
Create the new user.
Copy old user Documents and Settings files to new user Document and Settings
Delete old user
Delete old user Documents and Settings.
Use properties in Exploder (er Explorer) to set ownership of transferred files to new user.
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### Author:  [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2005, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-question-re-changing-user-profiles/299164/3 "2005-04-13T23:57:56Z")
The settings don’t need to be copied, we don’t care about the old settings. The “Kent” user folder under Documents and Settings _won’t delete_ and can’t be renamed. As I previously stated, the user (under user accounts) is already gone.
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### Author:  [@cheezmonger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheezmonger)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-question-re-changing-user-profiles/299164/4 "2005-04-14T04:05:17Z")
If all you care about is the stuff in the My Docs folder (or others) copy that (or those) folders to the new profile, then remove the old account via User Accounts in the Control Panel.
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### Author:  [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-question-re-changing-user-profiles/299164/5 "2005-04-14T04:15:39Z")
Using an Administrator account, you can try “taking ownership” of the folder. See [this article](http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308421&sd=tech#2). Let us know if that didn’t work…
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### Author:  [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2005, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-question-re-changing-user-profiles/299164/6 "2005-04-14T04:24:23Z")
> [@cheezmonger](#):
>
> If all you care about is the stuff in the My Docs folder (or others) copy that (or those) folders to the new profile, then remove the old account via User Accounts in the Control Panel.
Err…?? I’m not sure you even read the thread… I DO NOT care about the stuff in My Documents. And as I’ve already said (twice now), the user account is ALREADY GONE in User Accounts.
Reply: I will look into that article.