What changing your login name actually does
Your Mac login name is the short username you type when you start your computer or wake it from sleep. Changing it does not affect your Apple ID, your email address, or your passwords — those stay the same. What changes is the folder where your files live (called your home directory) and the name that appears in System Settings and on shared networks.
The process itself is straightforward, but it leaves behind a folder with your old name. You can delete that folder after the change, or keep it if you have files you want to move over slowly. Either way, your new login name takes effect the next time you restart.
Key Takeaways
- Your login name and your Apple ID are separate — changing one does not change the other.
- You must be logged in as an administrator to change your own login name, or have an administrator make the change for you.
- After you change your login name, your old home folder stays on the computer until you delete it manually.
- Some apps and settings may point to your old folder path after the change, so you may need to update them.
How to change your login name in System Settings
Open System Settings and go to General, then Users & Groups (or Users & Groups directly, depending on your macOS version). Click the lock icon in the bottom left and enter your password to unlock the settings. Select your account from the list on the left.
Right-click (or Control-click) your account name and choose Advanced Options. You will see a field labeled "Account name" — this is your login name. Type the new name you want (use lowercase letters and no spaces), then click OK. Your Mac will ask you to restart for the change to take effect.
After you restart and log back in with your new login name, check your home folder to confirm the change worked. Open Finder, click Go in the menu bar, then Home — the folder path should now show your new login name instead of the old one.
What to do with your old home folder
When you change your login name, macOS leaves your old home folder on the computer. It sits in /Users/ with your old name. You can see it in Finder by clicking Go, then Computer, then Users. Your new home folder is also there with your new name.
You have two options: delete the old folder if you have already moved everything you need, or keep it temporarily while you check that all your files moved correctly. If you keep it, do not log into it or use it as your active home folder — just treat it as a storage location you can copy files from if needed.
To delete the old folder, right-click it and choose Move to Bin. You will need to enter your password because the folder contains system files. Empty the Bin afterward to free up space. If you are not sure whether you have moved everything, wait a week before deleting — it is easier to recover from Bin than from permanent deletion.
Why some apps and settings may break after the change
A few applications and settings store the full path to your home folder in their configuration files. When your home folder path changes, those apps may not find their settings or files anymore. This is most common with older apps, command-line tools, and some development software.
The easiest fix is to update the app's preferences to point to your new home folder location. Open the app, go to Preferences or Settings, and look for any field that shows a file path or folder location. Replace the old path with your new one. If you are not sure what the new path is, open Finder, go to Home, and look at the address bar — that is your new path.
If an app does not have a preferences panel for this, you may need to uninstall and reinstall it, or contact the app's support to ask how to update the folder path. Most modern apps handle this automatically, so you may not run into this problem at all.
If you cannot change your login name yourself
If you are not an administrator on your Mac, you cannot change your own login name. You will need someone with administrator access to do it for you. Ask whoever set up the computer or manages it in your household or workplace.
If you are the only person on the Mac but you do not have administrator access, you can create a new administrator account, use that account to change your login name, then delete the temporary admin account. This is more work than asking someone else, but it is possible. Go to System Settings, Users & Groups, click the lock to unlock, then click the plus sign to add a new account. Choose Administrator from the Account Type dropdown, create the account, then log out and log back in as the new admin to make the change.
Changing your login name on a work or school Mac
If your Mac is managed by your workplace or school, you may not be able to change your login name yourself. Some organizations lock this setting to keep all computers consistent across their network. Check with your IT department or help desk before you try — they may have a process for this, or they may tell you it is not allowed.
If your organization uses directory services (like Active Directory or LDAP), your login name is tied to your network account, and changing it locally will not change how you log in to network resources. In that case, you would need to contact your IT department to change your network login name, which is a separate process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will changing my login name affect my Apple ID or iCloud?
No. Your Apple ID and iCloud account are completely separate from your Mac login name. You can change your login name without touching your Apple ID, and your iCloud files, email, and settings will stay exactly the same.
Can I change my login name without restarting?
No, you must restart your Mac for the change to take effect. macOS needs to rebuild some system files that reference your login name, and that only happens during startup.
What if I forgot what my new login name is after I changed it?
Open Finder, click Go in the menu bar, then Home. Look at the address bar at the top of the window — it shows your current home folder path, which includes your login name. You can also open System Settings, Users & Groups, and look at the Account name field for your account.
Can I change my login name back to what it was before?
Yes, follow the same steps and type your old name back in. You will need to restart again. If you already deleted your old home folder, you will have a new empty one created with the old name.
What happens to my files if I change my login name?
Your files stay in your home folder and move with it. The folder itself gets a new name and path, but all your documents, downloads, desktop files, and everything else comes with you. You do not lose anything.