The fastest way to find your username

Your PC username appears in the bottom left corner of the Windows login screen before you type your password. If you are already logged in, the quickest way to see it is to open the Start menu and look at the top left — your username and profile picture are displayed there. On a Mac, click the Apple menu in the top left, select System Settings, then click General. Your account name appears under the "About" section.

If you need to know your username for a work computer or shared device, you can also find it by opening a command window. On Windows, press the Windows key and R together, type cmd, and press Enter. Type whoami and press Enter — your username will appear on the next line in the format COMPUTERNAME\username. The part after the backslash is your actual username.

Key Takeaways

  • Your Windows username shows in the Start menu at the top left whenever you are logged in.
  • On a Mac, your account name is in System Settings under General, then About.
  • You can type whoami in the Windows Command Prompt to see your username when ready.
  • The username is different from your display name — the display name is what shows on the login screen, but the username is what the system uses internally.

Finding your username in Windows Settings

Open the Start menu and click Settings (the gear icon). Go to Accounts on the left side, then select Your info. The top of the page shows your account name and profile picture. This is the name Windows uses to identify your account on this computer.

If you see a Microsoft account email address instead of a straightforward username, your account is linked to a Microsoft account. The actual username Windows uses internally may be different from the email. To see the local username the system recognizes, use the Command Prompt method described above — it will show you the exact name the computer uses for file permissions and network access.

Finding your username on a Mac

Click the Apple menu in the top left corner and select System Settings. Click General in the left sidebar. Near the top of the window, you will see "About" — your account name appears there. This is the short name your Mac uses for your account folder and system functions.

If you want to see the full technical name your Mac uses, open the Terminal process (search for it in Spotlight by pressing Command and Space). Type whoami and press Enter. The output shows your account's short name exactly as the system recognizes it. You can also type id -un to see the same information.

Why you might need your username

Your username is required when you set up network access, connect to shared folders on a work network, or troubleshoot permission problems on your computer. If someone asks for your "username" when you are setting up software or accessing a shared drive, they are asking for this account name, not your email address or display name.

Some programs store files in a folder named after your username, usually in a location like C:\Users\username on Windows or /Users/username on a Mac. If you are trying to find where a program saved your files, knowing your exact username helps you navigate to the right folder.

The difference between username, display name, and email

Your username is the technical name your computer uses to identify your account. Your display name is what appears on the login screen and in the Start menu — you can change this without changing your username. Your email address is what you use to sign in if your account is linked to Microsoft or Apple.

On a work computer, your username might be something like "jsmith" while your display name is "John Smith" and your email is "john.smith@company.com". All three are different. When a program asks for your username, it wants the short technical name, not the email or the display name.

What to do if you cannot find your username

If you are locked out of your computer and cannot see the login screen, restart the computer and watch carefully as it boots. The username appears on the login screen before you enter your password. If you have a Microsoft account and forgot the username, you can recover it by going to account.microsoft.com on another device and signing in with your email address.

On a work computer, contact your IT department or help desk — they have a record of your username and can tell you what it is. Do not assume it matches your email address or your display name, because many organizations use different naming systems for each.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my username the same as my email address?

Not necessarily. If your account is linked to a Microsoft account, your email is what you use to sign in, but your local username may be different. Use the Command Prompt or Settings to see your actual username — it is the name Windows uses internally for your account folder and file permissions.

Can I change my username?

On Windows, you can change your display name easily in Settings under Accounts. Changing your actual local username is more complicated and requires administrator access. On a Mac, you can change your display name in System Settings, but changing the account short name requires more steps. For most purposes, changing your display name is sufficient.

Why does the Command Prompt show my username with a backslash and computer name?

The format COMPUTERNAME\username tells you both the name of your computer and your username on that computer. The part before the backslash is your computer's name, and the part after is your username. If you are on a network, this format makes it clear which account on which machine is being used.

What if I see a different name in Settings than in the Command Prompt?

This usually means your display name (what shows in Settings and the Start menu) is different from your local username (what the system uses internally). The Command Prompt shows the technical username. Both are correct — they serve different purposes. Use the technical username when you need to access files or set permissions.