Change My Home Directory Name to Match My Short Name

Somewhere in the process of Migration and Setup Assistant accross 3 computers, I need to change my home folder name to match my shortname. It is getting a little confusing to have two short "names."
My home folder is - admin
My short name is - bobbyv
I would like tho change my home folder to bobbyv
The admin account as you can guess is root, i have two other accounts, one that is admin and one that is not. I know about the advanced options in the accounts preference pane, but I do not want to change in without knowing what I'm doing because I do not want to have an empty and clean new home folder, my data is important.
Thanks everyone.

Changing the short name is possible, but it is rather involved. Search for "change short name" on this site. It's easiest to create a new account and then transfer your data to that account.

Similar Messages

  • How to change users home directory home folder name?

    Is there a way in Mountain Lion to simply change the name of the home directory home folder name without it throwing off anything else for that particular user?
    I read the article about 'Enabling and using the "root" user', but it specifically says for 'Lion' and not 'Mountain Lion'
    When I get to step 8 there is no clear place to enter an adminstator account name and password so I can't go any further.
    I also did a quick test with a newly created user and after setting some preferences and customizing the desktop, I changed the home directory name and I pretty much lost all my preferences after logging back in. It's as if changing the home directory name in any way shape or form literally wipes out the previous user and you have to start anew.
    I don't want to risk changing the home directory name and end up losing essentially my whole user setup, but I really want a different name for my home directory and I don't want anything else to change. Is this possible?
    Thanks

    Hi Blastic,
    I'm trying to do the same thing.  I did follow Apple's instructions and while they are easy to follow.....I was unable to rename the folder as described  (clicking on it or pressing enter).  I did enable root user, I did log out and re-log in as root user.....and I got stopped.  I simply could not rename the folder as per Apple's instructions and ther is NOTHING on the internet about it......save for your beacon of light!  Thanks for the post.  I'm using 13 inch MacBookPro Mid 2010 2.4 GHz, Intel Core 2 Duo, 8GB ram, OS 10.8

  • User account name and home directory name do not match

    A month ago I bought the latest iMac and used Migration assistant to migrate all of my data on over.
    Everything went well... Except that my new iMac would not let me use my old user name. I had to create somethign else.
    So my user (admin) account name is not the same as my Home directory name. (I only have 1 user account and 1 user Home directory... they both are named differently).
    This has not caused problems, but I want to iron this out. I tried using System Preferences/Users and groups to change my user account name to match the name of my home directory name (which has my old user name)... but when I did that it said "Name not available".
    Long time Mac user but I'm not comfortable doing anything deeper without some input & advice.
    Thanks in advance!

    I enable the Root user as outlined in the Apple Way instructions...logged out and loged in as the rooot user... but I really don't want to change the name of my user directory... That's the name I want to keep as a User.
    Even logged in as a Root User...
    I tried to change my current User Name to match by directory name, but it said Name is Not Available
    I also tried to create a new User name that matches my directory name...same results Name is Not Available
    Is there a sudo entry that will change the User to match my Directory name (which I want to keep and use)?
    Thank in advance!

  • How to change the "short name (account name?)" and home directory name?

    Hi,
    I recently purchased a new iMac and migrated account info from my MacBook Pro.  I happened to use random account name during migration without knowing it will not be easy to change the short name (account name?) and home directory name.  As a result, I am now having extremely confusing short name and home directory name on my new iMac.
    I did online search to find out how to change the two names, but I could only found somethig like "enabiling root user and....."  I have no idea what it was talking about and I don't want to take risk altering such advance set up manually.
    Please advice how I can change the short name and home directory name safely without much PC knowledge.
    Thank you very much in advance.

    There are a few ways of doing this. The easiest method is logging into the first account and copying everything to an external drive (or flash drive or whatever), which changes the permissions so that others can see the files.
    Then, login with the new account and copy the files over. Once they are copied, the correct permissions will be applied again (so other people on your computer can't access them).
    If you can't do this method for one reason or other, you can do some terminal commands to change the ownership of the files. Login to the new account. If it is an admin account, open terminal and type the following command:
    sudo chown -R -v yourusername:admin /Users/originalaccountnamehere
    That should change the ownership of the files from your old account to the new one. At that point, you can simply drag the files into place.

  • How do I change home directory name?

    In FINDER, the home directory name is from an old employee. How can I change it?

    Log out and then into a different user account, or create one from System Preferences. If so desired, control-click the account in the Accounts or Users & Groups pane of System Preferences, choose Advanced Options, and change the name and home properties; if the computer happens to be running Mac OS X 10.4, the instructions are significantly different.
    (71132)

  • How to change Home Directory name

    I'm giving my daughter my old MacBook (OS 10.6.3) and want to change the home directory to her name, so that it looks like it's her computer and not mine.
    Do I have to wipe the laptop and reinstall system and other software, or can I delete my old account and make hers the "My Account" or Home or however it is called. Would that have potentially devastating consequences for Privileges, for example?
    Changing the Home User name to hers in the Accounts Preferences window had no effect on the Users directory (in the Finder).
    The problem my be nothing more than cosmetic, but I'd like her to see her name as a user and not mine (she is a teenager, after all)
    Thank you.

    Hi
    The simplest solution is to add a new Admin account for her, log out from your user, log in as her user, and delete your old user in System Preferences. When you delete your account you'll have the option to save the files in an archive file or delete immediately (which will irrevocably delete all files) - so make sure you have backed up or moved any files you want to keep (music, pictures, etc).
    Matt

  • I want to change my home directory/computer name

    i want to change my home directory/computer name

    How to change user account name or home directory name:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1428
    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3872

  • Changed shortname and home directory name and don't know how to set it back

    so i changed my short name and home directory name because i bought the macbook used and i was trying to rename it to my name.
    Like all the others now the desktops back to default without any of my files/music, i know its still here its in the old account folder how do i just reverse this so i can have my desktop and everything back.
    heres what it is like:
    my users folder there is a home icon called "Josh" which is my name, then there is a folder icon called "nick" which is the old name and it contains all my files etc. then a shared folder icon.
    what do i do?
    p.s. i tried the method of adding "_new" onto the home icon called Josh and it said i couldn't change it because its part of Mac OS X or something...

    if you bought a used computer the first thing you should do is reformat the hard drive and reinstall the OS. anything else is less than prudent. it will also let you name your computer and your user as you like.

  • Need some help changing the Home icon name in Lion

    OK, I want to change the home icon name in Lion, I've been following these instructions to enable root user, BUT
    How to enable the root user
    OS X Lion
    From the Apple menu choose System Preferences....
    From the View menu choose Users & Groups.
    Click the lock and authenticate as an administrator account.
    Click Login Options....
    Click the "Edit..." or "Join..." button at the bottom right.
    Click the "Open Directory Utility..." button.
    Click the lock in the Directory Utility window.
    Enter an administrator account name and password, then click OK.
    Choose Enable Root User from the Edit menu.
    Enter the root password you wish to use in both the Password and Verify fields, then click OK.
    After I get to step 6, the director utility opens... the lock is already unlocked, I click it and it locks, click it again, enter my admin password... but there is no option to "Enable Root User" I only see a list of services "Active Directory", "LDAPv3" & "NIS". I'm lost, and I don't want to screw anything up here! Thanks for the help!
    Dan O

    You're looking in the wrong place. After you click the padlock, forget about that window and go to the menubar, top of your screen where it says
    Directory Utility | File | Edit | Help
    From the Edit menu choose 'enable root user'
    Message was edited by: softwater

  • I traded for a mac; how can I change the home folder name?

         Well I traded a PC for my first iMac and well...... I love it.
    1.  I'm running into a little problem though; I can't seem to change the home folder name to my name.  Although I know it doesn't affect any of the operation of the system or my settings, it psychologically upsets me. 
    2.  Also, is there a way to assign my Apple ID to the computer or does that not matter either? 
    3.  I also see a little lag when trying to connect to the web, but once I do get on it seems pretty beefy, any suggestable reasons? 
    4.  And the final question, did I make the right decision? I traded a Sony Vaio S series tablet (laptop/PC) with an Intel core i5 @ 2.30ghz for an iMac with an Intel Duo Core processor @ 3.06ghz. I've heard the numbers don't really matter but some clarification would help.

    Trying to address some of your questions:
    You state you are running Mountain Lion? Was that the original OS on the Mac? That is very important because:
    a) if it was, the seller/trader needed to transfer the Mountain Lion license to you or it will stay with his Apple ID;
    b) if he purchased ML, he is required to uninstall it before selling the machine because the license is not transferable, which means - again - that it is tied to his Apple ID (along with the machine ID).
    Both/either can present some problems for you since ML is now tied to someone else's Apple ID. If you manage to "introduce" your Apple ID, it will no longer match the records MAS (Mac App Store) has, so updates or other purchases may present problems.
    I would suggest that you either call Apple or book an appointment at the nearest Genius Bar and ask them how to proceed - that way you may be able to set up your own Apple ID on the machine as well as get ML registered as yours (although, as explained above, they may require you to purchase it for yourself).
    Whether or not you made the right decision - well, I've never owned a Windows machine, so I can't answer your question since I have nothing to compare it with. Obviously, I use Macs...... you should be able to run your own test: just do what you normally do and see if it appears to take about the same time, is faster, or is slower.

  • How do I change the Home file name back to Home?

    Help! - How do I change the Home file name back to Home? My supplier changed it to Demo. I've tried pressing return, control click and Get Info but none gives access to change the name. Any ideas?

    The Home folder isn't named "Home." It is named for the user account it represents.
    Who is your "supplier?" Sounds like they're not terribly bright.
    Can you provide some details on why they "changed" it. Is this a brand new Mac? Were you having information transferred from another computer?
    It sounds like you just need to create a new account and get rid of "Demo."
    While logged into the "Demo" account, go to System Preferences in the Apple Menu.
    Click on Users & Groups
    If the padlock is locked, click on it and enter your password.
    Click the + button at the bottom of the list of users. This will create a new account. Fill in the information you'd like to use for your account. The account name is what will be used for the "Home" folder.
    Once created, select it from the list and check the box to "Allow user to administer this computer."
    You can then log out of "Demo" and log in as your new user. If there is nothing in the Demo account that you want, you can delete it from the Users & Groups System Pref.

  • HT2470 I need to change the home folder name. I just bought this mac today and my cousin put his name in because he had to back up his phone while we were still at the store so he could get a new phone and now my brand new imac says his name in the home f

    I need to change the home folder name. I just bought this mac today and my cousin put his name in because he had to back up his phone while we were still at the store so he could get a new phone and now my brand new imac says his name in the home folder. This is very frustrating. I would not have let him put his name in there if I didn't think you could change it. Someone please help!

    Delete his user account and create your own, using your name.

  • Change the home directory from terminal for another copy of the OS.

    Mac Mini OS X 10.8.1
    Main drive for OS Vertex 4 SSD
    Data on other Drive Seagate Goflex Thunderblot 3TB on a 1 TB Partition.
    Backup of both Main drive and Data drive on a 3rd drive.
    When i boot into the back it uses the data from the thunder bolt drive and not the data drive backup.
    If the orginial data drive ever became damaged and i need to point to the other data backup drive can this be done from terminal on another boot drive.
    let says Drive A is the OS X 10.8
    Drive B is the main data drive.
    Drive C has 2 partition C1 for OS X and C2 for Data backup.
    When booting from Drive C it gets its data from Drive B because its a clone of A.
    If drive B becomes dmaged I will not be able to boot from drive C. ( This has happend )
    With a Clean install on drive D I can boot. How can i use terminal to Tell Drive C1 to use data from C2 instead of Drive B?
    Hope I explained this well.

    Can you explain exactly what "the issue" is?
    You can use dscl from the command line to change a home directory (as described in this hint), but that still requires you to be using that startup volume. Hence, it is no different than using System Preferences. If System Preferences won't work for you, then dscl probably wouldn't either.

  • How can I change my "Home directory" folder name?

    Hello, everyone.
    I was given a pre-owned MacBook Pro that's running OS 10.6.8.  How can I change the name on the Home directory folder?  I was able to change the Administrator Account settings, but the Home directory still shows the previous owner's name.  It bothers me a bit, though, to see the previous owner's name still come up on the Home folder.
    I came across the instruction listed below, but I can't get past step 4.  It instructs me "rename it just like I would rename any folder."  I can't seem to rename it, though.  The cursor doesn't come up when I click on the folder name.
    For Mac OS X v10.5 or later
    Enable the root user.
    Log in as root.
    Navigate to the /Users folder.
    Select the Home folder with the short name you want to change, and rename it just like you would rename any folder. Keep in mind that the shortname must be all lowercase, with no spaces, and only contain letters.
    Use the Users & Groups pane (Accounts pane in Mac OS X v10.6.8 or earlier) in System Preferences to create a new user with the Account name or Short Name that you used in the previous step.
    Click OK when "A folder in the Users folder already has the name 'account name'. Would you like to use that folder as the Home folder for this user account?" appears. Note: This will correct the ownership of all files in the Home folder, and avoid permissions issues with the contents.
    Choose Log Out from the Apple menu.
    Log in as the newly created user. You should be able to access all of your original files (on the desktop, in Documents, and in the other folders of this Home).
    After verifying that your data is as expected, you can delete the original user account via the Users & Groups pane (Accounts pane in Mac OS X v10.6.8 or earlier).
    Disable the root user.
    Any help would be much appreciated.

    Hi everyone,
    I followed this https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3872
    and got to the stage of having renamed my Home folder with the new name but the Home folder is STILL designated to the old name?
    When I try and create a new user with the new name, I don't get asked if I'd like to use the existing name as Home folder, I get told I can't use the newname because it exists already - thats the end of it - no further options.
    So to clarify - I now have oldname folder STILL assigned as Home folder. A newname folder with all my stuff in - apps, desktop, etc etc but this is just another user folder.
    Interestingly at login stage, the oldname folder isn't an option. I think I've confused the system somewhere by titling things differently at some stage in an attempt to rename Home folder.
    I'm running Mountain Lion (as of yesterday) and because I've kinda lost the use of my User folder as the Home folder, can't get to my Time Machine. I'm in trouble but I'm trying not to panic. Would appreciate any help!
    Laurie

  • Changing home directory name

    Hello,
    I have a macbook OS X version 10.7.5
    I bought this computer years ago used and am yet to figure out how to change the directory name.
    Help would be greatly appreciated.
    Thanks!

    Open the Users & Groups pane of System Preferences, unlock it, control-click your account, choose Advanced Options, and change it.
    (102663)

Maybe you are looking for