In Mac OS X, how do I rename my OS X account?

To properly change the name of your account on your Mac OS X computer, you need to create a new OS X account using the new name, delete your old account, and then transfer the files and directories from the old account to the new account.

To create your new OS X account, see In Mac OS X, how do I create and delete users?

Once you have created your new OS X account, delete your old account:

1. From the Apple menu, select Log Out... or Log Out username... , where username is your OS X username, to log out of your current account.
   
   
2. When the login window appears, select your new OS X account and log into it.
   
   
3. From the Apple menu, select System Preferences... .
   
   
4. From the View menu, select Accounts.
   
   
5. Select your old OS X account from the list, and in OS X 10.3.x, under the list of accounts, click - (the minus sign). In OS X 10.2.x and earlier, click Delete User... .
   
   
6. Click OK to delete the account. The files and directories will be moved to the Deleted Users folder.

To move the files and directories into your new account:

1. With the Finder active, from the Go menu, select Go to Folder... .
   
   
2. In the window that opens, in the "Go to folder:" field, type /Users/Deleted Users/ and click Go.
   
   
3. You should see a file whose name resembles the account name you just deleted, followed by .dmg. Double-click this file to open it and mount the disk image.
   
   
4. In that same window, click the icon of a house, labeled with your OS X account username (10.3.x) or Home (10.2.x and earlier). This is your home directory for your new OS X account.
   
   
5. When the disk image has mounted, select all the files and directories inside and drag them to your home directory.

Note: Although most of your preferences and settings will be transferred properly, you may need to reset some general system preferences, such as Dock and Finder preferences.

Also see:

• In Mac OS X, how do I create and delete users?
• In Mac OS X, how do I transfer files between two OS X accounts?
• In Mac OS X, what is fast user switching, and how do I use it?