Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Changing Your Name.

Changing Your Name

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 28, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365

When you first install Excel, it asks you for your name so it can personalize the registration for your program. It also writes your name into the user area. This information is used in various places by Excel, such as in the workbook properties area. If you need to change your name, follow these steps:

  1. Display the Excel Options dialog box. (In Excel 2007 click the Office button and then click Excel Options. In Excel 2010 or later versions display the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options.)
  2. Make sure the Popular option (Excel 2007) or General option (Excel 2010 or later versions) is selected at the left of the dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

    3. Figure 1. The General options of the Excel Options dialog box.

  3. Change the information in the User Name box, as desired.
  4. Click on OK.

Changing this setting has an additional consequence: On any workbooks you create in the future, whatever you enter into the User Name field ends up in the Author workbook property. The change won't modify the Author property for any existing workbooks, including the one you have open when you change the User Name field.

If you are using the version of Excel provided with Microsoft 365, it should also be noted that changing the User Name field doesn't change your Microsoft 365 account name. That must be done within your Microsoft account directly.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (7555) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Changing Your Name.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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