Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Changing Your Name.

Changing Your Name

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 12, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

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. Choose Options from the Tools menu. Excel displays the Options dialog box.
  2. Make sure the General tab is selected. (See Figure 1.)

    3. Figure 1. The General tab of the Options dialog box.

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

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2735) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) 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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