Command Center

Q. How do I change user name (rename user name) or UID under Linux operating system?

A. Use the usermod command to change user name under Linux. it modifies the system account files to reflect the changes that are specified on the command line.

Syntax is as follows
usermod -l login-name old-name

Where,

=> The name of the user will be changed from old-name to login_name. Nothing else is changed. In particular, the user's home directory name should probably be changed to
reflect the new login name.

usermod -u UID username

Where,
=> The numerical value of the user's ID (UID) . This value must be unique, unless the -o option is used. The value must be non-negative. Values between 0 and 99 are typically reserved for system accounts. Any files which the user owns and which are located in the directory tree rooted at the user's home directory will have the file user ID changed automatically. Files outside of the user's home directory must be altered
manually.
Task: Change username from tom to jerry

Type usermod command as follows:
# id tom
# usermod -l jerry tom
# id jerry
# id tom
Task: Change user tom UID from 5001 to 10000

Type usermod command as follows
# id tom
# usermod -u 10000 tom
# id tom

Read man page of usermod for more information.



killall -u old
id old
usermod -l new old
groupmod -n new old
usermod -d /home/new -m new
usermod -c “New Real Name” new
id new


Reference: http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/howto-change-rename-user-name-id/