linuxmint / linuxmint/cinnamon
Feature Request: Add 'Rename User' option to Users & Groups settings
Nobody has claimed this yet.
- Dominant language
- JavaScript
- Stars
- 5.6k
- Forks
- 915
- Avg merge
- 5d 22h
- Merged PRs (30d)
- 3
Description
Problem
There is no way to rename a user account from the Cinnamon GUI. Renaming a user currently requires complex CLI steps that are error-prone.
Suggested Solution
Add a "Rename..." button in Users and Groups (cinnamon-settings-users) that:
- Validates the new username
- Runs
usermod/groupmodbehind the scenes - Offers to rename and migrate the home directory
- Checks for and warns about running processes, open sessions, Docker, etc.
- Updates
/etc/subuid,/etc/subgid, crontabs, systemd user units automatically
Why it matters
- Switching display managers can break username-based session detection
- Users want to simplify their username
- Current CLI approach (usermod + groupmod + manual fixes) is fragile and intimidating for non-technical users
Contributor guide
No contributing guide indexed for this repository
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start at the cinnamon-settings-users entry point and trace how Users and Groups currently edit accounts. Review how the GUI could validate a username and invoke usermod/groupmod, then map the requested home-directory, session, Docker, subuid/subgid, crontab, and systemd checks. Done means a complete, safe rename flow with warnings and migration handling for the listed cases.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- javascript
- Domain
- desktop, operating-systems
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 5/5
- Estimated time
- Over a week
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 35/100