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RoyMollers's avatar
RoyMollers
Copper Contributor
Jul 31, 2026

Windows Explorer shows "OneDrive - Tenant" for one tenant but "FirstName - Tenant" for others

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to understand how Windows Explorer determines the display name of OneDrive accounts in the navigation pane.

 

Environment

  1. Windows 11 (fully up to date)
  2. Latest OneDrive sync client
  3. One Windows user profile
  4. Four OneDrive accounts connected simultaneously:
  • Roy - Tenant A
  • Roy - Tenant B
  • Roy - Personal
  • OneDrive - Tenant C

The strange part is that only one business tenant is displayed as "OneDrive - Tenant", while the others are displayed as "FirstName - Tenant".

 

What I've already verified

Microsoft 365

  • Display Name is correct ("Roy Möllers")
  • Organization (Tenant Display Name) is correct
  • User Principal Name is normal
  • OneDrive license is assigned
  • The tenant is a normal Microsoft 365 tenant (Nonprofit in this case)

 

OneDrive

  • The account is a normal OneDrive account (not just a SharePoint library)
  • The account synchronizes correctly
  • The issue only affects the display name in Windows Explorer

 

Local folder

All business accounts use the same folder naming convention: C:\Users\<User>\OneDrive - <Tenant>

So the local folder name is not the cause.

 

Registry

I compared the registry entries under: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\OneDrive\Accounts\BusinessX

The values such as look normal.

  • DisplayName
  • UserName
  • UserFolder

I also checked the corresponding CLSID entries under: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID

The (Default) value is "OneDrive - <Tenant>" for all business accounts, including the tenants that Explorer displays as "FirstName - Tenant".

Therefore, Explorer is clearly not using the CLSID default value directly.

 

OneDrive cache

I completely removed the local cache for the affected account:

  • Unlinked only the affected OneDrive account
  • Closed OneDrive completely
  • Deleted only the corresponding BusinessX folder under: %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\OneDrive\settings
  • Signed in again

The display name remained: OneDrive - Tenant C

 

Configuration files

I compared between the working and affected tenants. No meaningful differences related to naming.

  • Global.ini
  • ClientPolicy.ini

 

My question:

Does anyone know where Windows Explorer actually gets the navigation pane display name from?

 

I have not been able to find any Microsoft documentation explaining this behavior.

Any technical insight would be greatly appreciated.

OneDrive for Business

2 Replies

  • NikolinoDE's avatar
    NikolinoDE
    Platinum Contributor
    Aug 03, 2026

    This is completely normal, and there’s nothing wrong with your setup.
    When you connect more than one work or school OneDrive account to the same Windows computer, OneDrive automatically adds your first name to the extra accounts. It does this to help you tell them apart at a glance.

    For example, you might see:

    • OneDrive - Contoso
    • Roy - Fabrikam
    • Roy - ExampleCorp

    The account that appears as “OneDrive - Contoso” is usually the one that’s linked to your main workplace—often the organization your computer belongs to. The others are additional accounts you’ve added, so OneDrive includes your name to make it clear they’re yours.

    Is there a way to change it?
    No, this naming is decided automatically by the OneDrive app and can’t be changed through settings or registry tweaks. The good news is it’s just a label—your files are still syncing correctly, and the folders work the same way.

    What should you do?
    Nothing at all. Just know that you’ll recognise your additional work accounts by your name next to the company name. If you ever need to check which account is your main one, look for the one that says “OneDrive - [Organization]” without your first name.

     

     

    My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!

     

    Hope this will help you.

     

    Was the answer useful? Mark as best response and like it!

    This will help all forum participants.

    • RoyMollers's avatar
      RoyMollers
      Copper Contributor
      Aug 03, 2026

      Hi Nikolino, 

      Thanks for your response.

      The drive that is displayed as "OneDrive - Company" is not my primary work account. It is actually the most recent business account I added, which belongs to the Microsoft 365 tenant of our local football club.

      The confusing part is that if I add a second account from the same tenant, both accounts are displayed with exactly the same name, making it impossible to distinguish between them in File Explorer.

      Since I'm the administrator of that tenant and noticed that its naming differed from my other business accounts, I assumed there might be a setting I could change. Based on your explanation, it appears this behavior isn't configurable, so I'll leave it as it is.

      Thanks again for your help.

      Kind regards, Roy