How to rename a user with an eCryptfs encrypted home directory?

Question

I just want to change the username of a user with an encrypted home directory. Is there a simple way instead of the suggested restoring and so forth?

• How can i move an encrypted home directory to another partition?
• How do I move my encrypted /home to a new computer?

Answer 1

1. It's best to unmount your home directory and execute the commands from another administrator account on the computer. You could use ecryptfs-umount-private or just reboot to unmount the directory.

2. Change the login name and directory name from old_user to new_user:

   sudo usermod -l new_user -m -d /home/new_user old_user
   

3. Here comes the important part for the proper configuration:

   • There exists a file named /home/.ecryptfs/$USER/.ecryptfs/Private.mnt it usually contains the following: /home/$USER

   • The following symlinks exist in your home directory when eCryptfs is not mounted:

     .ecryptfs -> /home/.ecryptfs/$USER/.ecryptfs
     .Private ->  /home/.ecryptfs/$USER/.Private
     

   • Make sure that $USER in all these instances reflects the changes you intended to make, e.g. new_user. You can use nano to edit text files and ln -s to create new symlinks.

You should be able to login again. I just tried it on my own. If you cannot log in through the GUI try from the terminal and check again that everything is in place.