Visual Studio 2017 version> = 15.3
In Visual Studio 2017 version 15.3, you can rename a publication profile. Here are the steps to rename a publication profile:
Click the Edit Publish Profile button (gear icon 
) on the publishing toolbar.
On the publication page, from the profiles drop-down list, select the profile you want to rename.
In the Summary section OR In the Actions drop-down list ( 
) click on the "Rename profile ..." link.
In the Rename Profile window, enter a new name and click the Save button.
The profile name will be immediately changed, and if you open the drop-down menu, you will see a new name for the profile.
If you are using a version below 15.3, you can upgrade to 15.3 or read the next part of the answer.
Workaround for Visual Studio 2017 version <15.3
Publishing profiles are .pubxml files .pubxml and Visual Studio 2017 displays a list of file names in the publishing toolbar. To change the name of a publication profile, you must change the file name, and then upload and reload the project.
Here are the steps to rename a publish profile:
- Go to Solution Explorer → Project → Properties → Publish Profiles
- Select the file you want to rename and rename it.
- Right-click on Project and select Unload Project.
- Right-click Project and select Update Project.