Delete User Profile in Windows 10  

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    Delete User Profile in Windows 10

    Delete User Profile in Windows 10

    How to Delete User Profile of an Account in Windows 10
    Published by Category: User Accounts
    20 Aug 2020
    Designer Media Ltd

    How to Delete User Profile of an Account in Windows 10


    When adding a new user account in Windows 10, a profile for the account is automatically created when the user signs in to the new account for the first time.

    A user profile is a collection of settings that make the computer look and work the way you want it to for a user account. It is stored in the user's C:\Users\<user name> profile folder, and contains the account's settings for desktop backgrounds, screen savers, pointer preferences, sound settings, and other features. User profiles ensure that your personal preferences are used whenever you sign in to Windows.

    A user's profile folder also contains their personal folders such as the 3D Objects, Contacts, Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Favorites, Links, Music, OneDrive, Pictures, Saved Games, Searches, and Videos folders.

    If a user's profile becomes corrupted or you just want to reset it back to default, then you could delete the user's profile to do so without having to delete the account. A new default profile will automatically be created for the user's account the next time that user signs in.

    This tutorial will show you how to delete the profile of a user account to have a new profile created for the user without deleting their account in Windows 10.

    This can be helpful if you have a corrupted profile for an account, and wanted to create a new profile for the account.

    You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to delete a user profile.



    Contents

    • Option One: To Delete User Profile of an Account in Advanced System Properties
    • Option Two: To Delete User Profile of an Account in File Explorer and Registry Editor






    OPTION ONE

    To Delete User Profile of an Account in Advanced System Properties


    1 If you haven't already, you will need to make sure the user account (ex: "Example") you want to delete the profile of is signed out before continuing.

    2 Press the Win + R keys to open Run, type SystemPropertiesAdvanced.exe into Run, and click/tap on OK to open advanced System Properties.

    3 Click/tap on the Settings button under User Profiles. (see screenshot below)

    Delete User Profile in Windows 10-delete_user_profile_system_properties-1.png

    4 Select the profile of the user account (ex: "Example"), and click/tap on Delete. (see screenshot below)

    Delete User Profile in Windows 10-delete_user_profile_system_properties-2.png

    5 Click/tap on Yes to confirm. (see screenshot below)

    Delete User Profile in Windows 10-delete_user_profile_system_properties-3.png

    6 The profile of the user account (ex: "Example") will now be deleted. A new profile for the user's account will automatically be created the next time that user signs in. (see screenshot below)

    Delete User Profile in Windows 10-delete_user_profile_system_properties-4.png

    7 You can now close the User Profiles and System Properties windows if you like.






    OPTION TWO

    To Delete User Profile of an Account in File Explorer and Registry Editor


    1 If you haven't already, you will need to make sure the user account (ex: "Example") you want to delete the profile of is signed out before continuing.

    2 Open the C:\Users folder in File Explorer (Win+E), and delete the profile folder (ex: "Example") of the user account you want. (see screenshot below)

    Delete User Profile in Windows 10-manually_delete_user_profile_in_file_explorer-1.png

    3 Click/tap on Continue to approve. (see screenshot below)

    Delete User Profile in Windows 10-manually_delete_user_profile_in_file_explorer-2.png

    4 The user profile folder (ex: "Example") of the account will now be deleted. You can now close File Explorer. (see screenshot below)

    Delete User Profile in Windows 10-manually_delete_user_profile_in_file_explorer-3.png

    5 Press the Win + R keys to open Run, type regedit into Run, and click/tap on OK to open Registry Editor.

    6 Navigate to the ProfileList key in the left pane of Registry Editor at the location below. (see screenshot below)

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

    Delete User Profile in Windows 10-manually_delete_user_profile_in_file_explorer-4.png

    7 Look at the value data for the ProfileImagePath value name in the right pane of each SID key (S-1-5-21....long number) under the ProfileList key in the left pane to find the SID key that belongs to the user profile (ex: "Example") you want to delete. (see screenshot above)

    8 When you find the correct SID key (ex: "S-1-5-21....1007") in the left pane, right click or press and hold on this SID key (ex: "S-1-5-21....1007"), and click/tap on Delete.

    9 Click/tap on Yes to confirm deleting the profile's reference in the registry. (see screenshot below)

    Delete User Profile in Windows 10-manually_delete_user_profile_in_file_explorer-5.png

    10 The profile of the user account (ex: "Example") will now be deleted. A new profile for the user's account will automatically be created the next time that user signs in.

    11 You can now close Registry Editor if you like.


    That's it,
    Shawn






  1. Posts : 7,861
    Windows 11 Pro 64 bit
       #1

    I'm the first to reply! This tutorial could be a useful fix for the problem of corrupted user profiles.

    I have a challenging query. I upgraded my desktop PC to the AU yesterday and can't configure OneDrive in my main user account - see OneDrive Problem After Anniversary Upgrade. I strongly suspect the problem may be due to a problem with the user profile since I can configure OneDrive in all other accounts.

    I'm wondering if I can use the method in this tutorial to reset the profile? What will I need to configure? I don't understand Step 2 of Option 2 above. Doesn't doing that delete all the user data files and program configuration data in Appdata?

    I had another problem with a corrupted default user profile after the AU and had to copy a working default user profile - see https://www.tenforums.com/user-accou...r-profile.html Am I safe to reset the user profile using the default user profile I copied from my laptop or should I restore the default user profile using another method before using the reset method in this tutorial?
      My Computers


  2. Posts : 68,543
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #2

    Hello Steve, :)

    Both options perform the same action, but Option Two is the manual way.

    You are correct. Deleting a profile will also delete all user and program data and configuration/settings stored in the profile folder as well. Deleting a profile to reset it to default will essentially be the same as a new account's profile.

    It would be recommended to back up anything that you do not want to lose in the profile folder first though.
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 7,861
    Windows 11 Pro 64 bit
       #3

    Brink said:
    Hello Steve, :)

    Both options perform the same action, but Option Two is the manual way.

    You are correct. Deleting a profile will also delete all user and program data and configuration/settings stored in the profile folder as well. Deleting a profile to reset it to default will essentially be the same as a new account's profile.

    It would be recommended to back up anything that you do not want to lose in the profile folder first though.
    Is deleting a profile any different from just deleting an account or am I missing something?
      My Computers


  4. Posts : 16,325
    W10Prox64
       #4

    Steve C said:
    Is deleting a profile any different from just deleting an account or am I missing something?
    I am confused as well.
    I just deleted a user, and had no choice to keep files (like we could in W7?), but all the data remains and I can still see it, although the user account no longer appears at the login screen. I activated the hidden administrator account, went in there, and deleted all the deleted user's data. Wondering if I need to do this "profile deletion" as well?
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 68,543
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Hey guys, :)

    If you delete an account and select to delete both account and data, it will include deleting the user profile folder. If you don't, it will only delete the account reference, and not the user profile folder.
      My Computers


  6. Posts : 16,325
    W10Prox64
       #6

    Brink said:
    Hey guys, :)

    If you delete an account and select to delete both account and data, it will include deleting the user profile folder. If you don't, it will only delete the account reference, and not the user profile folder.
    But, I didn't get a choice - only delete user account and data. But still, all the data was there, and I could view it from another admin account on the system.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 68,543
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #7

    Usually, both will only be deleted if done in Settings (option 1).

    The other options will only delete the account.

    Delete User Account in Windows 10 Windows 10 User Accounts Tutorials
      My Computers


  8. Posts : 16,325
    W10Prox64
       #8

    Brink said:
    Usually, both will only be deleted if done in Settings (option 1).

    The other options will only delete the account.

    Delete User Account in Windows 10 Windows 10 User Accounts Tutorials
    Thanks Brink. That's what I did.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 68,543
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #9

    Luckily, you can always manually delete the profile folder though. :)
      My Computers


 

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