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
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)
4 Select the profile of the user account (ex: "Example"), and click/tap on Delete. (see screenshot below)
5 Click/tap on Yes to confirm. (see screenshot below)
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)
7 You can now close the User Profiles and System Properties windows if you like.
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)
3 Click/tap on Continue to approve. (see screenshot below)
4 The user profile folder (ex: "Example") of the account will now be deleted. You can now close File Explorer. (see screenshot below)
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)
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)
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
Related Tutorials
- How to Customize Default User Profile for New Accounts in Windows 10
- How to Delete a User Account in Windows 10
- How to Fix "We can't sign into your account" and 'You've been signed in with a temporary profile' Error in Windows 10
- How to Change the Name of a User Profile Folder in Windows 10
- How to Fix 'User Profile Service service failed the sign-in. User Profile cannot be loaded.' Error in Windows 10