March 17, 2023 March 17, 2023

Explaining how to delete and restore user profiles! Effects and reasons why it cannot be deleted

This time, we will explain how to delete and repair user profiles.

There are several ways to delete a user profile:

Delete a user profile from the system
Delete user profile/registry in Explorer
Delete user profile with command etc.

We also explain how to repair your user profile if it becomes damaged, so please refer to it if you are having trouble.

Clickable table of contents

1 What are the implications of deleting a user profile? Will the folder remain? This is the answer
2 How to delete user profile in Windows 10, Windows 11
3 Causes and solutions when a user profile cannot be deleted
4 How to repair user profile
5 Summary of how to delete and repair user profiles

What are the implications of deleting a user profile? Will the folder remain? This is the answer

Please note that if you delete your user profile, your user account data will be deleted.

User account data refers to the following data used by the user:

desktop
favorite
document

If you delete your user profile, this data will be lost, so be sure to back it up if necessary.

How to delete user profile in Windows 10, Windows 11

There are several ways to delete a user profile in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

How to delete user profiles from the system
How to delete a user profile in Explorer
How to delete a user account with command

The detailed steps are explained below.

How to delete user profiles from the system

To remove a user profile from your system, follow the steps below.

[How to delete a user profile from the system]

Select "Start (Windows mark)".
Select "Windows System Tools".
Select "Control Panel".
Select "System and Security".
Select "Category" as the display method.
Select "System".
Select "Advanced system settings".
Select “Settings” under “User Profile”.
Check the name field and select the appropriate user.
Select "Delete".
Select "Yes".
Once completed, select OK.

How to delete user profile registry in Explorer

If you want to delete a user profile from Explorer, you must also delete the registry after deleting it.

This article explains the steps to delete a user profile using Explorer.

[Steps to delete the user profile from Explorer and also delete the registry]

Open Explorer (folder mark).
Open "C:\Users" or "C:\Users".
Right-click the folder with the username you want to delete.
Select "Delete".
After deletion, right-click on "Start (Windows mark)".
Select Run.
Type "regedit".
Select OK.
When the "User Account Control" window appears, select "Yes".
Select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
Select "SOFTWARE".
Select "Microsoft".
Select Windows NT.
Select "Current Version".
Select “ProfileList”.
Open the part that says "S-1-5-21~" and check the user name with the value of "ProfileImagePath".
Once you find the key, right-click it and select Delete.
Select "Yes" when the message appears.

How to delete user accounts in bulk using a command in Windows 10 (user profiles must be deleted manually)

You can also delete user accounts using Command Prompt.

In this case, the user profile and folders will remain.

[How to delete a user account with a command]

Select "Start (Windows mark)".
Select "Windows System Tools".
Right-click on “Command Prompt”.
Select "Other".
Select Run as administrator.
Select "Yes" when the "User Account Control" message appears.
Type "net user".
Press the Enter key.
The user account name will be displayed, so confirm it.
Enter "net user 〇〇(account name) /delete".
Press the Enter key.
When "Command completed successfully." is displayed, the process is complete.

Causes and solutions when a user profile cannot be deleted

If you cannot delete your user profile, the following may be the cause:

You are signed in as the user you want to delete.
You are signed in as a user other than the user you want to delete, but that user is still using it.
No administrator privileges

Make sure that the user you want to delete is not currently signed in, and then check for other causes.

There are multiple ways to delete it, so it might be a good idea to try a different method than the one you tried and didn't work.

How to repair user profile

If you receive a message such as "Unable to sign in to your account," your user profile may be corrupted.

If your user profile is damaged due to a hard disk problem or an update, try the following methods to repair it.

Sign in again/Restart your PC
Restoring in safe mode
Restoration using Registry Editor
Create a new user profile

If that doesn't solve the problem,clean installetc. may be valid.

Sign in again/Restart your PC

If you encounter an error with your user profile, first try signing in again.

Here's how to sign in again:

[How to sign in again]

Select "Start (Windows mark)".
Select the appropriate user icon.
Select "Sign out".
When you return to the sign-in screen, sign in again.

If the situation does not improve after signing in again, a reboot may help.

Try signing in after restarting and see if the situation improves.

Restoring in safe mode

If your user profile becomes corrupted, restoring in safe mode may resolve the issue.

Safe Mode Restore is available if a restore point has been created.

The procedure for restoring in safe mode is as follows.

[How to restore user profile in safe mode]

Select "Start (Windows mark)".
Select "Settings (gear mark)".
Select Update & Security.
Select "Recovery".
Select "Restart now" under "Customize how your PC starts up."
Select "Troubleshoot".
Select Advanced Options.
Select "Show more repair options".
Select "Startup Settings".
Select "Restart".
After restarting, press the "4" key.
Once Safe Mode starts, select "Start (Windows mark)" and right-click.
Select Run.
Type "control".
Select OK.
The control panel will open.
Set the display method to "Category".
Select "System and Security".
Select "System".
Select System Protection.
Select the System Protection tab.
Select "System Restore".
Select the appropriate restore point.
Select Next.
Select Done.
Wait until you see "System Restore Completed".

Once the system restore is complete, try signing in again.

Restoration using Registry Editor

If your user profile becomes corrupted, you may be able to restore it using Registry Editor.

Editing the Registry Editor may cause problems with your PC, so if you are unsure or concerned, please try other methods.

Also, please make a backup before proceeding.

[How to restore using Registry Editor]

Select "Start (Windows mark)".
Select "Settings (gear mark)".
Select Update & Security.
Select "Recovery".
Select "Restart now" under "Customize how your PC starts up."
Select "Troubleshoot".
Select Advanced Options.
Select "Show more repair options".
Select "Startup Settings".
Select "Restart".
After restarting, press the "4" key.
Right-click on "Start (Windows mark)".
Select Run.
Type "regedit".
Select OK.
First, take a backup using the following steps.
Select File.
Select "Export".
Select the relevant folder and check "All" in "Export Range".
Select Save. The backup is now complete.
Select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
Select "SOFTWARE".
Select "Microsoft".
Select Windows NT.
Select "Current Version".
Select “ProfileList”.
Select the file name that ends in ".bak".
Check the "Data" in "ProfileImagePath" and look for the corresponding user name.
Right-click the data that ends in ".bak".
Select "Rename".
Delete the ".bak" at the end.
Right-click RefCount.
Select "Modify".
Enter 0 in Value data.
Select OK.
Right-click on State.
Select "Modify".
Enter 0 in Value data.
Select OK.

After completing these steps, try signing in without any issues.

If you cannot find the item in the steps, it is possible that you cannot edit the registry in the first place, so we recommend other methods.

Create a new user profile

If your user profile becomes corrupted, creating a new user profile may resolve the issue.

Follow the steps below to create a user profile.

[How to create a new user profile]

Select "Start (Windows mark)".
Select "Settings (gear mark)".
Select "Account".
Select "Family and other users".
Select "Add someone else to this PC."
Select "I don't have sign-in information for this user."
Select "Add a user without a Microsoft account."
Enter your username, password, and hint.
Select the user you created.
Select “Change account type.”
Select "Administrator".
Select OK.
Select "Start (Windows mark)".
Select your user icon.
Select "Sign out".
Sign in with the user you created.
Select Explorer (folder mark).
Open the former user's user folder. ("C:\Users\Applicable user name")
Copy the necessary files.
Paste it into the new user's user folder.

Summary of how to delete and repair user profiles

This time, we explained how to delete and repair user profiles.

Please note that if you delete your user profile, all the desktop and favorite data used in your account will also be deleted.

We recommend backing up your data before deleting it, especially if you need it.

Additionally, there are complicated methods for deleting a user profile, such as some requiring deletion of parts of the registry.

If you make a mistake or omit a step, you may not get the results you expected, so be careful.

Be the first to comment Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.