How to delete a user in Windows 10,2023.
If you are sharing a Windows computer with family or friends, it makes sense to create different user accounts. If you don’t want to share your personal settings (such as desktop background or browser bookmarks), creating a new account gives each user their own separate profile.
Unfortunately, your Windows user profile (containing your personalization data) can sometimes get corrupted. If you want to remove it, you can completely remove the user account. Alternatively, you can delete a user profile in Windows 10 without deleting the user itself. Anstead forcing Windows to re-create your settings. Here’s how.
User Accounts vs. User Profiles in Windows 10
For most users, there is no distinction between a Windows user account and a Windows user profile. However, if you want to delete a user account (not just their profile), it’s important to understand the difference.
The Windows user account is the account you sign in with. It has your name, your settings, your desktop image. And all the other features that make your computer your own – at least when you log in. However, Windows must store these settings in a location and format that it knows to look for and expect.
These settings form the user profile for this account. When you create a new account. Windows automatically creates a new user profile to match. Using the default settings for background, theme. User folder (containing your desktop and document folders), etc.
If you choose to delete the user account, Windows must delete the user profile with it. However, sometimes Windows leaves files and settings on your computer, which can take up extra disk space. In this case, you will have to manually delete your user profile.
How to delete a user in Windows 10,2021
You can decide to delete a user profile in Windows 10 without deleting the user account. This is a more technical method, but it can help resolve issues with user sign-in or missing personalization features (for example, a custom background that disappears after logging out).
Removing a user profile from an active account forces Windows to treat it as new. Windows will create a new user profile folder (with default settings and files) to replace the deleted profile the next time you log on.
Removing a User Account in Windows Settings
When deleting a user account from Windows 10, in most cases the corresponding user profile should be deleted. If it is a local account (for example, not associated with a Microsoft account), all settings and personalization files should be removed.
However, if this is not the case, you can safely delete the profile data by subsequently deleting the profile folder in the C: Users folder. You can only do this for the account you are currently logged out of, as you cannot delete the current account.
- To get started, right-click the Start menu and select the Settings option.
- From the Windows Settings menu, select Accounts> Family & Other Users to view a list of active user accounts on your PC. From there, select one of the accounts listed under the “Other Users” or “Your Family” categories, then select “Delete” to delete that user account. If the account you are deleting is your family’s linked account (for example, a restricted child account), you may need to turn it off first in your Microsoft Family online settings.
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Windows will ask for confirmation. To delete an account (and the corresponding user profile), click the Delete account and data button.
- When deleting an account, the user profile must be deleted, but if this has not happened, you can manually delete it. To do this, open Windows Explorer and use the address bar to access the C: Users folder. If you see the folder corresponding to the deleted user account, right-click it and select the Delete option.
- Windows will place the user profile folder in the trash. If the folder is too full for Windows to place it in the Trash, follow the additional onscreen instructions to confirm the deletion. However, if Windows puts a folder in the Trash, right-click the Trash can icon on your desktop and select the Empty Trash option.
Deleting a User Profile Using the System Properties Menu
In rare cases, the Windows user profile can sometimes get corrupted. This can prevent you from fully logging in or cause errors and problems that make it difficult to use, such as a lack of user personalization or slow logins.
If this happens, you will need to delete your user profile, forcing Windows to restore it to default settings the next time you log in. You can also choose to do this if you want to quickly reset your user account to the default settings.
- First, log in with a second user account with administrative privileges, making sure to log out of the user profile you want to delete first. Right-click the Start menu and select Run. You can also press Windows Key + R on your keyboard.
- In the Run dialog box, enter systempropertiesadvanced and click OK. The System Properties menu opens.
- On the Advanced tab, from the System Properties menu, select User Profiles> Preferences.
- A list of available user profiles on your PC will appear in the user profiles window. Select the profile you want to remove, then select the Remove option.
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Windows will ask for confirmation
so click OK to confirm.
After confirmation, Windows will delete the user profile, leaving the account itself unchanged. The next time you log on, Windows will create a new user profile, including the new user folder C: Users.
Removing Windows 10 User Accounts
Deleting a user profile in Windows 10 can help restore your account if it gets corrupted and you fail to log in. If this happens, it could indicate broader issues with the Windows installation that require checking for file system errors. You can also back up Windows before making changes.
If you set up Windows without a Microsoft account, any personalization settings you applied will disappear after you delete the profile. You can first link your Microsoft account to your user profile to sync your personalization settings, and if you don’t like your login name, you can change your name later.
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How to delete a user in Windows 10,2021
How to delete a user in Windows 10,2021