How to Delete a User Profile From Windows 10 [Fixed]

Daisy updated on Jan 11, 2024 | Home >Computer Instruction

Sometimes, a user might want to delete a user profile from Windows 10 for various reasons. These reasons may include file corruption inside the user profile, specific apps misbehaving, or a complete reset from the user to get a fresh start. 

Windows 10 lets you delete a user profile without deleting a user account. Before getting into the details, we will start by defining the user profiles, so you can better distinguish between a user profile and a user account.

What is a User Profile on Windows

A user profile is a directory of stored user settings and information for the related user account. To understand it better, perform the following actions.

Step 1. Power on your PC/laptop with Windows 10 operating system and click on the "This PC" icon. 

this pc

Step 2. Here, you will probably see a drive with the name Local Disk (C:), click on it.

local disk profile

Step 3. Now, click on "users" to check all user profiles on your system.

users

You can see the content inside a user profile. It contains different files and folders where information is stored. 

On the other hand, a user account is your entry point to get into Windows 10. It is created while setting up your Windows after installation, and you can sign in to your PC/laptop with a user account and create multiple user profiles inside.

How to Delete a User Profile From Windows 10

There are three ways to delete a user profile in Windows 10: 

  1. Method 1. Manually delete a user profile
  2. Method 2. Delete a user profile through system properties
  3. Method 3. Delete a user profile from the settings app

Step-by-step process to manually delete a user profile

Step 1. Power on your PC/laptop with Windows 10 operating system and click on the "This PC" icon.

Step 2. Here, you'll see one or multiple hard drives in the "Devices and Drive" section. Click on Local Disk (C:) or the drive which has the Windows icon.

Step 3. Now, click on "Users" to check all user profiles on your system.

Step 4. Right-click on the user profile you want to delete

Step 5. Click on the delete option in the drop-down menu.

delete option

Step 6. Right after this, press the Windows + R key to open the run command window.

Step 7. Now, type "regedit" and click on the "Ok" button.

regedit

Step 8. Copy and paste the following Registry Key into the registry editor.

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

copy profile

Step 9. Find and open the "FileList" folder and go to the "ProfileImagePath."

filelist

Step 10. Right-click on this file and click on the delete option. You'll get a warning message, but you can proceed by clicking on the "Yes" option.

confirm value delete

Step 11. Close the registry editor and restart your PC. Upon restarting, you won't see the deleted profile in the "Users" folder anymore.

Step-by-step process to delete a user profile through system properties

Step 1. Open the run command by pressing Windows+R.

Step 2. Type "systempropertiesadvanced" and click "Ok."

system properties

Step 3. Now, open the "Advanced" tab from the top menu.

advanced

Step 4. Click on the Settings button inside the "User profile" option.

settings

Step 5. A new User Profiles window will appear. Now, select the profile you want to delete and hit the "Delete button". Click "Yes" when a new window appears for final confirmation. Upon restraining the PC, the deleted profile will no longer appear.

delete profile

Step-by-step process to delete a user profile from the settings app

Step 1. Type "Settings" in the search bar to open the application.

Step 2. Click on "Accounts" and then open "Family & other users."

Step 3. Now select the profile you want to delete and remove it.

settings remove

Besides, you may as well choose to copy and transfer user profile.

Bottom Line

A user profile is a great way to keep your data safe and separate from unauthorized access if you share your PC with your family or colleagues. Sometimes, you wish to delete a user profile you have created due to any reason. This article has presented two authentic ways of deleting a user profile from Windows 10.

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Updated by Daisy

Daisy is the Senior editor of the writing team for EaseUS. She has been working at EaseUS for over ten years, starting as a technical writer and moving on to being a team leader of the content group. As a professional author for over ten years, she writes a lot to help people overcome their tech troubles.

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