The safest way to delete a user profile in Windows 10 isn’t the registry. Press Windows key + R, type SystemPropertiesAdvanced, and press Enter. Under User Profiles, select Settings, pick the profile, and select Delete. Windows removes the profile folder and its registry entry together, which is what you want.
Use Registry Editor only to clean up a leftover or corrupt profile entry, for example when the profile folder is already gone but Windows still lists the account, or when a user keeps getting a temporary profile. Back up first: create a restore point and export the registry key before you change anything. Both methods are below, along with how to remove the whole account.
Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. Consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) now run until October 12, 2027.
Quick Answer
- Sign in with an administrator account that isn’t the one you’re deleting.
- Back up any files you need from the profile folder under C: > Users.
- Press Windows key + R, type SystemPropertiesAdvanced, and press Enter.
- Under User Profiles, select Settings, choose the profile, select Delete, and confirm with Yes.
- Only if a broken entry remains: create a restore point, export the ProfileList key in Registry Editor, then delete the one leftover subkey.
In This Guide
- Before you start: profile vs. account
- Delete a profile with System Properties (recommended)
- Remove the whole account in Settings
- Back up before editing the registry
- Clean up a leftover profile in the registry
- Which method should you use?
- Troubleshooting
- Frequently Asked Questions
Before You Start: Profile vs. Account
This guide covers Windows 10 Home and Pro as of September 2026. The same steps also work on Windows 11, since Microsoft documents the User Profiles method for both.
Two terms are easy to mix up:
- User account: the sign-in identity (a name and password, or a Microsoft account). It controls who can use the PC and with what permissions.
- User profile: everything Windows stores for that account on this PC: the folder under C: > Users (Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Pictures, and the hidden AppData folder with app settings) plus a matching entry in the registry that tells Windows where the folder is.
Deleting a profile removes the files and settings but leaves the account in place. The next time that person signs in, Windows builds a fresh, empty profile for them. Deleting the account removes the sign-in and, in current versions, the account’s data from the PC. Choose the one that matches your goal:
- Fix a corrupt profile but keep the person’s sign-in: delete the profile.
- Remove a former user from the PC completely: remove the account, then confirm the profile is gone.
- Clean up an entry that’s still listed after the folder was deleted by hand: use the registry cleanup.
What you need
- An account with administrator rights. Microsoft notes you must be a member of the local Administrators group to delete profiles.
- The profile you’re deleting must not be signed in. Sign that user out, or restart the PC, and then sign in with a different administrator account.
- A backup of anything you want to keep from the profile. Deleting a profile permanently removes its files; they don’t go to the Recycle Bin. Our guide on backing up files in Windows 10 covers the options.
If the PC belongs to an employer or school and joins a work network, check with your IT department before deleting profiles. They may manage profiles centrally.
How to Delete a User Profile with System Properties (Recommended)
This is the method Microsoft documents. It removes both the profile folder and its registry entry in one step, so nothing is left behind to confuse Windows later.
- Sign in as a different administrator. Make sure the profile you’re deleting is signed out. Expected result: you’re on the desktop of an admin account that isn’t the target.
- Back up the profile’s files. Open File Explorer, go to C: > Users > the user’s folder, and copy anything you need to another drive or cloud storage.
- Open Advanced System Properties. Press Windows key + R, type SystemPropertiesAdvanced, and press Enter. You can also open Control Panel, set View by to Large icons, select System, and then select Advanced system settings. Expected result: the System Properties window opens on the Advanced tab.
- Open User Profiles. In the User Profiles section, select Settings. Expected result: a list of profiles stored on the PC, with their size and type.
- Select the profile to remove. Profiles are shown by computer or domain name and user name. Double-check you’ve picked the right one.
- Select Delete. Windows asks you to confirm. This permanently deletes the profile’s files and settings.
- Select Yes. Expected result: the profile disappears from the list. Its folder under C: > Users is removed, along with its registry entry.
If the Delete button is greyed out, you’ve probably selected your own profile or a profile that’s still loaded. See Troubleshooting. Microsoft’s article Delete a user profile describes these steps.
How to Remove the Whole Account in Settings
If you want the person gone from the PC entirely, not just their profile, remove the account. Signed in as an administrator:
- Open Settings. Press Windows key + I.
- Go to Accounts. Select Accounts, then Family & other users on Windows 10 (on Windows 11 it’s Other users).
- Select the account. Under Other users, select the account you want to remove.
- Select Remove. Windows warns that removing the account deletes its data from this PC, which typically includes its desktop items, documents, downloads, and photos. On Windows 10, confirm with Delete account and data (labels can vary by version). Expected result: the account no longer appears on the sign-in screen.
Microsoft notes that removing an account from the PC doesn’t delete the person’s Microsoft account; it only removes their sign-in and data from this device. Afterward, open User Profiles again (step 3 above) to confirm no profile is left behind. For more on this, see our guide on deleting accounts on Windows 10 and Microsoft’s Manage user accounts in Windows page.
Back Up Before Editing the Registry
The registry is Windows’ central database of settings. A wrong deletion there can stop accounts from signing in or make Windows load a temporary profile. Do both of these steps before you open the ProfileList key.
Warning: don’t skip the backup. Deleting the wrong key in ProfileList, or deleting the whole ProfileList key, can break sign-in for every account on the PC.
Create a restore point
- Select Start, type Create a restore point, and open it from the results.
- On the System Protection tab, select Create. If the button is greyed out, select your system drive, select Configure, and turn on system protection first; Microsoft notes it isn’t enabled by default.
- Type a description, such as “Before profile cleanup,” and select Create. Expected result: Windows confirms the restore point was created.
Microsoft’s System Protection page covers restore points, and our guide on getting to System Restore in Windows 10 explains how to roll back if needed.
Export the ProfileList key
- Select Start, type regedit, and open Registry Editor. Select Yes if User Account Control asks.
- In the left pane, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion > ProfileList. You can also paste the path into the address bar at the top of Registry Editor.
- With ProfileList selected, choose File > Export.
- Pick a location such as your Desktop, give the file a name like ProfileList-backup, make sure the export range is set to the selected branch, and select Save. Expected result: a .reg file appears where you saved it.
To undo changes later, open Registry Editor and use File > Import to load that file. Microsoft’s How to back up and restore the registry page has the details.
How to Clean Up a Leftover Profile in the Registry
Use this only when the supported method didn’t finish the job. Typical cases:
- Someone deleted a profile folder directly in File Explorer, and the profile still appears in User Profiles or causes errors.
- A user signs in and gets a message that they’re signed in with a temporary profile.
- User Profiles shows an “Account Unknown” or duplicate entry you can’t delete.
Microsoft explains that when profiles are removed incompletely or improperly, Windows can create extra user folders or give users temporary profiles when they sign in. That usually happens because the folder and its registry entry no longer match.
Understand what you’re looking at
Each subkey under ProfileList is named with a SID (security identifier), a long ID like S-1-5-21 followed by several groups of numbers. Every account has its own SID. Short SIDs such as S-1-5-18, S-1-5-19, and S-1-5-20 belong to built-in Windows system accounts; never delete those.
Inside each subkey, the ProfileImagePath value shows the folder the SID belongs to, such as C: > Users > the user name. That’s how you match a SID to a person. You may also see a duplicate subkey whose name ends in .bak. Microsoft’s profile cleanup guidance treats a .bak entry as a sign of an incomplete removal.
Remove the leftover entry
- Confirm the target isn’t signed in and that you’ve created a restore point and exported ProfileList (see the previous section).
- Open ProfileList. In Registry Editor, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion > ProfileList.
- Find the right SID. Select each long SID subkey (starting with S-1-5-21) and read the ProfileImagePath value in the right pane. Stop when you find the one that points to the profile you’re removing. Write down or copy the SID.
- Check for a matching .bak key. If the same SID also appears with .bak on the end, note it too.
- Delete only that subkey. Right-click the SID subkey for the leftover profile (and its .bak twin, if the whole profile is being removed) and select Delete, then Yes. Don’t delete the ProfileList key itself or any other SID. Expected result: the subkey disappears from the list.
- Remove any leftover folder. If the profile folder still exists under C: > Users and you’ve backed up what you need, delete it in File Explorer. If Windows says a file is in use, restart and try again.
- Restart the PC. Expected result: the profile no longer appears in User Profiles. If the account still exists, the next sign-in creates a fresh profile.
If something goes wrong, import your exported .reg file or use the restore point you created.
A note on temporary profile errors
When a user who should keep their data gets a temporary profile, the profile folder is often fine and only the registry entry is damaged. In that case, deleting the SID removes the link to their folder, and Windows builds a new empty profile on next sign-in. The old folder stays under C: > Users (possibly alongside a new folder with a similar name), and you can copy their files across afterward. Copy files, not the hidden AppData folder, to avoid bringing the problem with you.
Check that the cleanup worked
- Open User Profiles again. Press Windows key + R, type SystemPropertiesAdvanced, and select Settings under User Profiles. Expected result: the removed profile is no longer listed.
- Check the Users folder. In File Explorer, open C: > Users and confirm there’s no leftover folder for that person, and no folder with the same name plus the computer name or a number added, which is a sign Windows couldn’t reuse the old one.
- Test a sign-in if the account still exists. Sign in as that user. Expected result: Windows sets up a new profile and doesn’t show a temporary profile message.
- Keep your backups for a while. Hold on to the exported .reg file and the restore point for a week or two until you’re sure everything works, then delete the .reg file.
Which Method Should You Use?
| Situation | Method | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Reset a user’s settings, keep their sign-in | System Properties > User Profiles > Delete | Low (back up files first) |
| Remove a former user completely | Settings > Accounts > Remove, then check User Profiles | Low |
| Folder already deleted, entry still listed | Registry ProfileList cleanup | Medium (back up the key) |
| User keeps getting a temporary profile | Back up files, then registry cleanup | Medium |
| Many profiles on work PCs | Ask IT; they may use management tools | Varies |
Troubleshooting
The Delete button is greyed out in User Profiles
You can’t delete the profile you’re signed in with, or one that’s still loaded. Sign out of that account (or restart), sign in with a different administrator account, and try again. If you’re not an administrator, the button stays greyed out.
Delete fails with an “in use” or access denied error
A program or background process may still be using files in the profile. Restart the PC, sign in with another administrator account without opening other apps, and delete the profile right away.
User Profiles shows “Account Unknown”
This usually means the account was removed but its profile wasn’t. Try deleting it from User Profiles first. If that fails, use the registry cleanup, matching the SID by its ProfileImagePath value.
After registry cleanup, a user gets a temporary profile
The folder and registry probably still disagree. Check for a remaining .bak key for that SID, or a folder with the same name that Windows can’t reuse. If you’re unsure, restore your exported key or the restore point and start over carefully.
I deleted the wrong key
Stop, don’t restart yet, and import your exported .reg file with File > Import in Registry Editor. If that isn’t possible, restart and use System Restore to roll back to the restore point.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to delete a user profile folder directly in File Explorer?
It’s not recommended. Deleting just the folder leaves the registry entry behind, which can cause temporary profile errors. Use System Properties instead.
Does deleting a user profile delete the user account?
No. The account remains, and Windows creates a new profile the next time that person signs in. Remove the account in Settings if you want it gone.
Can I recover a deleted profile?
Not from the Recycle Bin. Only a backup or a restore point from before the deletion can help, and a restore point doesn’t bring back personal files.
Where is the profile list in the registry?
It’s at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion > ProfileList.
What is a .bak key in ProfileList?
It’s a duplicate entry for a profile, often left after a failed sign-in or incomplete removal. Only remove it as part of cleaning up that specific profile, after backing up the key.
Do these steps work on Windows 11?
Yes. User Profiles and the ProfileList key work the same way. In Settings, the accounts page is called Other users instead of Family & other users.
Should I still be using Windows 10?
Windows 10 no longer gets regular updates. If your PC is enrolled in Extended Security Updates, it keeps getting security fixes for now; otherwise, consider upgrading to Windows 11 if your PC supports it.
Summary
- Sign in with a different administrator account and back up the profile’s files.
- Delete the profile from System Properties > Advanced > User Profiles > Settings.
- Remove the whole account in Settings > Accounts if the person no longer needs access.
- Before any registry change, create a restore point and export ProfileList.
- In the registry, delete only the leftover SID subkey that matches the profile, never ProfileList itself or system SIDs.
Next step: open User Profiles now with Windows key + R and SystemPropertiesAdvanced, and try the supported Delete button before you touch the registry.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.