How to Delete a User Profile in Windows 10 (Including the Registry)

The safest way to delete a user profile in Windows 10 is the built-in User Profiles tool: press Windows + R, type sysdm.cpl, open the Advanced tab, click Settings under User Profiles, select the profile, and click Delete. That removes both the profile folder and its registry entry. The registry method is for leftovers: when a profile was deleted badly, keeps causing a temporary profile, or doesn’t show up in the tool. In that case you delete its key under ProfileList, then remove the folder. Both methods are below.

Before you start

• Sign in with a different administrator account. You can’t delete the profile you’re signed in with.
• Back up the user’s files. Deleting a profile removes everything in that user’s folder under C:\Users: Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Pictures, and app data.
• Restart the PC so the profile isn’t still loaded in the background.

A profile is different from an account. Deleting a profile removes the user’s files and settings, but the account can still sign in and will get a fresh profile. To remove the account completely, see how to remove a user account in Windows 10.

Method 1: Delete the profile with User Profiles (recommended)

1. Press Windows + R, type sysdm.cpl, and press Enter.
2. Open the Advanced tab.
3. Under User Profiles, click Settings.
4. Select the profile you want to remove. Check the Size and Modified columns to be sure you have the right one.
5. Click Delete and confirm with Yes.

If Delete is greyed out, that profile is in use. Sign out of that account, restart, and sign in with another administrator account.

Method 2: Delete the profile in the registry

Use this only when Method 1 doesn’t work. Editing the registry incorrectly can stop Windows from starting, so create a restore point first: search the Start menu for Create a restore point.

Step 1: Find the profile’s SID

Each profile in the registry is listed under a security identifier (SID), a long code starting with S-1-5-21. To see which SID belongs to which local user, open PowerShell and run:

Get-LocalUser | Select-Object Name, SID

For a Microsoft account, you can also identify the profile by its folder path in the next step.

Step 2: Delete the ProfileList key

1. Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
2. Paste this into the address bar and press Enter:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
3. Click each key that starts with S-1-5-21 and look at ProfileImagePath in the right pane. It shows the folder, such as C:\Users\Alex.
4. When you find the right one, right-click the key and choose Export to save a backup.
5. Right-click the key again and choose Delete, then confirm.
6. If there’s a second key with the same SID ending in .bak, check its ProfileImagePath too. Delete it if it points to the same user.

Leave the short keys such as S-1-5-18, S-1-5-19, and S-1-5-20 alone. They belong to Windows system accounts.

Step 3: Delete the profile folder

1. Open File Explorer and go to C:\Users.
2. Right-click the user’s folder and choose Delete. Click Continue if asked for administrator permission.

If Windows says a file is in use, restart and try again before signing in with anything other than your administrator account.

Fixing a temporary or corrupted profile

If a user keeps getting “You’ve been signed in with a temporary profile,” the registry entry may be damaged rather than needing deletion. See how to fix a temporary profile in Windows 10 and how to fix a corrupted user profile before deleting anything. Deleting the profile is a last resort that gives the user a fresh start at next sign-in.

Troubleshooting

The profile still appears on the sign-in screen

The account still exists. Remove it in Settings > Accounts > Family & other users, or see how to remove a user from the Windows 10 login screen.

“Access denied” when deleting the folder

Make sure you’re signed in as an administrator and the user isn’t signed in. Restarting usually releases locked files.

The user gets a temporary profile after you deleted the folder

You deleted the folder but not the registry key. Complete Step 2 above, and the next sign-in creates a clean profile.

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to delete a profile from the registry?

Yes, if you delete only the key for that user’s SID and back it up first. Deleting the wrong key can break another user’s sign-in.

Does this work on Windows 11?

Yes. sysdm.cpl, the ProfileList key, and the C:\Users folder are the same on Windows 11.

Can I recover a deleted profile?

Only from a backup. Re-importing the exported registry key won’t bring back deleted files.

Summary

Use sysdm.cpl > Advanced > User Profiles > Delete whenever possible. If that fails, back up and delete the user’s SID key under ProfileList in the registry, then delete their folder in C:\Users.