How To Delete A User Profile In Windows 10: A Step-by-Step Guide

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Edgar Nicov

How-To

5 min. read

Published on November 1, 2025

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Deleting a user profile in Windows 10 can be necessary for various reasons, such as removing an old account, freeing up storage space, or addressing profile corruption issues. This process involves more than just deleting the account; it requires removing the associated user files and settings to ensure a clean removal. This guide provides a detailed, step-by-step approach to safely and effectively delete a user profile in Windows 10.

Deleting a user profile permanently removes all files and settings associated with that account. Before proceeding, it’s crucial to back up any important data from the profile you intend to delete. This ensures that you don’t lose any valuable documents, photos, or other files.

How Do I Remove a User Profile from Windows 10?

Prerequisites and Warnings

Before you begin, make sure you are logged in with an administrator account. Deleting a user profile requires administrative privileges. Also, as mentioned earlier, back up any important files from the profile you’re about to delete.

Method 1: Deleting a User Profile Through System Settings

This method is the most straightforward and recommended for most users.

Open the Settings app.

Click the Start button.
Select the Settings icon (the gear icon).

Navigate to Accounts.

In the Settings app, click on “Accounts”.

Select “Family & other users”.

In the left-hand menu, click on “Family & other users”.

Choose the user account you want to delete.

Under the “Other users” section, find the user account you want to delete.
Click on the user account.

Click the “Remove” button.

A “Remove” button will appear. Click it.

Confirm the deletion.

A warning message will appear confirming that you want to delete the account and its data.
Click “Delete account and data” to proceed.

Method 2: Deleting a User Profile Through Advanced System Settings

This method provides more control over the deletion process and is useful if the first method fails.

Open the System Properties window.

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
Type sysdm.cpl and press Enter.

Navigate to the “Advanced” tab.

In the System Properties window, click on the “Advanced” tab.

Click the “Settings” button under “User Profiles”.

In the “User Profiles” section, click the “Settings” button.

Select the user profile you want to delete.

In the User Profiles window, select the user profile you want to delete.

Click the “Delete” button.

Click the “Delete” button.

Confirm the deletion.

A warning message will appear confirming that you want to delete the profile. Click “Yes” to proceed.

Method 3: Deleting the User Profile Folder Manually

This method is useful if the other methods fail or if you want to ensure that all traces of the profile are removed. Use with caution as incorrect deletion can cause system instability.

Log in with an administrator account.

Ensure you are logged in with an account that has administrative privileges.

Open File Explorer.

Click the File Explorer icon on the taskbar or press Windows key + E.

Navigate to the “Users” folder.

Go to C:\Users.

Locate the user profile folder you want to delete.

Find the folder with the name of the user profile you want to delete.

Delete the folder.

Right-click on the folder and select “Delete”.

Empty the Recycle Bin.

Right-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop and select “Empty Recycle Bin”.

Comparison of Deletion Methods

Feature	System Settings	Advanced System Settings	Manual Deletion (File Explorer)
Ease of Use	High	Medium	Low
Control Level	Low	Medium	High
Risk of Errors	Low	Low	High
Recommended For	Most Users	Advanced Users	Troubleshooting

Tips

Always back up important data before deleting a user profile.
Ensure you are logged in with an administrator account.
If you encounter errors, try restarting your computer and attempting the process again.
If the profile is still in use, log out of that account before deleting it.

Managing User Accounts in Windows 10

Deleting a user profile effectively removes the account and its associated data from your system. By following these steps, you can ensure a clean and organized user environment on your Windows 10 computer.

FAQ

How do I back up a user profile before deleting it? You can copy the contents of the user profile folder (located in C:\Users) to an external hard drive or another safe location.

What happens if I delete the wrong user profile? If you delete the wrong profile, you’ll lose all data associated with that profile. Restore the data from your backup, if you made one.

Can I delete a user profile if I don’t have administrator rights? No, you need administrator rights to delete a user profile.

Will deleting a user profile free up space on my hard drive? Yes, deleting a user profile will free up the space occupied by the user’s files and settings.

What should I do if I can’t delete a user profile? Try restarting your computer and attempting the deletion again. You can also try deleting the profile through the Advanced System Settings or manually through File Explorer.