How to View User Profiles on This Computer in Windows 11

Deleting Unwanted User Profiles Safely

Deleting a user profile frees up disk space and removes old accounts you no longer need. You can remove a profile by opening the User Profiles window through the Run dialog, choosing the profile and clicking Delete. This removes the profile’s data, but not the account itself. To remove the account too, use Settings › Accounts › Other users

The files do not go to the Recycle Bin, and you cannot undo the action. Back up anything you want to keep before you start (the backup steps are later in this guide). Do not delete the profile you are signed in with, and do not delete the only administrator profile on the PC. If you do, you can lose access to the machine.

You need to be signed in as an administrator. If the Delete button is greyed out, you have probably selected the profile you are currently using, or your account is not an administrator. These steps delete a profile from the list of profiles on this computer:

1. Press Windows Key + R. The Run dialog box opens.
2. Type sysdm.cpl and press Enter. The System Properties window opens.
3. Click the Advanced tab.
4. Click Settings under User Profiles. The list of profiles appears.
5. Click the profile you want to remove. Check the name and size carefully, because the delete step cannot be undone.
6. Click the Delete button. A confirmation prompt appears.

7. Click Yes on the confirmation prompt. Windows permanently removes the profile and its files from the hard drive. The profile disappears from the list.

The Settings app is a simpler way to remove an account together with its data, and it works on Home and Pro. Open Settings › Accounts › Other users, select the account, and choose the option to remove it along with its data. Windows asks you to confirm before it deletes anything. The same warning applies: back up first.

Fixing a Corrupted Profile on This Computer

A corrupted profile is the usual cause when Windows signs you into a temporary account or shows a sign-in error. The usual fix is to create a new local account in the Settings app and copy your old personal files over to the new profile. That restores access to your desktop and documents.

You need an administrator account for these steps. If you only have the one account and it is the broken one, sign in with another administrator account first, or you will not be able to start.

1. Press Windows Key + I. The Settings app opens.

2. Go to Accounts and then select Other users. Depending on your Windows version, this may be called Family & other users.
3. Click Add account under the "Other users" section. A Microsoft account sign-in window appears.

4. Click I don't have this person's sign-in information. The window changes to the account creation page.
5. Select Add a user without a Microsoft account. On current Windows 11 builds this option may be hidden or may require a Microsoft account. If so, create an offline account through Computer Management (Pro and higher only) or the command line.
6. Enter a username and password, then finish the setup wizard. The new account now appears under Other users. It is created as a standard user, which is fine for this purpose.
7. Restart your computer and sign in to the new account once. This creates its profile folders.
8. Sign back in to an administrator account, then open File Explorer and go to C:\Users\CORRUPTED-USER-NAME, where CORRUPTED-USER-NAME is your old profile. If Windows asks for permission to open the folder, click Continue.
9. Copy your personal files (such as Documents, Desktop and Pictures) into the new user folder at C:\Users\NEW-USER-NAME. Copy only your own folders, not the whole profile, so you do not bring the corruption along.

Leave the old profile in place until you have checked that everything is in the new one. Once you are sure, you can delete the old profile with the steps in the previous section.

Backing Up User Profiles Before a Reset

Windows has no automatic backup button for whole accounts, so you copy the user folders from File Explorer to an external drive or a cloud storage folder. Do this before you delete any profile.

1. Open File Explorer and go to C:\Users. You see one folder for each profile.
2. Click the user profile folder you want to back up. You may need to click Continue if Windows asks for permission to open another user's folder.
3. Select the folders that hold your data, such as Documents, Downloads, Desktop, Pictures, Music and Videos. Hold Ctrl while clicking to pick several at once.
4. Press Ctrl + C to copy the folders.
5. Plug in an external hard drive or USB flash drive. Check that it has enough free space for what you selected.
6. Open the drive in a separate File Explorer window.
7. Press Ctrl + V to paste the backup. Wait for the copy to finish before you unplug the drive.

Advanced Profile Management via Computer Management

Advanced profile management lets you change account types, rename local accounts, or disable built-in accounts such as the hidden Administrator account. You do this from the Computer Management console, in the Local Users and Groups section.

Requirement: Local Users and Groups is not available in Windows 11 Home. On Home, the Computer Management console opens, but this section is missing. Use Settings › Accounts to change account types and remove accounts instead. You can also use netplwiz, or the net user commands in an elevated terminal, to list and manage local accounts. On Pro, Enterprise and Education, follow the steps below.

You need to be signed in as an administrator for these steps.

1. Right-click the Start button and select Computer Management. The console opens.
2. Expand System Tools in the left sidebar.
3. Click Local Users and Groups and then select Users. The local accounts appear in the middle pane.
4. Right-click any user account in the middle pane and select Properties. Here you can change account settings, such as forcing a password change or disabling the account. To undo a disable, open the same Properties window and clear the checkbox.

If this didn't work

If accounts keep disappearing or fail to load after the standard fixes, damaged system files may be the cause. You can repair them with the System File Checker from an elevated terminal, and then restart your PC.

1. Right-click the Start button and select Terminal (Admin). Click Yes if User Account Control asks for permission. The terminal opens with administrator rights.
2. Type sfc /scannow and press Enter. The scan can take several minutes, so let it reach 100%.
3. Read the result. It will say either that no integrity violations were found, or that corrupt files were found and repaired, or that some files could not be repaired.
4. If SFC could not repair everything, run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth in the same window and wait for it to finish. It needs an internet connection to fetch clean files. Then run sfc /scannow again.
5. Restart your PC and check whether the profile now loads normally.

If the profile still fails to load after this, create a new account and move your files over, as described in the corrupted profile section above.