How to Recreate a Corrupted User Profile in Windows 10

How to Recreate User Profile on Windows 10

Getting a temporary or corrupted user profile in Windows 10 is a normal one and it has been happening from the early version of Windows 10. Most of the time, IT people face this temp profile issue while upgrading their Windows 10 version, and there is various reason one likely to get a corrupted user profile. 

Resolve and recreate Windows 10 Profile is very simple. But in order to do so you need to have some basic technical knowledge but not an expert level. As simple that you can follow the below step by step solution to fix a corrupted user profile.

Quick Fix: How to Recreate a Corrupted User Profile in Windows 10

This article will perform the following steps to Recreate a Corrupted User Profile in Windows 10.

  1. Login As an administrator on the device
  2. Go to C:\Users\
  3. Rename the affected user profile by adding .old at the end of the profile
  4. Open Registry editor as administrator and navigate to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
  5. Select the user profile which you want to recreate and add .old in the end to rename it
  6. Sign out of the Administrator account
  7. Login again with the same user credential; you will be logged in with a new user profile.

By following the above quick steps, you can recreate your user profile in Windows 10. For the detailed steps, kindly scroll down below.

Check this article to learn How to wipe a Windows 10 computer.

Step 01: Login as Administrator​

To delete or recreate the corrupt user profile on your computer, you must log in using your administrator account on the computer.

After successful login with your administrator account, please follow the below steps carefully:

Check this article to learn how to block ads on Windows 10 in just 2 mins

Step 02: Rename the Existing User Profile

How to Recreate User Profile on Windows 10

Open the file explorer and follow the below instruction:

  • Go to C:\Users
  • Select the respective profile and right-click on it
  • Either Rename or Delete the profile.

As shown in the above image, add something like .old at the end of the user profile.

Step 03: Rename the Registry file for the Existing User Profile​

To appropriately rename a Windows user profile in Windows 10, you also need to edit and rename the registry file for that particular user. 

How to Recreate User Profile on Windows 10

1. Press Windows Key + R on your keyboard to open Run Window and type Regedit

2. Click OK to open Registry Editor

How to Recreate User Profile on Windows 10

3. Copy the below path and paste it into the registry editor path:

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

How to Recreate User Profile on Windows 10

4. Select the User Profile which you want to recreate and Right click on it

5. Select Rename option to rename the profile

How to Recreate User Profile on Windows 10

6. Add .old at the end of the user profile

Now you have successfully edited the registry file of the user profile. This way, the user profile will be kept safe, which might be helpful in the future.

Step 04: Now Login Again with the Same Username

You have successfully renamed your existing user profile folder and registry setting. Now it’s time to create the new user profile.

Restart your computer and log in with the same username and password. This time Windows will create a New User Profile for the same user.

Once you are successfully logged in, check the problem you were facing on the previous user profile is disappeared in the new user profile.

If all are working fine, then you are good to go.

Common FAQ: How to Recreate a Corrupted User Profile in Windows 10

Why to Rename an Exiting Profile instead of Deleting it

Sometimes the problem or error you were facing continues on the new profile. So, creating a new user profile might be helpful. In this situation, you can log in to the administrator account, remove the .old from the old user profile, and add .old to the newly created profile.

You will automatically log in with your previous profile when you log in the next time. 

How to Delete Windows 10 User Profile

To Delete a user profile, you must delete the user profile folder on C:\Users\ and delete the registry settings. For detailed instructions, you can follow the above step-by-step article.

Anyhow, I won’t recommend deleting a user profile. Instead, you can rename it and create a new user profile for the same user.

What is the Location of User Profiles in Registry

To locate the User Profile in Registry Editor, Open the Registry Editor and paste the following path: 

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

Windows 10 Temp Profile Fix

If you are, keep sign-in in with a temp profile on your Windows 10 device. Make sure you have deleted the user profile on C:\Users and the registry setting using the above path. Again try to sign in.

If you are still signed in with a temp profile, go to any working Windows 10 PC and copy the Default folder on C:\Users\ and paste it onto the problematic PC. Before pasting the Default folder, rename it and Do not overwrite or delete it.

Sometimes the corrupted Default folder on the C:\Users\ causes the profile to login temporarily.

How to Remove User Profile in Windows 10

To Remove a user profile, you have to remove the user profile folder on C:\Users\ and remove the registry settings. For the detailed instruction you can follow the above step by step article. Anyhow I won’t recommended removing a user profile, instead you can rename it and create a new user profile for the same user.

How to Change User Profile Name in Windows 10

To change the current user profile name in Windows 10, follow the above article to rename the existing profile, restart the PC, and log in again. That’s it; you will be logged in with the new profile name.

Mohammed Nihal
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