Delete or restore Windows 10 account

Delete Windows 10 account? If you use Windows 10, there is a good chance that you share the computer with multiple users. Everyone has a user account in Windows 10 where specific programs and settings are saved specifically for that user.

In some cases a problem may arise with a user profile and it must be recreated or the user profile must be deleted. It is important to know that Windows 10 distinguishes between a user account and a user profile.

A user account is the account that stores certain settings such as your username, personal settings and wallpaper in Windows 10.

A user profile is a location in Windows where these settings are stored. Windows needs a location to store files that store these settings. This is a user profile. The user account and the user profile therefore both contain user data.

The distinction between an account and a profile is important if you only want to delete the user account while retaining personal files.

Delete or restore Windows 10 account

Delete Windows 10 account via Windows settings

If you delete a user account through the Windows 10 settings, the account as well as the profile will be deleted. If the user account is a local account concerns, all personal settings will be deleted.

An account associated with a Microsoft account does not delete any personal settings. If you add the Microsoft account back to Windows later, the personal settings will be restored.

Below is a way to delete a local account in Windows 10 and a Microsoft account. You'll also learn a way to reset a user account without actually deleting the account from Windows 10.

Delete local account

Right-click on the Windows Start button and click “Settings” in the Start menu.

In the Windows settings, click on “Accounts”.

Then click on “Family and other users” on the left in the menu, navigate a bit down to “other users”. Click on the local account you want to delete and click the “delete” button to confirm.

Windows 10 will ask you if you want to permanently delete the user account.

All data will be erased from the computer, desktop, downloads, documents, photos, music and other files. Make sure you have one back-up to restore these files later if necessary.

Windows now deletes the user account and the user profile files folder.

Read here how to add an account back to Windows 10.

Delete Microsoft account

If you want to delete a Microsoft account in Windows 10, you must first create a local account. Once the local account has been created, log in with a local administrator account and then delete the Microsoft account. This is how it works.

Right-click on the Windows start button. Click “run” in the menu.

In the run window type: netplwiz

In the user account settings, click “Add” to add a new local user account in Windows 10.

Click on the link “sign in without a Microsoft account (not recommended)” at the bottom. Then click on the “next” button.

Read the information and click the “local account” button to continue.

Create a new local user in Windows 10. Enter a username and password. Then click on the “next” button.

Once the user account has been created. Click on the user account you just created and click on “properties”.

Click on the “group membership” tab. Change the user account from “standard user” to “administrator”. Click Apply and OK.

Now log out of Windows and log back in with the Administrator account you just created (the local account, not a Microsoft account).

Once you are logged in, right-click the start button. Click on “settings” in the menu.

In the Windows settings click on “accounts”.

Click on “family and other users” in the menu on the left. Then click on the Microsoft account (you will recognize the Microsoft account by an email address, or there will be no text “Local account” behind it). Then click on “delete”.

Confirm the deletion of the Microsoft account by clicking “delete account and data”.

Read here how to add an account back to Windows 10.

If you want to delete the user account, but keep the profile (personal files), follow the steps below.

Windows 10 account reset

Sometimes problems can arise with a user account. It is then possible to restore the user account to default settings. The user account will then not be deleted, but created again. This will happen the next time you log on to the computer again.

It is important that you first have a second administrator account on the computer. You must be logged out of the account you want to delete again.

Right-click on the Windows start button. Click “run” in the Start menu.

In the Run window type: systempropertiesadvanced

Click on the “settings” button in the “user profiles” menu.

Select the local profile you want to delete and click the “delete” button.

Confirm the deletion of the profile. Windows now leaves the account intact while removing the Windows profile. The next time you log in again, the user profile will be rebuilt.

You will then see a window where the profile is being rebuilt and it may take a few minutes for Windows to complete this.

I hope this helped you. Thank you for reading!