How to remove unnecessary Windows 7 accounts. Windows accounts - how to delete or change an account

Useful tips

If you have several accounts on your computer, sometimes you need to delete one of them. Let's see how this can be done on Windows 7.

The issue of liquidating one of the accounts can arise for very different reasons. For example, you do not use a specific profile, but when you start your computer you constantly have to choose between it and your permanent account, which significantly slows down the system boot speed. In addition, having multiple accounts negatively affects system security. It should also be taken into account that each profile “eats” a certain amount of disk space, sometimes quite a lot. Eventually, it may become damaged due to a virus attack or other reason. In the latter case, you need to create a new account and delete the old one. Let's see how to carry out the removal procedure in different ways.

Method 1: "Control Panel"

The most popular way to delete an unnecessary profile is through "Control Panel". To implement it, you must have administrative rights. In addition, you should note that you can only delete the account under which you are not currently logged in to the system.

Click "Start". Sign in "Control Panel".

Click "User Accounts and Security".

In the next window, enter "User accounts".

In the list of items in the window that appears, click "Manage another account".

A window for selecting a profile to change opens. Click on the icon of the one you want to deactivate.

Going to the profile management window, click "Account deletion".

The named section opens. At the bottom there are two buttons offering different options for eliminating a profile:
- Delete files;
- Save files.
In the first case, all files that belong to the selected account will be destroyed. In particular, the contents of the folder will be cleared "My Documents" of this profile. In the second, the files in the user directory will be saved in the same directory "Users" ("Users"), where they are currently located in a folder whose name matches the profile name. These files can be used in the future. But you should remember that in this case, disk space will not be freed up due to account deletion. So, choose the option that suits you.

Whichever option you choose, in the next window you will need to confirm deleting the profile by clicking "Account deletion".

The flagged profile will be deleted.

Method 2: "Account Manager"

There are other options for deleting a profile. One of them is carried out through "Account Manager". This method is especially useful when, due to various PC failures, in particular profile corruption, the list of accounts is not displayed in the window "Control Panels". But using this method also requires administrative rights.

However, you need to take into account that using this method, the profile folder will not be deleted from the hard drive.

Method 3: “Computer Management”

You can delete a profile using the tool "Computer Management".

Method 4: "Command Line"

The next removal method involves entering the command in "Command line" running as administrator.

As you can see, in this case the deletion confirmation window does not appear, and therefore you need to act with extreme caution, since there is no room for error. If you delete the wrong account, it will be almost impossible to recover it.

Method 5: “Registry Editor”

Another removal option involves using "Registry Editor". As in previous cases, to implement it you must have administrative rights. This method poses a significant danger to the performance of the system in case of erroneous actions. Therefore, use it only if for some reason you cannot use other options to solve the problem. Also, before starting "Registry Editor" We recommend creating a restore point or backup.

To go to "Registry Editor" use the window "Run". You can call this remedy by using Win+R. Enter in the input area:
Click "OK".

Will be launched "Registry Editor". You can immediately play it safe and create a copy of the registry. To do this, click "File" and select "Export…".

A window will open "Export Registry File". Give it any name in the field "File name" and go to the directory where you want to store it. Please note that in the parameters block "Export Range" stood the value "The entire registry". If the value is active "Selected branch", then move the radio button to the desired position. After that press "Save".

A copy of the register will be saved. Now, even if something goes wrong, you can always restore it by clicking "Registry Editor" menu item "File" and then clicking "Import…". Then in the window that opens you will need to find and select the file that you previously saved.
On the left side of the interface there are registry keys in the form of folders. If they are hidden, then click "Computer" and the required directories will be displayed.

Go to the following folders "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE", and then "SOFTWARE".

Now go to the section "Microsoft".

Next click on catalogs "Windows NT" And "CurrentVersion".

A large list of directories opens. Among them you need to find the folder "ProfileList" and click on it.

A whole series of subdirectories will open, the name of which will begin with the expression "S-1-5-". Select each of these folders in turn. Moreover, every time on the right side of the interface "Registry Editor" pay attention to the parameter value "ProfileImagePass". If you find that this value represents the path to the directory of the profile that you want to delete, then this means that you are in the right subdirectory.

Next click RMB in the subdirectory in which, as we found out, contains the desired profile, and from the list that opens, select "Delete". It is very important not to make a mistake when choosing the folder to delete, as the consequences can be fatal.

A dialog box opens asking for confirmation to delete the partition. Once again, make sure that you are deleting exactly the desired folder, and click "Yes".

The section will be deleted. You can close "Registry Editor". Restart your computer.

But that is not all. If you want to delete the directory where the files are located for an account that has already been liquidated, you will also have to do this manually. Run "Conductor".

Paste the following path into its address bar:
Click Enter or click the arrow next to the line.

Once in the directory "Users", find the directory whose name matches the account name of the previously deleted registry key. Click on it RMB and select "Delete".

A warning window will open. Click on it "Continue".

Once the folder is deleted, restart your PC again. You can consider deleting your account completely completed.

As you can see, there are several ways to delete a user account in Windows 7. If possible, first of all, try to solve the problem using the first three methods presented in this article. They are the simplest and safest. And only if it is impossible to implement them, use "Command line". Consider manipulating the system registry as a last resort option.

Sometimes you need to delete a user account, also known as a user profile, also known as an account. In my case, this was expressed in very slow operation of the PC under one of the accounts. At the same time, the processor and RAM were used by only 15-20%. I also didn’t find anything criminal in the services. Windows logs didn't say anything either. Then I decided to cut the Gordian knot and delete the Windows 7 account that was causing problems and create a new one. But how?

The account can be local or domain.

1. A local account is familiar to everyone. It is created locally on the computer and distributed to one computer. In a word, ordinary.

2. A domain account allows you to have access to a group of computers using your login and password. However, a domain account also has its own set of files on each PC where the “domain” user has ever entered his login and password. This data can also be deleted from your computer. The next time the domain user logs in, the data will be downloaded from the server again, but now clean, without any artifacts.

How to delete local and domain accounts

To delete a local account

You can use the system component through the command line running as administrator.
But before that, copy the user's folder from C:\Users\to save data. Subsequently, you can transfer them to a new profile.

If the Local entry is located on a PC not entered into the domain, enter in the command line:

Runas/user:<computer_name>

If the Local entry is located on a PC entered into the domain, enter in the command line:

runas/user:<computer_name\domain_name>\Administrator “rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL sysdm.cpl”
In the window that opens, select "Advanced" - "User Profiles" - "Settings"

In Group " Profiles stored on this computer" select the one you need and click the “Delete” button.

How to delete a Domain account

To delete a domain user record that previously logged in, you need to:

Delete a user profile registry key
Rename the folder corresponding to the user to C:\Users\

Delete registry branch

We go to the Windows Registry Editor through the search bar in the Start menu, where we type regedit.msc

In the editor that opens, follow the path below

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

C:\Users\

This folder can be deleted. However, make sure that it does not contain sensitive user data. It contains files from the Desktop, Documents, Downloads, etc.

In my case, I simply renamed this folder to later transfer important files to the new profile folder.

I hope this material will be useful to you.

Although it is customary among most users to call electronic computers personal computers, a PC with the Windows 7 operating system is often used by several people at once. Moreover, each user can create multiple accounts in the system.

A significant number of profiles that are no longer used not only take up hard drive space, but can also create confusion.

Below is a guide about one of the methods for managing profiles in the OS, namely, methods for deleting users on a computer running Windows 7 are described.

Basic removal methods

The Seven has all the necessary tools to solve this problem. If there is an unused account in the system, you can quickly get rid of it.

However, if the PC is in a domain, then only the local account will be deleted, and domain records will remain untouched. It is necessary to take into account that files that were created under the account being deleted will also be erased from the PC.

Method 1. Through the control panel (CP)

You must log in with administrator rights and perform the following sequential steps:

As you can see, the technique is simple and the vast majority of people will not have any difficulties. The only difficulty that a beginner may have is logging into the system with extended privileges. Therefore, below is a brief instruction on how to solve this problem.

How to get extended powers?

The above technique started with the fact that it requires administrator rights to perform it. To obtain them, you must complete the following sequential steps:

Method 2. Using an account manager (AM)

If, due to problems in the system, the profile that is planned to be deleted has been damaged, then the first method will not solve the issue, but will need to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the MUS. This method, just like the first, is carried out with extended rights.

The following steps need to be followed:

Note: This technique allows you to delete unnecessary accounts, but the folders will not be erased from the system volume, so if necessary, you will have to remove them manually later.

Method 3: Through PC Control

Sequencing:

Method 4. Using command line capabilities (CL)

You will need to do the following:

Note: In the command, instead of “Hope”, you should write the specific username that is to be deleted.

7. Click “Enter”;

Method 5: Adjusting entries in the Registry Editor

You need to do the following:

How to delete a guest account?

An account called “Guest” cannot be deleted, but it can be disabled. To this end, you need to do the following:

– Igor (Administrator)

Windows 7 is a multi-user operating system. The latter means that there can be any number of different accounts on the computer. Convenient functionality, since each user can customize Windows to suit their requirements without interfering with other users. Starting from wallpaper and ending with a list of programs used. However, sometimes it may be necessary to delete such accounts - test user, temporary account, and so on.

Therefore, in this article “How to delete an account on Windows 7” I will consider two methods. But first I would like to warn you about something. You may come across instructions for deleting users through the registry. I do not recommend using these instructions for either ordinary or experienced users. The fact is that after such actions errors can easily occur in the operating system. And here cleaning the Windows registry may not help. So use only standard system tools. Well, now to the methods themselves.

Note: Please note that you need administrator rights to delete accounts.

First method. Removing an account on Windows 7 through the Control Panel

1. Open the Start menu and select "Control Panel"

2. In the window that opens, select "User Accounts"

3. Now you need to select "Manage another account"

4. Now select the user you want to delete

5. Among the items, find “Delete account” and click on it

6. A window will appear, as in the figure above, where you will be asked to save or delete the files of the selected user. Select the required item. By the way, if this user had important documents and files, then I advise you to select the “Save” option, so that later you don’t have to run around shouting “Ah-ah-ah! Chief, everything is gone!” (With)

7. After this, you will need to confirm the action by clicking on “Delete account”

8. Entry deleted

As you can see, the method is not complicated, although there are quite a lot of points in it. However, it is always useful to know alternative approaches.

Second method. Deleting an account through the Windows 7 manager

1. Open the Run window by pressing "WinKey (Windows key) + R"

2. Type "control userpasswords2" (without quotes)

3. The User Accounts window will open. This step may take a short time for the system to collect the necessary data.

4. Make sure you are on the Users tab

5. In the "Users on this computer" area, select the Windows 7 account you want to delete

6. Just below, click on the “Delete” button

7. A deletion confirmation window will appear. Accordingly, confirm the deletion

8. Account will be deleted

As you can see, this method also allows you to delete an account in Windows 7, although it does not consist of just mouse clicks. Once again, I advise you not to use deletion through the Windows registry, as this may cause problems. Moreover, these two methods are more than enough.

Microsoft operating systems are designed for the computer to be used by several people at the same time, and provide each of them with the opportunity to create accounts in any quantity. Over time, new profiles appear on a computer or laptop running “Seven” and they all take up space. Then the question arises: how to delete an unnecessary account on Windows 7? Let's look at a few ways to do this.

Many people are wondering what will happen if they delete their account. Microsoft took care of the safety of personal files when getting rid of unnecessary accounts. OS developers offer two options for getting rid of profiles in Windows 7 on the user’s computer:

with the preservation of personal information (desktop contents, “My Documents”, “Images” and other library contents);
erasure of all personal data.

If you select the first option, then a directory with the profile name will remain on the PC in the “Users” folder on the system volume, and all personal data will be contained in it. If you choose the second method, they will be permanently deleted, unless the contents of “My Documents” are moved to another location.

Control Panel

Deleting an account in Windows 7 is carried out through a special component of this system tool.

Open the “Control Panel” through “Explorer” (as in the screenshot) or in another convenient way.

Click “Add and remove...” if its icons are grouped into categories.

If elements are displayed as icons, click on the object circled in the screenshot.

Then select “Manage another account.”

You can also open Start and click on your profile avatar.

Select an unnecessary profile (you can delete not only your own, but also other users on this PC if you have the appropriate privileges).

Click on the “Delete account” link.

Here we decide: we need more files that are stored in the folder with the account name, or free space.

Let's focus on the second option: in the future this will be required if you want to restore a deleted profile.

We get acquainted with the conditions and confirm the implementation of our plans.

This way, any user accounts are removed from your computer and laptop if you are working as an administrator.

When logged in with limited rights, User Account Control will request permission from the administrator to perform the actions described in the instructions above. To complete the 6th step, you will need to enter your account password, which allows you to log in to the system under the selected account.

Let us immediately note that it is impossible to recover a deleted Windows 7 account, although there are a couple of tricks here:

if you saved the files at step 5, you can create an account with the same name and move your data there (program settings and files, but not registry entries or OS settings);
try to revive the profile folder (located in C:\Users) using R-Studio or another similar utility that preserves the file structure, and do the same as above.

Guest

The “Guest” account can only be enabled or disabled if not needed – you cannot get rid of it. Let's look at how this is done.

Go to the profile management window in Windows 7 (step 1-2 of the previous instructions).
Select the built-in “Guest” entry.

In the next window, click “Enable” if it is not active.

To disable an account, select it and click “Disable...”.

No confirmation is required here, because the user’s files are not affected.

Alternative path

A little faster and easier, any Windows 7 account can be erased as follows.

Call the command interpreter by clicking “Run” in “Start”.

Enter and execute the command “control userpasswords2”.

Select an unnecessary entry and click on the delete button.

This way, the profile will be excluded from the list of those present on the PC, but all its files and settings will remain untouched.

The administrator account is deleted in the same way, but this requires administrator privileges - a user with limited rights does not have such rights. No matter how much you want, you cannot remove an administrator from an account with limited capabilities.

Command line

To work with this tool you need elevated privileges in the system!

1. 1. Open the command interpreter and execute “cmd” in it.

To call the command line, you can also use the Start search bar or a shortcut in the Accessories directory.

1. 1. To get a list of all user profiles, run “net user”.

1. 1. Enter a command like “net user xxx /delete”, where xxx is the name of the unnecessary account.