How to Completely Remove a Local User Account in Windows 10 Home (Step-by-Step Guide)

If you’ve ever tried to delete a local user account from your Windows 10 Home PC and noticed that even after deletion, some traces remain—like folders in C:\Users or registry entries—then you’re not alone.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through a clean and complete method to remove a local user account along with its associated files and profile data, using both graphical and command-line methods.

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❓ What’s the Problem?

Sometimes, when you delete a user account via the Settings app or command line, Windows doesn’t remove everything. The user profile folder often remains, and worse, registry entries or application data may still linger.

Common symptoms:

• Deleted user account still shows up in C:\Users
• Registry entries referring to the old user profile
• Remnants of the user's data in ProgramData or Public folders
• Login option reappearing on boot (in rare cases)

🧭 When Does This Happen?

This typically occurs when:

• You delete a user using net user <username> /delete
• You remove the user from Settings > Accounts > Family & other users
• The system didn't complete cleanup after logout or a forced shutdown

✅ Summary: Quick Steps to Remove a User Account

• List user accounts with net user
• Delete the account using the command line
• Manually delete the user folder from C:\Users
• Clean leftover entries from the registry
• Remove traces in ProgramData or Public
• Reboot your system
• Confirm the account is completely gone

🛠️ Step-by-Step: Remove a Local User Account in Windows 10 Home

🌸 Step 1: Confirm the User Account You Want to Delete

Let’s make sure we’re removing the correct user.

Open Command Prompt as Administrator

• Press Win + X and select Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows Terminal (Admin)
• Run the following command:

net user

Note down the exact username you want to remove (e.g., Alice).

🌸 Step 2: Delete the Local User Account

Run the following command to delete the user:

net user Alice /delete

Replace Alice with the actual username you noted earlier.

✅ This will remove the user account from Windows.

🌸 Step 3: Delete the User’s Profile Folder

Even though the account is deleted, Windows leaves behind the user’s folder in C:\Users.

Steps:

• Open File Explorer
• Navigate to C:\Users
• Right-click on the folder matching the username (e.g., Alice) and click Delete

If Windows blocks deletion:

• Right-click → Properties → Security → Advanced
• Change Owner to your admin account or Administrators
• Remove unwanted permissions from SYSTEM or TrustedInstaller
• Try deleting again

🌸 Step 4: Remove User Profile from Windows Registry (Advanced/Optional)

Tip: Editing the registry can cause system issues. Proceed with caution.

Steps:

• Press Win + R → type regedit
• Navigate to:

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

• Expand the ProfileList folder
• Click on each SID (a long string like S-1-5-21...) and check the ProfileImagePath in the right pane
• If it shows C:\Users\Alice, right-click the SID folder and select Delete

🌸 Step 5: Clean Up ProgramData and Public Folders (Optional)

Check the following paths:

C:\ProgramData  
C:\Users\Public

Delete any folders or shortcuts related to the deleted user.

Examples:

• C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
• C:\Users\Public\Desktop

🌸 Step 6: Restart Your PC

• Open the Start Menu
• Click on Power → Select Restart

🔁 This ensures all changes take effect and any locked files are released.

🌸 Step 7: Confirm the User Is Fully Removed

• Re-run net user
• Open File Explorer and check C:\Users — the folder should be gone
• Navigate to Settings → Accounts → Family & other users

🌸 Bonus: Clean Up from System Properties (Optional)

Steps:

• Press Win + R → type SystemPropertiesAdvanced
• Under User Profiles, click Settings
• If the deleted user profile is still listed: Select it → Click Delete

📋 Summary Cheat Sheet

| Step | Action                              | Location / Command                    |
|------|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| 1️⃣   | List all user accounts              | net user                              |
| 2️⃣   | Delete the local account            | net user Alice /delete                |
| 3️⃣   | Remove profile folder               | C:\Users\Alice                        |
| 4️⃣   | Clean registry profile entries      | ...ProfileList in regedit             |
| 5️⃣   | Clean ProgramData or Public folders | C:\ProgramData, C:\Users\Public       |
| 6️⃣   | Reboot system                       | Start Menu → Restart                  |
| 7️⃣   | Verify deletion                     | Settings, Command Line, File Explorer |

🧠 Final Thoughts

By following this complete guide, you’ve ensured that a local user account is not just deleted but completely removed from your Windows 10 Home system, leaving no trace behind. This process helps you reclaim disk space, improve system performance, and tidy up old user clutter.

Important: Don’t delete accounts you’re unsure about. Always back up important data before deletion. If it’s a shared PC, ensure no one else is using that account.

🔗 References & Further Reading

• Microsoft Docs: net user command
• Windows Registry Guide