How to Fix Temporary Profile in Windows 10: 3 Useful Methods

Solve yet another Windows error with the help of our tested steps

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temp-profile temporary profile windows 10

Sometimes Windows 10 will sign you on with a temporary profile. It appears this annoying bug is here to stay, and it is accompanied by You’ve been signed in with a temporary profile message.

This can be various reasons and prevent you from accessing your user account. This guide will show you how to fix it quickly and effectively.

How do I fix Windows 10 with a temporary profile error?

1. Go to Safe Mode

  1. Press the Windows key to show the Start Menu.
  2. Press and hold the Shift key, and click the Power option followed by Restart.
    power windows 11 temporary file
  3. When your PC restarts, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings. Click the Restart button.
  4. Once your PC restarts, select Safe Mode’s version by pressing the appropriate key on your keyboard and log in with your original account.
  5. If this does not work, restart your PC in normal mode more than once, sign in with your original account, and see if the issue persists.
  6. If you still can’t access your files, press the Windows key + R, type services.msc, and click OK.
    services windows 11 temporary file
  7. Double-click the Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection option to open its properties.
    windows defender
  8. Set the Startup type to Disabled and click the OK button.
    disabled
  9. Now, go back to the Registry Editor and double-click the Microsoft Defender Antivirus service.
    microsoft antivirus windows 11 temporary file
  10. Click the dropdown before the Startup type, select Disable and click OK.
  11. Finally, disable any third-party antivirus you have to and restart your PC again.

2. Correct the Registry Entry

  1. Press the Windows key from the account with the temporary profile, type cmd, and select Command Prompt.
    cmd
  2. Copy and paste the command below and hit Enter. whoami/userwhoami user windows 11 temporary file
  3. Note the Security Identifier (SID) for the current account.
    sid
  4. Press the Windows key + R, type regedit, and click OK. Note that you need to have administrative privileges to do this.
    regedit
  5. Navigate to the location below in the left pane: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\ProfileListpath windows 11 temporary file
  6. After expanding the ProfileList key, check if the SID from Step 3 ends with .bak or without it or has the two variations.
    sid key
  7. If the SID key is without .bak do the following:
    • Double-click ProfileImagePath in the right pane to edit it.
      profileimage
    • Enter your correct user path in the Value data box and click the OK button. You can check this from File Explorer e.g., C:/USER/<username>.
      value data
    • Now, check if the State DWORD of the SID is set to 0 (zero) in the right pane and close the registry editor.
      state dword
  8. Should the SID key has .bak at the back, do the following:
    • Right-click the SID key, select the Rename option, and remove the .bak from the name.
      rename windows 11 temporary file
    • Double-click the ProfileImagePath in the right pane, change the Value data to your correct profile path, and click OK.
      value data
    • Check that the State DWORD for the SID key is set to 0 in the right pane and close the Registry Editor.
      state dword
  9. If two SID keys are listed with one having .bak and the other without it, do the following:
    • Right-click the SID key without .bak, select Delete and click the Yes button to confirm the action.
      delete
    • Now, right-click the SID key with .bak, select Rename, and remove the .bak from the name.
      rename windows 11 temporary file
    • Double-click the ProfileImagePath option in the right pane, change the Value data to your correct profile path, and click OK.
      value data
    • Check if the State DWORD is set to 0 and close the registry editor.
  10. Finally, restart your computer and log in with the affected user profile.

This is an excellent fix for the Windows 10 temporary profile issue and has proved to solve the problem for many. After making these changes, check if the problem is still there.

3. Create a new user account

  1. Click the Start icon in the Taskbar and select the Settings option.
    settings windows 11 temporary profile
  2. Choose Accounts in the left pane and select Family & other users in the right pane.
    accounts
  3. Now, click Add account before Add other user.
    add account
  4. Choose I don’t have this person’s sign-in information.
    access windows 11 temporary profile
  5. From here, select Add a user without a Microsoft account.
  6. Enter a username, password, and password hint, and click the Next button.
    next
  7. Go to Start > Settings > Accounts > Family & other users again.
  8. Choose the account name of the new account (There should be a Local account under the name) and click the Change account type button.
    account type
  9. Select the Administrator option under Account type and click OK.
    administrator
  10. Log into the new Microsoft account and launch File Explorer.
  11. Click the C: drive, select USERS, and choose the old account.
  12. Finally, copy the contents into your folder of the new account.

You can also try restarting your computer a few times and see if the problem is fixed.

This is another workaround that allows you to access your files and your settings. Note that this will only work if your profile folder is still available on your PC.

For more information, check out our guide on how to fix a corrupted user profile in Windows 10.

We hope one of these solutions works for you. If you’ve encountered a workaround we didn’t list in this article, tell us more about your experience in the comment section below.

Also, leave there any other questions you may have, and we will certainly take a look.

More about the topics: Fix Login issues, Microsoft account, user accounts, Windows 11 Fix