There may be various issues that cause trouble logging in to Windows 11/10. Previously, we discussed the fix for the failure of Group Policy Client Service while logging in. Today, we’ll discuss the temporary potential corrupted User Profile. This issue comes into play when you don’t log in to Windows using the correct user path directory.
Why have I been logged in with a temporary profile?
Logging in with a temporary profile usually indicates an issue with your user profile. Common reasons include a corrupted or inconsistent user profile. This can prevent your settings and data from being loaded correctly, causing Windows to sign you in temporarily.
You’ve been signed in with a temporary profile in Windows 11/10
When you’re logged in with a temporary profile, a notification on the right side of the taskbar keeps popping up:
Since you’re warned that you’re on a temporary profile, every file operation you perform will be nullified at the next sign-in. But what if you get the same issue during the next sign-in? If you are the administrator of the system facing this issue, you can apply the registry method discussed below to resolve this problem:
1] Using Registry Editor
First, create a system restore point. Next backup all your data.
Then, do the following.
1. Press Windows Key + R combination, type put Regedit in Run dialog box and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
2. Navigate to the following location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
3. Under the hood of ProfileList key, you’ll find the subkeys specific to a profile, see in the above screenshot.
For example, I found mine to be S-1-5-21-2944774474-1080414133-2956492554-1001.
You’ll have these long subkeys, each one for every one of your User Accounts. For instance, if you have three User Accounts, you will see three such long subkeys. The long names are the SIDs or the Security Identifiers for each profile name.
All you need to do is make sure the expandable registry string (REG_EXPAND_SZ) named ProfileImagePath in the right pane of these keys exists and linked properly to the correct user account folder. If you find that this is not the case, just point it to correct the location.
Eg. It should be something like C:\Users\<username>. Check for all the user names.
Usually, the profile that is creating problems, will create a SID with a .bak extension. In such a case, you may have to: correct the ProfileImagePath for the .bak
- Delete the subkey for the created temporary profile
- Correct the ProfileImagePath for the .bak subkey. It will have the same SID as the subkey deleted above
- Rename the .bak key by just removing the .bak extension and keeping the same SID.
That’s it! Close the Registry Editor after making appropriate manipulations and reboot the machine to get the issue fixed.
If you have many user names and you know the User Profile that is giving you problems, type the following command in an elevated CMD window and hit Enter to get the SID for the specific user name.
wmic useraccount where (name='username') get name,sid
Here in the place of username, enter the particular user name.
Read: Please wait for the User Profile Service takes too long in Windows
If this does not work for you, restore your computer back to the created restore point and or restore your backed up registry.
Related: We can’t sign in to your account message in Windows
2] Try ReProfiler
There is one more thing you can try. ReProfiler is a freeware for manipulating User Profiles on Windows 11/10/Server & useful if you are unable to access a User’s data and settings. See if this tool helps you.
Read: Do not logon users with Temporary Profiles on Windows
3] Check Event Viewer
If you need to troubleshoot further, you can Run eventvwr.msc to open Event Viewer. Expand Windows Logs and Application entry. Here, under Application, you will get the error logs under Event ID 1511 which are pertaining to User Profile errors.
Related: User Profile Service failed the logon, User profile cannot be loaded.
I hope you find the fix useful!
How to get rid of a Temp Profile?
To remove a temp profile, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList in the Registry Editor. Identify and delete any SID keys ending with “.bak”. Ensure all remaining SID keys have accurate ProfileImagePath values. Restart your computer to apply changes.
Why is my Microsoft account Temporary Profile?
Your Microsoft account may show a temporary profile due to corruption issues like a bad update or an improper shutdown. To avoid data loss, performing a full backup before making changes to your operating system is recommended.
How do I disable Temporary Profile?
To disable a temporary profile on Windows, go to Control Panel > System > Advanced System Settings. Click on Settings under the User Profiles section. Locate the temporary profile, select it, and click Delete. Restart your PC to apply the changes and create a new user profile.
I don’t understand what you mean by “just point it to the correct location.” What exactly do I do to “point it to the correct location.” I actually don’t know how to identify the correct subkey to my profile. There are several listed. How do I recognize mine?
^^ Expand the ProfileList key, now click the long subkeys one by one and correspondingly look for the ProfileImagePath string in the right pane, its Value data must consist your user account name.
After trying all of the other suggestions for the last 4 months, I finally fixed my temporary profile issue. The only thing I hadn’t tried was to make a new profile and copy my files to it. I ran Tweaknow Reg cleaner on full safe mode and I let it fix the errors it could fix on it’s own. The I went to Settings on my desktop, lower right corner, then to Change PC settings, then Accounts and verified my account. On the next reboot it booted to the Temporary Profile screen just one more time, then never again. My pc is booting much faster for the last week and no more Temporary Profile issues. I am really not sure if verifying my account fixed it or if the Teak Now Registry Cleaner fixed it.
I don’t think any registry cleaner can fix these kind of problems.
I have found my profile In the ProfileList key, but I am not sure of what to do next after I find the correct ProfileImagePath with my correct profile name.
^^ If you have find the registry string pointed to correct location then your issue must be solved :)
^^ How do I do that exactly? Sorry for the trouble by the way.
Greetings! i experienced this problem yesterday! i’ve tried to shutdown and login for about 3-4 times. i didn’t mind the notification that all the files created in a TEMP file will be deleted. all my files in My Documents was lost, then i retrieve it in the User file. my bad is, i transferred all my files in the TEMP account. after another restart, my profile was OK but the files i transferred in a TEMP account was lost… as in gone! so, the question is, is there an easy way to retrieve all my files? i’ve used a third-party apps (Data Rescue PC3) but majority of my files that was retrieve was not working especially MS Office files. HELP PLEASE???!!! thanks!
thank you very much. It worked for me and you save me an hour of filecopy from one profile to another. Good work
does this fix work for windows 7
^^ Yup, it works on Windows 7, 8, 8.1 :)
I don’t find the expandable registry string (REG_EXPAND_SZ) named ProfileImagePath in the right pane… What should I do?
^^ Create it manually :)
I started getting this problem after trying to update from windows 8 to 8.1 and the installation musn’t have worked properly. I couldnt start up my computer at first but after restoring it I keep getting logged into a temporary account. I tried to do all of this and it was linked with my correct user account, but when i reset my computer it still loads the temporary account. Please help!
If you’ve any system restore point that is dated before you did the upgrade scenario, you can restore to get rid of the problem.
If you tried this method and did nit managed to recover your profile, try this video.
It definitely helped me!
No files lost.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66F_sLHo2Oo
^^ Might be helpful for many :)
Ok I know this is windows 8, discussion, BUT we are having the issue with winXP, Win7 and if I had more user on 8 I bet it would be on windows 8 as well…my problem is that when I find the entry in the profilelist and then correct it, have the user restart…it disappears when they log off (check the entry from the network while it was at the logon) then when they log back on it is there but incorrect and they are logged on with a temp profile….VERY Fustrating
my problem doesn’t solved
plz help me out
^^ Have you found ProfileImagePath string mentioned in 3rd step, pointed to correct user profile location?
What if it is already pointed to the correct location?
will it work for windows 7 ?
sorry just checked it does, okay lets hope this works
If I cant change anything because the registry string is already pointing to my profile. Then the problem is not fixed.
I’m having a similar problem except that the user doesn’t have any previous profile on the account and this problem happens in every single computer he logs in on the domain, so I guess it’s a domain related issue. What would be the best practice to restore it without having to delete and recreate a profile on the domain???
IT fixed my issue….
http://smartsoftwares.blogspot.com/2014/05/how-to-fix-temporary-profile-in-windows.html
I found two subkeys:
S-1-5-21-2963639702-3254634752-3256229726-1001, and
S-1-5-21-2963639702-3254634752-3256229726-1001.bak
The first, ending in 1001, has ProfileImagePath, REG_EXPAND_SZ, C:UsersTEMP.
The second, ending in .bak, has ProfileImagePath, REG_EXPAND_SZ, C:UsersBev.
What do I do?
^^ Point the first subkey’s string to correct user path since it is directing to temporary path.
I found everything the way you said but there’s actually two of those files :
S-1-5-21-2944774474-1080414133-2956492554-1001
S-1-5-21-2944774474-1080414133-2956492554-1001.bak
they both have the ProfileImagePath in them but first one I listed has the Temp.Unknown
Now, the question is, how do I access my profile? do I delete the one that has the ProfileImagePath for the temporary account?
It wont let me do it? I got to the last bit but yet it says I cannot edit profileimagepath? is this just wrecking my laptop even further?
What if it does but you’re still in the temporary file?
the problem with this is that if the account you are trying to fix is the admin account, you are screwed as any of the local accounts will not allow you to change it……..i swear, the next time i am getting an apple machine.
How do I know what the correct user account folder is
^^ You have to manually seek for it in the File Explorer.
I cant find my profile list under windows
Hey Kapil,
I found your post very useful but I’ve encountered following issues while editing the string value.
There are 4 long subkeys and 3 short subkeys found in the ProfileList. In those 4 long subkeys, There are 4 different value data in the ProfileImagePath string.
1st one is directed to C:UsersUpdatusUser
2nd one is directed to C:UsersTEMP.UNTITLED
3rd one is directed to C:Usersacer
4th one is directed to C:UsersAdministrator
So do I have to change all Value data to C:/Users/acer ???
When I changed the ProfilePath to the actual user I wasn’t able to sign in. I got some errors.
P.S I am using windows 8
^^ First of all you need to find out which key is for your account, then you need to change only the Value data for registry string which is mentioned in article, no need to change other entries there.
I did all the steps accurately as mentioned above. But i am still having problem. Can’t get access to my files as they were before. Even the start menu has changed. Only 5 tiles it shows. Plz help me.
Hey Kapil,
Plz help me.
I got an error today when I logged in to windows 8.1. It showed a notification that I am logged into temporary account. I searched for the solution and followed all the instructions mentioned in your post.
But still i am getting problem logging in my previous account.
I had only single user on my PC.
It showed previously as : C:Users”user_name”>
it was when everything was alright.
But now it shows it like this: C:Users”user_name”.”PC_name”.000>
Plz help me getting back my previous user setting and desktop.
Thank you.
My user profile which is not an Admin account suffers from the same fate, I have tried following the steps required to fix this mess but when I try renaming i get “The Registry Editor cannot rename filename.bak. Error while renaming key.And when I try taking ownership I get an error “Unable to set new owner on filename.bak. Access Denied”
What to do?I have very important files on that profile that I need to access.
^^ Try ReOwnershipEx to take ownership of the key:
https://www.thewindowsclub.com/regownershipex-take-ownership-on-registry-keys-easily
Under Registry address is this the path i need to use? HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINEsoftwareMicrosoftwindows ntcurrent versionprofile list PROFILE NAME.
Even I am facing the same…
Can anybody help me on this issue
what do you mean the correct user account folder?
This is what I see also. The one with .bak has my pathway. The one without goes to Temp. Did you ever get an answer to this?
i have two almost identical profile list keys exept one of them has .bak in the end and both have the profilelmagpath in them. The one with the .bak also has a migrated REG_BINARY and a runlogonscript REG_DWORD. what do i do?
Is it possible to “print” this discussion?
How to you point it to the right location? I have followed all the steps but it still hasn’t helped
^^ Refer previous comments for hint :)
still not working 64 bit os x64.im so tried plz help me
So I got access back to my computer, but my computer is telling me that my Documents folder cannot be accessed, as well as my Music, Pictures, and Video folder. Can you give any help to solve this?
^^ Let us know what error message do you recieve when you open Documents folder, so that we can help.
Actually, I fixed my problem with a System Restore, so thank you for
the help and concern! c:
^^ Glad to hear that :)
All my files were deleted after doing all the steps? What to do? I need to recover all my files.
What do you mean by that, dude?! I need my laptop for work, and can’t figure this out! I’m not that smart, so I don’t know what you mean by value and stuff like that. and fixing it, HOW?
10?
Worked for me Thanks :D
i didnt exactly read the notification.. i have really important files in the temporary user thing.. is there any way i could access those files or get them?… hoping to get a reply :|
Same issue.. after did all the steps my user folder was empty, lost everything!?!? How did you solved?
Hi ^^ You said to create a system restore point first then backup all my data before I follow your other instructions… How do I do this exactly?
After new upgrade from Win10 I was getting “You’ve Been Signed In With A Temporary Profile…” message which suggested some app was at fault. My PC come with Norton Securities which I decided not to purchase it, but every day I was getting annoying popup window from Norton asking me to sign. I uninstalled Norton Security and suddenly the problem with “You’ve Been Signed In With A Temporary Profile” disappeared.
zb
I just edited this registry entry, and after my PC hung on shutdown and eventually had to be force powered off. Now, hundreds of gigabytes of files are missing. I’m really upset with myself right now.
^^ Since you were working on temporary profile, it is obvious that after performing registry manipulation you’ll be logged to standard profile, and it results in lose of temporary files. Suggest you to perform a system restore, if possible, see if it works!
I didn’t do any work on the temporary profile. It randomly put me onto a temporary profile, and after confirming that all my data was still there (in C/Users/MyName), I did what I said in the first comment.
I’m having some trouble with this. I created a restore point, then changed the ProfileImagePath to C:UsersCharlie. However, I forgot to change the other SID, the one with the .bak extension. When I restarted the computer, it was worse than before.
I restored it using the restore point I made before changing the Profile List, however the second SID is no longer there, and I was signed into my actual account rather than the temporary one. It’s working better than it was before, however many of my files are missing. (For example, in Microsoft Word it remembers my ‘recent documents’ but I cannot open them.) I tried restoring to an even earlier point, but the computer was unable to finish it.
Do you know of a fix for this? It’s not a huge problem (as far as I can tell), but it is somewhat annoying.
Thank you windows club!!! Ive never done anything other than control/alt/delete before and was so scared to attempt fixing my computer issues…you explained everything step in detail and I’m amazed that I was able to get my computer up and running thanks to you!!! ??
There is no profile key in there. Now what?