Your Profile Won’t Load / Temporary Profile Error — The Registry Fix

30 Jul 2026

You sign in to Windows 11 and immediately realise something is wrong.

Your normal desktop background has disappeared. Your documents and shortcuts appear to be missing. Applications look as though they have been reset, and Windows may display a notification saying:

“We can’t sign in to your account.”
“You’ve been signed in with a temporary profile.”
“The User Profile Service failed the sign-in.”
“User profile cannot be loaded.”

Your files have not necessarily been deleted. Windows may have failed to load your normal user profile and signed you into a temporary one instead.

A temporary profile gives you limited access to the computer, but it is not designed for permanent use. Microsoft warns that files created or changed while using a temporary profile may be lost when you sign out, so any new work should be copied to external storage or another safe location before troubleshooting begins. (Microsoft Support⁠)

In some cases, restarting Windows or signing in through Safe Mode is enough to restore the original profile. In others, the user’s profile entry in the Windows Registry has become duplicated or renamed with a .bak suffix.

That is the situation in which a careful Registry repair may help.

What Is a Windows User Profile?

Your Windows account and your Windows user profile are related, but they are not exactly the same thing.

The account identifies who you are and allows you to sign in. The profile contains the personalised environment Windows loads after authentication, including:

Your Desktop
Documents and Downloads
Pictures and Videos
Application settings
Browser data
Start menu configuration
Taskbar settings
Registry settings associated with your account
OneDrive configuration
Locally stored application data

The main profile folder is normally located under:

C:\Users\YourName

Windows also keeps profile information in the Registry under:

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

Each user profile is represented by a subkey named after the account’s security identifier, or SID. Values inside the key include ProfileImagePath, which tells Windows which folder under C:\Users belongs to that account.

Why Windows Loads a Temporary Profile

A temporary profile is normally created because Windows cannot load the normal one safely.

Possible causes include:

An interrupted Windows update
An unexpected shutdown or power cut
File-system corruption
Insufficient free disk space
Damaged profile Registry information
Security software temporarily locking profile files
Incorrect permissions on the user folder
A failed profile migration
An incompletely removed account
A damaged NTUSER.DAT file
Problems with a roaming or domain profile
Storage hardware faults
A profile that is still marked as being in use

Microsoft notes that incomplete or improper profile removal can leave orphaned information in both the Registry and C:\Users, resulting in additional profile folders or users being signed into temporary profiles. (Microsoft Learn⁠)

The presence of a .bak entry inside ProfileList often indicates that Windows has preserved the original profile entry while creating or attempting to use another one. However, a .bak key does not automatically mean that the Registry repair below is appropriate.

First: Do Not Save Important Work to the Temporary Desktop

Before attempting any repair, protect anything you have created during the temporary session.

Copy new or edited files to one of the following:

A USB drive
Another internal drive
A network share
A verified OneDrive or SharePoint location
A folder belonging to another working administrator account

Do not assume that placing a file on the temporary Desktop or in the temporary Documents folder will preserve it.

Microsoft specifically advises saving work created in a temporary profile to external storage before signing out. (Microsoft Support⁠)

Check Whether You Are Actually in a Temporary Profile

Several signs can confirm the problem.

Check the user folder

Press Windows key + R, enter:

%USERPROFILE%

and select OK.

A normal result may look like:

C:\Users\Carl

A temporary profile may point to a folder such as:

C:\Users\TEMP

or a variation that includes the computer or domain name.

Check

C:\Users

Open File Explorer and browse to:

C:\Users

Look for your original profile folder. If your usual Desktop, Documents, Pictures and other folders are still present inside it, the data may remain intact even though Windows is not loading the profile correctly.

Do not begin moving or deleting folders yet.

Check the warning notification

Windows may display a message explaining that it cannot sign in to your account and that signing out and back in might resolve the issue.

Although the warning may disappear, the underlying profile problem can return after the next restart.

Try the Basic Fixes Before Editing the Registry

Registry editing should not be the first step.

Restart the computer properly

Select:

Start > Power > Restart

Do not simply shut down and immediately power the device back on. Restart performs a full sign-out and reload of the Windows session.

Try restarting twice if the problem followed an update or an interrupted sign-in.

Check the free disk space

Open:

Settings > System > Storage

If the Windows drive is completely full, Windows may be unable to load or update the profile correctly.

Remove unnecessary temporary files or move large personal files to another drive, but avoid deleting files from unfamiliar Windows directories.

Try Safe Mode

Microsoft recommends starting Windows in Safe Mode and signing into the original profile as one of the basic troubleshooting steps for temporary-profile errors. If the normal files and settings return, restart the computer normally and test the profile again. (Microsoft Support⁠)

Check for updates

Once signed in with an administrator account, open:

Settings > Windows Update

Install pending updates and restart the computer.

Temporarily disconnect unnecessary external storage

A failing or slow external drive can occasionally interfere with applications and sign-in processes. Disconnect non-essential USB storage, docks and memory cards before testing again.

Do not disconnect a drive that contains the user profile itself.

Before Editing the Registry

The Registry fix requires another working administrator account.

Do not attempt to repair the profile while signed into the affected account if Windows is actively using that profile’s Registry entry.

You can use:

Another existing administrator account
A temporary local administrator created for the repair
The built-in recovery environment where appropriate
An organisation’s authorised IT administrator account

On a company-managed computer, contact your IT provider before making changes. Domain, Microsoft Entra ID, roaming-profile and virtual-desktop environments may require a different repair.

Back Up the Profile Files

Before changing profile entries, copy the important contents of the original user folder.

The original profile will normally be under:

C:\Users\YourName

Prioritise:

Desktop
Documents
Downloads
Pictures
Videos
Music
Favourites
Locally stored project folders
Browser bookmarks that are not synchronised
Outlook PST files
Application data that is known to be locally stored

Do not blindly copy the entire AppData folder into a new profile later. Damaged application settings inside AppData can reintroduce the original problem.

Also confirm that any files stored only in OneDrive have fully downloaded before relying on the local copy.

Back Up the Registry Key

Open Registry Editor from a working administrator account:

Press Windows key + R.
Enter:

regedit

Select OK.
Approve the User Account Control prompt.
Browse to:

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

Right-click ProfileList.
Select Export.
Save the .reg file somewhere safe.

Microsoft’s documented Registry backup method is to select the relevant key in Registry Editor and use File > Export before making changes. (Microsoft Support⁠)

Keep the exported file until the computer has restarted successfully and the profile has been tested.

The Registry Fix for a

.bak

Profile

The following repair is intended for a particular scenario:

Your original folder still exists under C:\Users.
You can identify the correct profile using ProfileImagePath.
ProfileList contains duplicate SID entries, one of which ends in .bak.
You have already backed up the user’s data and the Registry.
You are signed into a different administrator account.

Do not follow these steps by matching SID numbers alone. Use ProfileImagePath to confirm which entry belongs to the affected user.

Step 1: Find the affected SID

Inside:

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

you will see keys with names such as:

S-1-5-18

S-1-5-19

S-1-5-20

S-1-5-21-123456789-123456789-123456789-1001

Do not alter the short built-in service-account keys:

S-1-5-18

S-1-5-19

S-1-5-20

Instead, select each longer key beginning with:

S-1-5-21

Look at the ProfileImagePath value in the right-hand pane.

You are looking for the entry pointing to the original folder, such as:

C:\Users\Carl

Step 2: Look for a duplicate ending in

.bak

You may find two keys with almost identical names:

S-1-5-21-123456789-123456789-123456789-1001

and:

S-1-5-21-123456789-123456789-123456789-1001.bak

Check ProfileImagePath inside both keys.

The .bak key commonly points to the original user folder, while the key without .bak may point to a temporary or newly generated profile.

Do not assume this arrangement. Verify the values on the actual computer.

Step 3: Rename the key without

.bak

Right-click the SID key that does not end in .bak and select Rename.

Add a temporary suffix, for example:

S-1-5-21-123456789-123456789-123456789-1001.temp

Do not delete it at this stage.

Keeping it under a temporary name makes it easier to reverse the repair if necessary.

Step 4: Remove

.bak

from the original profile key

Right-click the SID key ending in .bak and select Rename.

Remove only the .bak suffix so that the key ends with the account’s normal SID:

S-1-5-21-123456789-123456789-123456789-1001

Make sure you do not add spaces or change any of the SID numbers.

Step 5: Confirm

ProfileImagePath

Select the newly renamed key and double-click:

ProfileImagePath

Confirm that it points to the correct original user folder:

C:\Users\YourName

The folder must exist, and the path must match it exactly.

Do not rename the folder under C:\Users merely to make it resemble the account name. Renaming profile folders manually can break application settings, OneDrive, services and stored file paths.

Step 6: Check

State

Inside the repaired SID key, locate:

State

Double-click it and set the value data to:

Leave the base setting as shown by Registry Editor. Entering 0 produces the same result whether Hexadecimal or Decimal is selected.

Step 7: Check

RefCount

Look for a value named:

RefCount

When it exists, double-click it and set the value data to:

If RefCount is not present, do not create it automatically. Its absence does not necessarily indicate a fault.

Step 8: Close Registry Editor and restart

Close Registry Editor and restart Windows.

Sign into the original account and check:

The correct Desktop appears.
Documents and Downloads are present.
%USERPROFILE% points to the expected folder.
Applications open normally.
OneDrive uses the correct location.
The temporary-profile warning does not return.

Do not immediately delete the renamed .temp Registry entry. First test the repaired profile through several restarts.

What If There Is Only a

.bak

Key?

Sometimes the original SID exists only as:

S-1-5-21-...-1001.bak

with no matching key without .bak.

After confirming that ProfileImagePath points to the original user folder and backing everything up, a technician may rename that key to remove .bak, check State and RefCount, then restart.

However, the absence of a duplicate entry can indicate a different failure. If the user folder is damaged, missing or inaccessible, simply renaming the Registry key may not repair it.

What If There Is No

.bak

Key?

Do not invent one.

If no .bak profile exists, investigate:

Whether ProfileImagePath points to the correct folder
Whether the folder exists
Whether the drive has errors
Whether the user has permission to access the folder
Whether NTUSER.DAT is damaged or locked
Whether security software is interfering
Whether the profile belongs to a domain or Entra ID account
Whether the issue began after an account or folder was manually renamed

If the Registry structure appears normal, creating a new profile is usually safer than deleting keys at random.

Microsoft’s standard guidance for a corrupted profile is to create a new administrator account, sign into it and copy personal files from the damaged profile into the new one. (Microsoft Support⁠)

Do Not Delete the Original User Folder

Removing a Registry entry does not automatically mean that the profile folder is disposable.

Never delete:

C:\Users\YourName

until:

All important files have been backed up.
A repaired or replacement profile works.
Email and browser data have been checked.
OneDrive and SharePoint are synchronising correctly.
Locally stored application data has been recovered.
The computer has completed several successful restarts.

Deleting the user folder too early can permanently remove files that were not stored anywhere else.

What If the Registry Fix Does Not Work?

A .bak repair cannot restore every damaged profile.

The underlying problem may involve:

A corrupted NTUSER.DAT
Incorrect NTFS permissions
A failed SSD or hard drive
Malware or unwanted software
A security product locking profile files
A broken Windows installation
A domain-controller or network issue
A damaged roaming profile
A Microsoft Entra ID registration problem
A failing OneDrive redirection policy
Insufficient space on the system drive

At this point, repeated Registry edits can make recovery more difficult.

The safer option is normally to create a clean user profile and migrate the data.

Creating a Replacement Profile

Sign into a working administrator account and open:

Settings > Accounts > Other users

Create a new account and give it administrator rights temporarily.

Sign out, then sign into the new account once so that Windows creates its profile folder.

You can then copy personal data from:

C:\Users\OldProfile

to:

C:\Users\NewProfile

Copy the contents of personal folders rather than replacing the entire new profile.

Good candidates include:

Desktop
Documents
Downloads
Pictures
Videos
Music
Favourites
Project folders

Avoid copying these blindly:

NTUSER.DAT
NTUSER.DAT.LOG
The complete AppData folder
Hidden profile Registry files
Temporary folders
Unknown application databases

Microsoft’s corrupted-profile recovery guidance recommends creating a new account, signing into it and copying the user’s files from the corrupted profile. (Microsoft Support⁠)

OneDrive Considerations

If the affected account uses OneDrive, do not simply drag the old OneDrive folder into the new profile without checking its status.

Instead:

Sign into OneDrive with the correct account.
Allow OneDrive to create its normal folder.
Confirm which files already exist in the cloud.
Copy only files that are missing from the online library.
Watch for duplicate file names and conflicted copies.
Confirm that Desktop, Documents and Pictures backup settings are correct.

Files showing cloud-only status may not have been physically stored in the old profile.

Outlook and Other Business Applications

A replacement Windows profile may require some applications to be configured again.

Check for:

Outlook PST files
Email signatures
Browser favourites
Saved templates
Accounting-software data
VPN configurations
Remote Desktop files
Application licence details
Locally stored databases
Scanning profiles
Printer settings
Digital certificates

Do not copy an Outlook OST file as a substitute for properly reconnecting the mailbox. An OST is normally an offline cache and may not contain data in a form designed for migration.

Company-Managed Devices Need Extra Care

On a business computer, the problem may affect more than the local Windows profile.

The device may be connected to:

Active Directory
Microsoft Entra ID
Microsoft Intune
Group Policy
Folder redirection
OneDrive Known Folder Move
Roaming profiles
FSLogix profile containers
Remote Desktop Services
Azure Virtual Desktop

Changing local ProfileList entries without understanding these systems can result in duplicate profiles, missing application settings or repeated temporary-profile errors.

The correct repair may involve removing a stale profile container, correcting permissions, repairing the device’s organisational registration or restoring a server-based profile.

Check the Drive After Recovering the Profile

A profile error caused by disk corruption may return even after the Registry has been repaired.

Open Terminal or Command Prompt as administrator and run:

chkdsk C: /scan

You can also check Windows system files with:

sfc /scannow

If SFC reports files that it cannot repair, run:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

and then run SFC again.

Profile corruption that repeatedly returns should be treated as a warning sign rather than a minor inconvenience. Check the storage device’s health and make sure a verified backup exists.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Editing the wrong SID

Several users may have similar-looking Registry entries. Always use ProfileImagePath to identify the correct one.

Deleting every

.bak

entry

A .bak suffix is not permission to delete the key. It may represent the only Registry reference to the original profile.

Editing the Registry from the affected profile

Windows may have the profile loaded, even temporarily. Use another administrator account.

Renaming

C:\Users

folders manually

The profile path is referenced by Windows, applications, OneDrive and Registry settings. Renaming it manually can create additional problems.

Copying the entire old profile into a new one

This can copy the corruption into the replacement account.

Continuing to work in the temporary profile

Anything stored there may disappear when the session ends.

Assuming the Registry fix repairs damaged files

The procedure repairs the link between the account and its profile. It does not reconstruct corrupted documents, Registry hives or application databases.

A Safe Troubleshooting Order

When Windows loads a temporary profile:

Save all new work outside the temporary profile.
Restart Windows.
Check the free space on the system drive.
Try signing in through Safe Mode.
Confirm that the original folder remains under C:\Users.
Back up the user’s personal files.
Sign into a different administrator account.
Export the ProfileList Registry key.
Identify the correct SID through ProfileImagePath.
Repair duplicate .bak entries only when the profile mapping is clear.
Restart and test the original account.
Create a clean profile if the repair fails.
Investigate the disk and Windows installation if the issue returns.

Get Help Recovering Your Windows Profile

A temporary profile can make it look as though everything has disappeared, but the user’s files are often still present inside the original profile folder.

The priority is protecting those files before attempting Registry changes.

Hamilton Group can diagnose Windows 11 profile failures, repair damaged profile mappings, recover files from inaccessible user folders and create clean replacement profiles without carrying the corruption into the new account.

We can also investigate repeated profile failures involving OneDrive, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Entra ID, Intune, business networks and failing storage devices.

Call 0330 043 0069, book a meeting with one of our experts or visit hgmssp.com for help restoring your Windows profile safely.

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