Delete a user profile

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To delete a user profile

  1. Open System in Control Panel.

  2. On the Advanced tab, under User Profiles, click Settings.

  3. Under Profiles stored on this computer, click the user profile you want to delete, and then click Delete.

Notes

  • To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure.

  • To open System, click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click System.

  • To open System from a command line as an administrator, type:

    runas /user:computername\Administrator "rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL sysdm.cpl"

  • You cannot copy or delete a user profile that belongs to the currently logged on user or any user whose profile is in use.

  • You can delete a roaming user profile by taking ownership of the profile's folder on the domain controller and then deleting it. This does not remove roaming profile information that has been downloaded to any of the computers in that domain. Downloaded profile information must be deleted individually from each computer.

Information about functional differences

  • Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.

See Also

Concepts

User profiles overview
Copy a user profile
Switch between a roaming and local user profile
System Properties Overview - Control Panel