If the user profile deletion process was not completed correctly, you may see the error message “Profile not completely deleted”, “Error – Directory not empty”. Although this error message usually appears when you delete part of a domain profile, you may find it on an ordinary home computer as well. Whatever the cause of this error, you can fix it in a matter of moments.
You can create a profile that allows someone to access your computer and then delete it when the job is done. However, if Windows 10 doesn’t complete the entire profile deletion process, you may get the above error message when deleting a specific folder or file.
Table of Contents
What causes the “Profile not completely deleted” error on Windows 10 PC?
The deletion process is not complete: if you try to delete a profile through the Windows 10 user interface, the user profile will not be permanently deleted.
Remaining user profile registry keys: In some circumstances, this error may occur if you have some remaining registry keys associated with the problematic user profile that has not yet been released by your operating system.
Windows Finder Problem: It turns out that one of the most common causes of this particular error code is a failure of the Windows Finder service, which still contains cached data associated with the Windows profile that you are trying to remove.
What causes the “Profile not completely deleted” error on a Windows 10 PC?
Deleting a user profile as an administrator
It is important to note that you cannot delete a user profile that you are logged in with. Therefore, if you want to delete one of the main profiles, you must create another profile with administrator rights and then try to delete the corrupted profile.
- Log on to your computer under an administrator account.
- Make sure that the account you are trying to delete is not the one you logged in with.
- Press the Windows + R keys to open Run.
- Type netplwiz and click OK to open the User Account window.
- Under Users on this computer, you can check all the user profiles on the system.
- Select the user profile you want to delete and click Delete.
- The “Are you sure you want to delete the selected profile” window should appear.
Delete a user profile in the system properties
- Press the Windows + R key.
- Type sysdm.CPL and click OK to open System Properties.
- Click the Advanced tab.
- Click the Settings button in the User Profile section.
- Now select the user profile you want to delete and click Delete.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I delete a profile in Windows 10?
In the System Properties window, select the Advanced tab and click Options under User Profiles. Select the user profile for the problematic Windows account and click Delete. If the Delete button is grayed out, you may be logged in to the user profile you want to delete.
How do I delete a corrupt profile in Windows 10?
- Press Win + R on your keyboard.
- Click the Settings button.
- Select a user account profile and click Delete.
- Confirm the request.
- Manually delete a user profile in Windows 10.
- Open the registry editor.
What happens when I delete a user profile in Windows 10?
Note that when you delete a user from your Windows 10 computer, all related data, documents, and other items are permanently deleted. If necessary, make sure that the user has backed up the important files they want to keep before deleting them.
Leave a Reply