Deleting a User Account

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated August 10, 2015)

It is not unusual for a single Windows 7 computer to be used by multiple people. Normally each user has their own user account defined on the computer. At some point you may need to get rid of a user account. For instance, it could be that a user no longer works at your company or perhaps the user simply no longer uses your computer.

You can get rid of an existing user account (as long as you have administrator privileges) by following these steps:

  1. Click Start and then click Control Panel. Windows 7 displays the Control Panel.
  2. At the right side of the screen, under the main heading of User Accounts and Family Safety, click Add or Remove User Accounts. Windows 7 displays the Manage Accounts screen.
  3. Click the account you want to delete. Windows 7 displays the Change an Account screen. (See Figure 1.)

    4. Figure 1. The Change an Account screen.

  4. At the left side of the screen click Delete the Account. Windows 7 asks if you want to keep the files and settings associated with the account.
  5. Click either Delete Files or Keep Files, depending on your preference. Regardless of which button you click on, Windows 7 asks you to confirm that you really want to delete the account.
  6. Click Delete Account.

 This tip (10714) applies to Windows 7.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He  is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Working with Table Columns and Rows

Need to add or delete columns and rows from a table? It's easy to do using the tools provided in Word.

Discover More

Changing the Number of Columns

If you need to change the number of columns used in a portion of your document, it's easy to do when you use the Columns ...

Discover More

Saving Movement on Enter with a Workbook

Press Enter when working in a workbook and Excel moves to a cell adjacent to the one in which you were working. If you want, ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Understanding User Account Control

User Account Control is a security mechanism that defends against malware or accidents from making system-level changes ...

Discover More

Understanding User Account Types

Windows supports three different types of user accounts. The type of account associated with a user is determined by how that ...

Discover More

Adding a User Account

Windows allows you to set up individual user accounts in case there are multiple people using the same computer. Here's how ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WindowsTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 8Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is eight more than 8?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WindowsTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2017 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.