Deleting a User Account

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 28, 2019)

2

It is not unusual for a single Windows 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 if you are using Windows 10:

  1. Type "Control Panel" (without the quotes) in the Search box and press Enter. Windows displays the Control Panel.
  2. At the right side of the screen, click User Accounts.
  3. Under the User Accounts heading, click Remove User Accounts. Windows asks you to choose which user you want to change. (See Figure 1.)
  4. Figure 1. Choose the user you would like to change.

  5. Click the account you want to delete. Windows displays the Make Changes to (name of user's) Account screen. (See Figure 2.)
  6. Figure 2. The User Accounts screen

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

If you are using Windows 7, follow 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 3.)
  4. Figure 3. The Change an Account screen.

  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. Click Delete Account.

 This tip (10714) applies to Windows 7 and 10.

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

Weird Actions for Arrow Keys and Enter

If your arrow keys and the Enter key aren't working as you expect them to, the problem could have any number of causes. ...

Discover More

Turning Off Automatic Hyphenation for Parts of a Document

Word can hyphenate documents automatically, if you want it to. But what about those situations where you want most of a ...

Discover More

Shortcut Keys for Scrolling Window Left and Right

If the content in the Word program window is wider than what can be displayed, you may want to press a key and have the ...

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

Adding a Password to a User Account

Passwords on user accounts are a great way to enhance security for a computer system. Here's how you can add a password ...

Discover More

Changing Your Windows 8 Account Picture

Want to personalize your Windows 8 experience a bit more? One way is by attaching a picture to your account, as discussed ...

Discover More
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}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. 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 three less than 4?

2019-01-28 09:12:42

Jim

Allen,
Can I change my account name from "User" to something else without making everything going haywire?

Thanks,
Jim


2019-01-28 08:13:26

Jim

Allen,
Can I change my account name from "User" to something else without making everything going haywire?

Thanks,
Jim


Newest Tips