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How to remove user accounts from Windows 7 registry after being incorrectly removed

· One min read

Note: This usually needs to be done when the Windows 7 profile has been manually deleted and not properly removed – as Windows 7 uses a security identifier attached to the user account in the registry and this needs to be cleared as well_

Note: It is also recommend making a backup of the registry before this change – and you may need to restart the PC for the registry entry to be able to be removed.

  1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog window.
  2. Type in: regedit and press Enter or click Ok
  3. Press yes to accept UAC prompt.
  4. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionProfileList****
  5. This lists the SID (security identifier) that is linked to your account – scroll down the list and on the right hand side under CentralProfile and ProfileImagePath find the correct user profile you would like to remove.
  6. Once you have found the correct one – right click the SID key you would like to remove and select Delete.
  7. Exit out of the Registry Editor and restart the workstation – the user should now be able to login and generate a new profile folder and security identifier.