rename user profile to old so it will create a new one in windows 11

Question

rename user profile to old so it will create a new one in windows 11

Lynn Pulte 0

Hello All

it's been a long time since I've had to rename a user profile so when they login to windows it creates a new profile but the old one is still there just labeled something like usernameold

I tried it on window 11 and it didn't seem to work is it different for window s11 than 10?

these are the steps I did

logged into the windows 11 machine with a network account that has admin rights

went to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList. and found the SID for the user

then double clicked on ProfileImagePath on the right side and changed c:\users\jgray to c:\users\jgrayold and closed reg edit

then went to File Explorer and went to C:\Users\jgray and right clicked on it and renamed to C:\Users\jgray2 and saved it

then I restarted the machine and had jgray log in. since jgray is no longer a profile, it's now jgray2, it should have created a new profile called jgray but it did not it seemed to still be logging that person into what is now jgray2

was I supposed to delete the SID within the registry or just rename the ProfileImagePath?

if rename do you know why it might not have created a new profile?

am I missing a step?

Thanks

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Scott Nguyen 1,965 Independent Advisor

Hello, to successfully trigger a new profile creation, I suggest you need to delete the entire SID subkey within HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList rather than just modifying the values inside it. When a user authenticates and Windows finds no corresponding SID entry in the ProfileList, it assumes this is a first-time login and generates a new folder and registry structure from the C:\Users\Default template.

It is critical to also check for and delete any identical SID keys that have a .bak extension, as these will frequently cause Windows 11 to default to a temporary profile instead of creating a permanent new one. Once you have cleared these registry entries and renamed the old directory in C:\Users\ for backup, the user will see the setup screens upon their next login as a new profile is built.

Lynn Pulte 0 Reputation points

2026-05-14T20:58:35.7633333+00:00

OK thank you I will try that. I don't remember doing that for Windows 10 and several directions I found said rename I appreciate your response
Scott Nguyen 1,965 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-05-14T21:07:03.1366667+00:00

Feel free to reach out if you still have any following questions. Thanks.

Answer 2

Renaming only the ProfileImagePath and the folder keeps the same profile SID and state, so Windows continues to use that profile instead of creating a new one. To force creation of a new profile for the same user, the profile entry under ProfileList must be removed so Windows treats the next logon as first-time and builds a fresh profile from the default template.

A supported way to get a clean profile while preserving data is:

Create a new user account (local or domain, depending on scenario) and make it an administrator if needed.
Sign in with this new admin account.
Copy data from the old profile folder to the new one, without touching hidden or protected OS files:
- Open File Explorer.
- Go to This PC → system drive (usually C:) → Users → folder with the old username.
- Select all visible files and folders and copy them.
- Paste them into C:\Users\<New_Username>.
Sign in as the new user going forward.

This method avoids registry manipulation and ensures Windows builds a proper, clean profile from the default user profile. If a Microsoft account is used, the new profile can then be switched from local to Microsoft account.

References: