Fix "You've Been Signed In With a Temporary Profile" in Windows 10 & 11
Updated: Sep 27
You sign in to Windows and something is off: your desktop is empty, your files are missing, and a message says "We can't sign in to your account" or "You've been signed in with a temporary profile." I've fixed this more times than I can count, on home PCs and on business laptops. The good news: your files are almost always still on the computer. This guide explains why it happens and walks you through the fixes, from the quickest to the most thorough.
What Is a Temporary Profile?
Every Windows account has a profile: the folder under C:\Users that holds your Desktop, Documents, settings and app data. When Windows can't load that profile at sign-in, it logs you in with a blank temporary one (C:\Users\TEMP) so you can still use the computer.
Important: anything you save while signed in to a temporary profile is deleted when you sign out. If you've created or downloaded anything important, copy it to a USB drive or cloud storage before you continue.
Why It Happens
A corrupted profile or registry entry, often after a forced shutdown or power loss.
A Windows update that was interrupted, leaving the profile half-updated.
A duplicate .bak entry in the registry, which confuses Windows about which profile to load.
Disk errors on the drive that stores your profile.
Antivirus or backup software locking the profile files during sign-in.
On a first sign-in, a profile that fails to build correctly, which is exactly what I ran into on a brand-new machine.
Before You Start
Your files are usually safe in your real profile folder. Open C:\Users and look for a folder with your username; your Desktop and Documents should still be inside.
You'll need an account with administrator rights to make these changes.
Back up the registry key before editing it: in Registry Editor, right-click ProfileList and choose Export.
Fix 1: Restart (Twice)
It sounds too simple, but sometimes the profile was just locked by a slow startup or an update. Restart the computer, wait a full minute at the sign-in screen, then sign in. If you still get the temporary profile after two restarts, move on to Fix 2.
Fix 2: Repair the Profile in the Registry
This is the fix that works most often. You'll find your account's ID (SID) and correct its entry in the registry.
Step 1: Find your SID
While signed in to the affected account (even with the temporary profile), open Command Prompt and run:
whoami /userCopy the long ID that starts with S-1-5-21. That's your SID.
Step 2: Open the ProfileList key
Sign in with a different administrator account if you have one. Press Windows + R, type regedit, press Enter, and go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileListLook for keys that match your SID. You'll often see two: one ending in .bak and one without it.
Step 3: Choose your repair
Option A: Keep your existing profile (try this first). Click each SID key and check ProfileImagePath on the right. The key pointing to your real folder (for example C:\Users\YourName) is the one you want to keep.
If the key without .bak points to C:\Users\TEMP, right-click it and choose Delete.
Right-click the .bak key, choose Rename, and remove ".bak" from the end.
In that key, double-click RefCount and set it to 0, then double-click State and set it to 0. If either value doesn't exist, skip it.
Close Registry Editor and restart.
Option B: Start fresh (if Option A doesn't work). Delete both SID keys (the one with .bak and the one without), close Registry Editor, and continue to Step 4. Windows will build a brand-new profile the next time you sign in. Your old files stay in your old folder under C:\Users, and you can copy them over (see Fix 4).
Step 4: Delete the TEMP folder
Open C:\Users and delete the TEMP folder if it's there. You can't delete it while you're signed in with the temporary profile, so do this from the other administrator account or right after a restart.
Restart the computer and sign in with the affected account. Windows should now load your real profile (Option A) or build a fresh one (Option B).
Fix 3: Repair Windows System Files and the Disk
If the profile keeps breaking, something underneath may be damaged. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run these one at a time:
sfc /scannowDISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealthchkdsk C: /fThe chkdsk command will ask to run at the next restart. Type Y, restart, and let it finish. It can take a while on a large drive.
Fix 4: Create a New Profile and Move Your Files
If the old profile is too damaged to repair, a new profile is the cleanest solution:
Sign in with a new account, or let Windows build a new profile using Option B above.
Open your old folder in C:\Users (for example C:\Users\YourName or C:\Users\YourName.old).
Copy your Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Music and Videos folders into the matching folders in your new profile.
Don't copy the whole profile folder, NTUSER.DAT or AppData. Those can carry the corruption with them.
Sign back in to OneDrive, Outlook and your browser so your settings and bookmarks sync back.
Work or School Computer?
If the computer is managed by a company or school (signed in with a work account, domain or Microsoft Intune), don't delete registry keys yourself. Your profile may be tied to network settings or policies. Contact your IT department.
How to Prevent It
Always shut down or restart from the Start menu instead of holding the power button.
Let Windows updates finish, even when they take a while.
Keep at least 15–20% of your drive free.
Back up your files with OneDrive or an external drive, so a profile problem never means lost files.
Still Stuck?
If you've tried these steps and still see the temporary profile, or you'd rather not edit the registry yourself, IT-Tech can connect to your computer remotely and fix it for you, usually in a single session.
Book a remote support session and we'll get you sorted out.
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