Delete Orphaned User Profile SID Using Regedit

This guide explains how to safely locate and delete orphaned user profile Security Identifier (SID) entries in Windows using the Registry Editor (Regedit). Removing these leftover entries helps resolve temporary profile login loops, profile load errors, and system registry conflicts caused by improperly deleted user accounts.

Step 1: Open Registry Editor as Administrator

  1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type regedit and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter (or click OK) to launch the Registry Editor with administrative privileges.
  3. Click Yes if prompted by User Account Control (UAC).

Step 2: Navigate to the ProfileList Registry Key

In the Registry Editor address bar, paste the following path and press Enter:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

Step 3: Identify the Orphaned SID Entry

  1. In the left navigation pane, expand the ProfileList key.
  2. You will see several subkeys starting with S-1-5- followed by long strings of numbers. Some may also end with a .bak extension.
  3. Click on each long SID key individually and inspect the values in the right pane:
    • Look for the ProfileImagePath string value.
    • This value displays the user folder path (for example, C:\Users\OldUsername or C:\Users\TEMP).
  4. An entry is orphaned if:
    • The user folder path in ProfileImagePath points to a user account that has already been deleted.
    • The path points to a non-existent folder on the hard drive.
    • The SID key ends with .bak and corresponds to a corrupted or temporary profile state.
  1. Right-click the specific SID key you plan to delete.
  2. Select Export.
  3. Choose a safe location (such as your Desktop), enter a file name, and click Save. This allows you to restore the key if needed.

Step 5: Delete the Orphaned SID Entry

  1. Right-click the orphaned SID subkey in the left pane (e.g., S-1-5-21-xxxxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxxx-xxxx or the .bak duplicate).
  2. Click Delete.
  3. When the confirmation prompt appears asking if you are sure you want to permanently delete this key and all of its subkeys, click Yes.

Step 6: Restart the Computer

Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer to apply the changes and allow Windows to refresh its active profile list.