If you are unable to log on to your Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista computer by using a temporary user profile, then this article may interest you. When your User Profile is corrupted, you will usually get the following error message – User Profile Service failed the logon, User profile cannot be loaded.
The User Profile Service failed the logon or sign in, User profile cannot be loaded
This issue may occur if the user profile was manually deleted by using the command prompt or by using Windows File Explorer and if the “Do not logon users with temporary profiles” Group Policy setting is configured. You may also see this error if your user profile folder is corrupted.
You will have to boot your computer in normal mode. If you cannot boot Windows normally to the desktop, you may have to try and boot in Safe Mode or into the Advanced Startup options screen to be able to carry out the fixes. You will need to make use of the Command Prompt. For some strange reason, if you can boot in Safe Mode but cannot access the Advanced Startup Options screen, when in Safe Mode, you may use the Command Prompt to boot Windows directly to the Advanced Startup Settings screen.
If you see the “The User Profile Service failed the logon or sign-in, User profile cannot be loaded” error message, use the following suggestions to resolve the problem.
- Copy the Default folder from another computer
- Check the status of the User Profile Service
- Run the Chkdsk scan
- Modify or delete a Registry Value
- Create a new user account
Let’s see all these fixes in detail.
1] Copy the Default user folder from another computer
Computers running on Windows operating system have a Default folder under the Users folder. The Default folder is a template used by Windows to create other user accounts on the same device. You should not delete or modify this folder. When you create a new user account, say The Windows Club, the following things happen:
- A profile folder with the name The Windows Club is created inside the Users folder.
- The contents of the Default folder are copied to The Windows Club folder.
If you delete or modify the Default folder, you may experience issues while signing in to your computer. You will find the Default folder at the following location:
C:\Users
To resolve this problem, copy the Default folder from another computer. Do note that the computer from which you copy the Default folder should have the same Windows version, build number, and language as your computer has. To know the Windows version, follow the steps written below:
- Open the Run command box (Win + R) keys.
- Type winver and click OK.
A new window will open showing you the Windows version and build number (see the above screenshot). On another computer with the same Windows version, build, and language, go to the location where the Default folder is located. If you do not see the Default folder, enable the hidden files and folders in File Explorer. Copy the Default folder in your USB storage device.
Now, turn on your computer. Because you are unable to sign in to Windows because of the corrupted user profile, you have to boot into Safe Mode. After booting into Safe Mode, you can enable the hidden administrator account to make things simpler. Now, go to the location where the Default folder is located. Copy the Default folder to another location on your hard drive for backup. Now, insert the USB storage device and copy the Default folder from the USB storage device to the C drive where the Default folder is located. Replace the Default folder if you get a prompt.
This trick has resolved the issue for many users. Hence, it should work for you too.
Read: Please wait for the User Profile Service takes too long
2] Check the status of the User Profile Service
If the User Profile Service is not running, you may experience user profile-related issues on your Windows computer. If you have enabled the hidden administrator account, log in to your system from that account and launch the Services Manager app.
After opening the Services Manager, look for the User Profile Service. Its Status should show Running. If it is stopped, follow the steps written below:
- Right-click on the User Profile Service and select Properties.
- Select the General tab.
- Select Automatic in the Startup type drop-down.
- Click on the Start button.
- Click Apply and then click OK.
3] Run the Chkdsk scan
You may also experience this issue if your hard disk has errors or bad sectors. The hard disk errors and bad sectors can be fixed by using a utility developed by Microsoft, known as CHKDSK. Run the CHKDSK scan and see if it helps. Some users were able to resolve the issue after repairing their hard disks by using the CHKDSK utility.
4] Modify or delete a Registry Value
If the issue still persists, modifying or deleting a registry Value will help. This fix has worked for many users. Hence, it should also work for you. Windows Registry is a hierarchical database of system settings and configurations. Modifying Registry Values or keys incorrectly can cause serious errors in your system. Hence, follow the steps provided below carefully. From the safety point of view, create a System Restore Point and back up your Registry before proceeding.
First, sign in with an administrator account or the hidden administrator account, open Registry Editor, and navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
Locate the folder that begins with S-1-5 (SID key) followed by a long number.
Check the ProfileImagePath entry in the details pane, and identify the profile that is creating problems.
Now if you see two folders here, one of which ends with .bak, then you need to interchange them. To do this, right-click the one with .bak and make it end with .tmp. Next, right-click the one without .bak and make it .bak. Now right-click the .tmp folder and remove .bak.
Restart your computer and see if it has helped.
If this does not help, try the next suggestion.
A profile that is manually deleted does not remove the security identifier (SID) from the profile list in the registry.
If the SID is present, Windows will try to load the profile by using the ProfileImagePath that points to a nonexistent path. Therefore, the profile cannot be loaded.
To resolve this problem follow these steps:
Right-click the THis PC folder > Properties > Advanced system settings > Advanced tab > Under User Profiles, click Settings.
In the User Profiles dialog box, select the profile that you want to delete > click Delete > Apply/OK.
Next, open regedit and navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
Right-click the SID that you want to remove, and then click Delete.
Log on to the computer and create a new profile.
Alternatively, you can simply download and use this Fix It 50446 from Microsoft given in KB947215. Please see if it applies to your version of Windows OS. You may lose your data if you have not backed it up.
Related: You’ve been signed in with a temporary profile
5] Create a new user account
If nothing helps, create a new account and copy the data from the old account to the new account. You have to sign in to Windows using an administrator account to create a new user profile or account.
You may also want to check out ReProfiler. It is a freeware tool for manipulating user profiles on Windows. It would be useful if you face an issue where you are unable to access a user’s data and settings.
Read: How to login as an Administrator in Windows 11/10.
How do I fix The user profile cannot be loaded?
You may see the User profile cannot be loaded error due to several causes, like hard disk errors, corrupted user profile, the User Profile Service failing to start, etc. As the error message says, “User Profile Service failed to logon,” you should check the status of the User Profile Service. If it is not running, start it and set its Startup type to Automatic.
We have listed some working fixes to resolve this issue above in this article. Follow these suggestions.
Fix: We can’t sign in to your account message
What does it mean when The User Profile Services failed logon?
The User Profile Service is responsible for loading and unloading user profiles. If this service is stopped or disabled, you will not be able to successfully sign in or sign out of your computer. Moreover, apps may also have problems getting to users’ data, and components registered to receive profile event notifications won’t receive them.
Read next: Admin account is missing after Update in Windows 11/10.
