Causes of “User Profile Service Failed the Sign-in” Error
There are many reasons you may encounter the “User profile failed the sign-in” error. Variations of this error include: “User profile cannot be loaded” and “User profile service failed the logon.” If you get any of these error messages, it means the default Windows user profile has been corrupted, which can be traced to one or more of the following factors:
Improper Windows Update: User Account Control (UAC) is designed to prevent unauthorized changes to your Windows device. Any irregular or unfinished updates or a crash can sometimes corrupt host files that are required for UAC to work properly.Partition resizing error: when we resize the partition from “Disk Management”, occasionally those parts can get corrupted leading to an incorrect user profile.Antivirus program: if an antivirus program was scanning your system while you tried to log in, it can abort the correct user profile and launch an incorrect one.Improper shutdown and restarts in guest logons: if you did not exit smoothly from a local account created on your PC, you may encounter a user profile error on a subsequent login.
Solutions for User Profile Service Failed the Logon Error in Windows 11/10
The good thing is that none of the above causes are major concerns. You can easily repair the corrupted user profile using one of the troubleshooting solutions below. You should first attempt the first few easy methods. Go for the more intricate and time-consuming solutions toward the end only if the easy ones fail to resolve the problem.
1. Restart or Shut Down Windows 11/10 from Its Lockscreen
Sometimes you only need a simple restart or shutdown from the lockscreen window to fix the issue. Whether you’re inside an administrator or guest logon, use Win + L to exit it and go to the Windows lockscreen. Navigate to the administrator profile (if a guest profile was previously used to log in), and click the lockscreen shutdown/restart options. Make sure you log in as the administrator during the subsequent startup.
2. Delete a Local User Account in Windows 10/11
If the user profile error is due to improper shutdowns and restarts during a guest logon, you may want to delete the unnecessary local account temporarily using the Run command netplwiz. 4. Use Win + L to exit the local account logon window. Restart the computer and make sure to use your regular Microsoft account to log back in.
3. Move NTUSER.Dat File to Default Username Folder
A user profile consists of personalized menu items for desktop, downloads, documents, music, videos, saved links and are stored in a folder inside “C:/Users.” For each of these profiles, a .dat file called NTUSER.dat is created by Windows. It contains personalized user settings.
4. Windows User Profile Repair Using Command Prompt
The evergreen Command Prompt can fix some of the hard disk-related issues that may have caused the user profile error problem. In both Windows 11 and Windows 10, it has to be launched in Admin mode from the Start menu search.
5. Use Windows Registry Editor in Safe Mode
The Windows Registry Editor (Regedit) is one of the best solutions to fix the “User profile service failed the sign-in” error. For this, the troubleshooting is achieved in Safe mode. The “User profile service failed the logon” error should be gone once you log in again.
6. Reset Windows 11/10 PC to Solve “User Profile Failed to Sign in” Error
If all above options fail, you can use the Reset option to go back to a clean factory reset of your Windows 11/10 operating system. You have to be connected online to achieve this cloud-based reset. The Windows 11 reset method has been covered in detail for this tutorial. But the essential steps, which are common with Windows 10, are summarized below:
1. How do I fix the User Profile Failed error during sign-in for Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 7?
If you’re using an older Windows version, such as 8.1/8/7, only a few of the above described solutions will be able to address the user profile error. You can try a restart, use a DISM and SFC scan check in Command Prompt, and move the NTUSER.Dat file to a default folder. The options to delete a local user account and to enable a cloud-based reset will not work.
2. How do I solve the “We can’t sign in to your account” error while restarting the User profile service?
Sometimes, while restarting the user profile service in guest/Local account mode, you’re unable to sign in to your Administrator account. To solve the problem, boot into your Windows device in Safe mode and perform the same steps. (For accessing Safe mode, see the tutorial above for further details.) Keeping the hard disk in good condition is one of the best ways to prevent the user profile failure problem. Check out the best tips to check hard disk health in Windows. Are you still on Windows 10 and looking to upgrade to Windows 11? Here’s all you need to know to download and install Windows 11.
