How to Resolve the "User Profile Cannot Be Loaded" Error in Windows?

Numerous Windows users have encountered the "user profile cannot be loaded" error when attempting to log in to their Windows computers. In some cases, the issue arises following a Windows update, whereas others experience it when attempting to access a freshly created local user account.

Generally speaking, the error may occur randomly when the Windows User Profile Service fails to start during Windows booting due to damaged or corrupted files, as well as conflicting processes on your computer. Thankfully, there are several effective solutions available to resolve this issue and restore your PC's functionality.

Thus, if the "user profile cannot be loaded" error is preventing you from accessing your user account on a Windows PC, you should refer to the guide below, where we've compiled the best solutions to resolve this issue.

What is a User Profile?

Windows computers enable you to create multiple user profiles, each with its own directories, files, and settings tailored to the user's specific preferences. A user profile can be personalized to accommodate unique needs, and the contents within that profile will remain distinct from those in other profiles on the same computer.

There are several types of Windows User Profiles, among which the local user account is one category, further classified into a standard user account and an administrator account. The user profile feature simplifies sharing a computer with multiple users and managing your Windows systems effectively.

Why Can't the User Profile Be Loaded?

There are several factors that could result in the "user profile cannot be loaded" issue on your Windows PC, and the following list encompasses the most frequent causes:

Corrupt or Damaged NTUSER.dat: Windows utilizes the NTUSER.dat file to save user profile settings and preferences. Hence, if this file becomes corrupted or damaged, it might explain the inability to load the user profile. Usually, such corruption happens during Windows updates or System Restore processes.

Conflicting User Profile Service configuration: The User Profile Service is a function in Windows that facilitates the operation of user profiles on your computer. If there is an issue with this service, access to your user profile may be denied, which typically leads to the "user profile cannot be loaded" error.

Antivirus software: Using antivirus software on your computer is another factor that could lead to corruption of user profiles on your system.

An issue with the Windows Registry: The Windows Registry serves as a database for providing essential configuration elements to ensure the smooth operation of any program on your computer. However, the Registry can occasionally become corrupted. Should this corruption affect the user profile settings, you might encounter difficulties when trying to access a user profile on your system.

Considering these possible causes, let's discuss the most effective approaches to address this issue.

How to Resolve the Issue: User Profile Cannot Be Loaded

Now, how exactly can you resolve the "user profile cannot be loaded" error on your Windows computer? The best solutions to this issue are as follows:

1. Method 1. Boot Windows into Safe Mode
2. Method 2. Create a new local user account
3. Method 3. Use System Restore
4. Method 4. Restart the User Profile Service
5. Method 5. Switch to Normal Startup
6. Method 6. Replace the NTUSER.dat file

Method 1: Boot Windows into Safe Mode

An alternative approach to booting your Windows computer is in Safe Mode, which restricts the system to run only a minimal number of drivers and files. This method can help resolve the "user profile cannot be loaded" error because it limits the number of processes and files active on your computer, enabling you to pinpoint the program, process, file, or service that's causing the issue.

Additionally, since corrupted software or files on your computer can interfere with normal Windows startup and won't load during a safe boot, this might be the only way you can access your Windows computer to fix the problem.

Here's how to boot your Windows PC into Safe Mode: 1. Restart your computer: First, turn off your Windows PC and then turn it back on again. 2. Press F8 during startup: As your computer boots up, press the F8 key repeatedly before the Windows logo appears. This will bring up the Advanced Boot Options menu. 3. Select Safe Mode: From the Advanced Boot Options menu, use the arrow keys to highlight "Safe Mode" or "Safe Mode with Networking" if you need internet access. Then, press Enter. 4. Wait for Windows to start in Safe Mode: Your PC will now boot into Safe Mode with a simplified interface. The process might take a bit longer than usual. 5. Perform necessary tasks: Once in Safe Mode, you can troubleshoot, remove problematic software, or make any necessary changes to your system. 6. Reboot normally: When finished, simply restart your computer as usual to exit Safe Mode and return to the normal Windows operating mode.

Step 1. On the Windows login screen, click on the "power menu" in the bottom-right corner.

Step 2. While holding down the Shift key, click the "Restart" option from the power menu to boot your computer into the Choose an option page.

Step 3. On the Choose an option page, click on " Troubleshoot," then choose Advanced Options.

Step 4. Now tap on "Startup Settings" and then click on "Restart."

Step 5. When the PC restarts, tap on "5" or "F5" to boot your PC into Safe Mode.

In safe mode, you'll be able to access your Windows computer and make changes to it to fix the problem.

Method 2: Create a new local user account

If the issue persists after attempting several fixes, you can transfer the data from the corrupted profile to a newly created local user account in Safe Mode. This is typically done when the user profile you're trying to access has become severely corrupted, and other troubleshooting steps have been unsuccessful.

Step 1. While in Safe Mode, search for Command Prompt in the Windows Search bar and open it.

Step 2. In the Command Prompt, type the command below and press Enter.

"net user /add username password" translates to: "net user /add [username] [password]"

In the command above, "username" should be replaced with the name you wish to use for the user profile, and "password" should be the password you want to set for the profile, which is optional.

Step 3. Type the command below and press Enter again.

net localgroup administrators username /add

Additionally, the "username" option in the command should be the name you used in the user profile you created earlier.

Once you've completed these steps, you can log into the profile and copy data from the profile that you couldn't access due to the "user profile cannot be loaded" error. Additionally, to prevent data loss, it's advisable to back up the user profile before creating a new one.

Method 3: Use System Restore

For those who created a System Restore Point prior to encountering the issue, you can utilize the restore point to resolve the problem and revert your PC to a functioning state. This will roll back your computer to its previous condition before you started the process that resulted in the "user profile cannot be loaded" error.

To resolve this issue using System Restore, please follow these steps:

Step 1. Click the "power menu" in the bottom-right corner of your login screen.

Step 2. Hold down the Shift key and click on "Restart."

Step 3. On the Choose an option page, tap on "Troubleshoot" and then select "Advanced Options".

Step 4. On the following page, click "System Restore" and then hit "Next".

Step 5. Choose the Restore Point you want to use and click on "Next".

Step 6. Tap "Finish" to initiate the restoration process. Once complete, the user profile issue should be resolved.

Method 4: Restart the User Profile Service

If the User Profile Service is not functioning correctly or has been disabled, you will persistently encounter the "user profile cannot be loaded" error on your computer. Therefore, it's advisable to restart the service and check if the issue has been resolved.

Here's how to restart the User Profile Service on a Windows PC: 1. Press the 'Windows key + X' to open the Quick Access menu. 2. Click on 'Command Prompt (Admin)' or 'PowerShell (Admin)' to open an elevated command prompt window. 3. In the command prompt, type the following command and press Enter: ``` net stop "User Profile Service" ``` 4. Wait for the service to stop completely. Once it's stopped, type the following command to start the service again and press Enter: ``` net start "User Profile Service" ``` 5. The User Profile Service should now be restarted. Close the command prompt window. After restarting the service, try logging in to your user account again to see if the issue has been resolved.

Step 1. Boot your PC in safe mode using the steps outlined in Method 1 above.

Step 2. Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and press Enter to open the Windows Services.

Step 3. On the Windows Services page, locate the User Profile Service and right-click on it.

Step 4. From the resulting drop-down menu, click on "Restart."

Step 5. Additionally, from the drop-down menu, select "Properties" and ensure that the Startup type is set to Automatic.

Additionally, if you accidentally delete your previous user profile, click here for solutions on how to recover deleted user profile in Windows 10.

Method 5: Switch to Normal Startup

While operating your Windows computer in a clean boot state, you might have disabled certain Windows services, leading to errors like this one. To rectify this, it's recommended to switch back to a normal startup mode to ensure all necessary services are running. This will help your computer boot up without any issues.

Here's how to switch to a normal startup:

Step 1. To use this method, you need to start your computer in Safe Mode using the steps outlined in Method 1 above.

Step 2. Next, press Windows + R to open the Run Command Box.

Step 3. In the search box, type msconfig and press Enter.

Step 4. On the resulting window, tap on "Normal startup," click "Apply," then "OK."

Step 5. Navigate to the Services tab and choose Enable all.

Step 6. Click on "Apply" and then hit OK.

Following that, you should restart your computer and check if the issue has been resolved.

Method 6: Replace the NTUSER.dat file

User profile settings and preferences are saved in the NTUSER.dat file. Hence, if this file gets corrupted, it could be the cause of the "user profile cannot be loaded" error on your computer. To fix this issue, you are advised to replace the file by following the steps outlined below: 1. **Log on to an Administrator Account**: First, boot your computer and log in using an administrator account. If you don't have one, you may need to create one or use Safe Mode. 2. **Access the Corrupted User Profile Folder**: Navigate to the following directory: `C:\Users\{Corrupted_Username}` 3. **Locate the NTUSER.DAT and NTUSER.DAT.LOG Files**: In the corrupted user's folder, find the NTUSER.DAT and NTUSER.DAT.LOG files. These are the files that store the user's settings. 4. **Rename the NTUSER.DAT Files**: Right-click on both NTUSER.DAT and NTUSER.DAT.LOG files and select "Rename." Add ".old" at the end of each filename to make them NTUSER.DAT.old and NTUSER.DAT.LOG.old. 5. **Copy a Healthy NTUSER.DAT File**: Now, locate a healthy NTUSER.DAT file from another user profile on your system (preferably an administrator account) or from a similar system. Copy this file to the corrupted user's folder. 6. **Take Ownership of the Copied NTUSER.DAT File**: Right-click on the copied NTUSER.DAT file, choose "Properties," then navigate to the "Security" tab. Click "Advanced," and then click "Change" next to "Owner." Select your current user account or the administrator account, check the "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects" box, and click "OK." 7. **Grant Full Permissions to the NTUSER.DAT File**: Back in the "Security" tab, click "Edit," add your user account or the administrator account, and assign "Full Control" permissions. 8. **Restart Your Computer**: Restart your PC and try logging in with the previously corrupted user account. The system should now load the new NTUSER.DAT file and hopefully resolve the error. If the problem persists, there might be other underlying issues, and seeking professional assistance might be necessary.

Step 1. Boot your computer into Safe Mode using the steps from Method 1.

Step 2. Following that, press Windows + E to open File Explorer.

Step 3. Navigate to the drive where Windows is installed and open it.

Step 4. Click on "Users" and select "View > Show > Hidden Items" to display any hidden items within the folder.

Step 5. Tap on the "Default" folder, right-click on the "NTUSER.DAT" file, and select Rename.

Step 6. Now rename the file as NTUSER.DAT.OLD.

Step 7. Return to the Users folder and open another user profile. Copy the NTUSER.DAT file from that profile, and then paste it into the Default folder where you previously renamed the file as .OLD.

Step 8. After pasting the file, restart your computer and see if the issue has been resolved.

Final Words

We've outlined several proven solutions you can implement to fix the "user profile cannot be loaded" error should you encounter it on your Windows computer. While the issue might be resolved initially, numerous Windows users have reported that it can reappear. Therefore, it's recommended that you monitor the third-party applications you use on your computer, as they are often the source of the problem.

Frequently Asked Questions about User Profile

1. How do I restart the User Profile Service?

To restart the User Profile Service on a Windows computer, proceed with the following steps: 1. Press the 'Windows key + X' to open the Quick Access Menu. 2. Click on 'Command Prompt (Admin)' or 'PowerShell (Admin)' if you're using Windows 10 or later. This will open an elevated command prompt or PowerShell window with administrative privileges. 3. In the command prompt or PowerShell window, type the following command and press 'Enter': `net stop "User Profile Service"` This will stop the User Profile Service. 4. After the service has stopped, type the following command to start it again and press 'Enter': `net start "User Profile Service"` This will restart the User Profile Service. 5. Close the command prompt or PowerShell window. 6. Log out of your current user session and then log back in to apply the changes. By restarting the User Profile Service, any issues related to user profile loading or corruption might be resolved. If the problem persists, consider checking for corrupted user profiles or seeking further assistance from Microsoft support resources.

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run Command box. 2. Type services.msc in the box and press Enter. 3. In the resulting window, locate the User Profile Service, right-click on it, and select "Restart".

2. How do I restore a user profile in Windows 11? To restore a user profile in Windows 11, follow these steps: 1. **Sign in with another account**: First, log in to your Windows 11 computer using an Administrator account. 2. **Open the Command Prompt**: Press `Win + X` and choose "Windows Terminal (Admin)" or "Command Prompt (Admin)" from the menu to run it as an administrator. 3. **Create a backup of your current profile**: Before proceeding, it's a good idea to back up any important files from the affected user profile. You can copy them to another location on your PC or an external drive. 4. **Identify the corrupted user profile**: Open the File Explorer and navigate to `C:\Users`. Locate the folder corresponding to the corrupted user profile, usually named after the user's account name. 5. **Create a new user profile**: Go to "Settings" > "Accounts" > "Family & other users" > "Add someone else to this PC". Choose "I don't have this person's sign-in information" and then "Add a user without a Microsoft account." Give the new user a name and password. 6. **Copy files from the old to the new profile**: Log in with the new user account, then go to `C:\Users\NewUser`. Right-click on the folder of the corrupted user profile, select "Properties," and navigate to the "Security" tab. Click "Advanced," then "Change" next to "Owner." Select "NewUser" (or the name you gave the new account) and check "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects." Apply the changes and confirm if prompted. 7. **Grant permissions to the new profile**: Return to the "Security" tab and click "Edit." Select "NewUser," check the box for "Full control," and apply the changes to all subfolders and files by clicking "Apply" and "OK." 8. **Copy the files**: Now, copy the contents of the old user profile folder into the new one, overwriting any existing files when prompted. 9. **Restore personalization settings (optional)**: If you want to transfer settings like desktop background, go to the old user's `AppData` folder (`C:\Users\OldUser\AppData\Roaming`). Copy the entire "Roaming" folder to the new user's `AppData` directory, replacing existing files if prompted. 10. **Log out and log back in**: Sign out of the new user account and log in with the original user account. The system should now use the restored profile. Please note that this process may not restore all settings and might result in some apps needing reconfiguration. Always make sure to back up important data before making significant changes.

If you encounter an error and have a backup, restoring a user profile is straightforward. Here's how to do it in Windows 11: 1. **Boot into Safe Mode:** Restart your computer and press F8 during startup to access the Advanced Boot Options menu. Choose "Safe Mode with Networking" to start Windows in a minimal environment. 2. **Log in as an Administrator:** Use an administrator account to sign in to your Windows 11 system. 3. **Locate the Backup File:** Navigate to the location where you stored the backup of the user profile you wish to restore. This could be an external drive, a network location, or a specific folder on your computer. 4. **Copy the Backup Profile:** Copy the entire contents of the backed-up user profile folder. The default path for user profiles is usually `C:\Users\{username}` but it may vary depending on your settings. 5. **Rename the Corrupted Profile (optional):** If the corrupted profile still exists, rename it to prevent conflicts during the restoration process. Right-click on the problematic user folder, choose "Rename," and add ".old" or any other suffix to the end of the username. 6. **Create a New User Account:** Go to "Settings" > "Accounts" > "Family & other users." Click on "Add someone else to this PC," then choose "I don't have this person's sign-in information" and follow the prompts to create a new temporary admin account. 7. **Merge the Backup with the New Profile:** Log out of the temporary account and log in as the new user. Open File Explorer and navigate to `C:\Users`. Right-click on the new user folder, select "Properties," then go to the "Security" tab. Click "Advanced," then "Change" next to "Owner." Select the admin account you used earlier and check "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects." Apply the changes and confirm. 8. **Grant Permissions:** Back in the "Advanced Security Settings" window, click "Add" under "Permissions entries." Type "Everyone" in the "Select a principal" field, then choose "Allow" for "Full control" under "Permissions for Everyone." Apply the changes. 9. **Copy the Backup Contents:** Return to File Explorer and right-click on the new user folder. Choose "Copy." Then, right-click on the original user folder (with the .old suffix) and select "Paste." Confirm that you want to replace files when prompted. 10. **Restart and Switch Accounts:** Restart your computer normally and log in using the restored user account. Your files and settings should now be restored. Remember, always keep your backups up to date to ensure you can easily recover from any issues.

1. Press Windows + R keys to open the Run Command box. 2. Type control panel and press Enter. 3. In the Control Panel window, click on "Backup and Restore" (for Windows 7). 4. Click on "Select another backup to restore files from" to choose the backup location, then click "Next". 5. Tap on "Browse for folders", select the User Profile folder that you backed up, and click "Next". 6. On the following pages, select In the original location, then click on "Restore".

3. Does System Restore recover user profiles?

Since System Restore saves everything on your computer, including the user profiles as they were at the time of its creation, it can also be utilized to recover user profiles.