Updated: 12/31/2020 by Computer Hope
If many people use a computer, it may have multiple user accounts. Sometimes, you need to clean up the user accounts and delete those that are unused or unwanted. To learn how to delete a user account on a Mac or Windows-based PC, select your operating system from the following list for instructions.
Windows 8 and 10
- Press the Windows key, type Control Panel, and then press Enter.
- Under the User Accounts section, click User Accounts.
- Click the Remove user accounts link.
- Select the user account you want to delete.
- On the Change an Account screen, click Delete the account.
- If you want to keep any files associated with the user account, click Keep Files. If you want to remove all files associated with the user account, click Delete Files.
- Click Delete Account to confirm user account deletion.
Windows Vista and 7
- Open the Control Panel.
- Click the User Accounts option.
- Click User Accounts again, then the Manage User Accounts option.
- On the Users tab, find the user account you want to delete under the Users for this computer section. Click that user account name.
- Click the Delete this account option on the left side of the window.
- If you want to keep any files associated with the user account, click Keep Files. If you want to remove all files associated with the user account, click Delete Files.
- Click Delete Account to confirm user account deletion.
Windows XP
- Open the Control Panel.
- Double-click the User Accounts option.
- Click the user account name you want to delete.
- Click the Delete the account option.
- If you want to keep any files associated with the user account, click Keep Files. If you want to remove all files associated with the user account, click Delete Files.
macOS
- In the menu bar, click the
icon to open the Apple menu.
- In the Apple menu, click System Preferences.
- Click the Users & Groups shortcut icon.
- Click the lock symbol in the lower-left corner of the Users & Groups window.
- When prompted, enter your password and click the Unlock button.
- On the left side of the window, select the account you want to delete.
- Below the list of users, click the remove button, which looks like a minus sign.
- If you want to keep files associated with the user account on the computer, select the Save the home folder in a disk image or Don’t change the home folder option. If you want to remove all files associated with the user account, select the Delete the home folder option.
- Click Delete User to confirm user account deletion.