There are many reasons you’d want to transfer files and data from one Windows user profile to another. For instance, you may require other users on the computer to have access to your profile’s resources, or you could just want to migrate your profile to another one because the original has become corrupted. No matter the reason, this tutorial shows you several ways to do it.
Good to know: ever wondered what the difference is between a Local and a Microsoft account on Windows? This guide provides the answer.
1. Copy and Paste Files From One User Profile to Another
If you only have a few files that you need to transfer to another profile, simply copy and paste them.
- Press Win + E to open File Explorer.
- In the Navigation pane on the left, select “This PC. ” On the right, head to “Local Disk (C:) -> Users.”
- Here you’ll find the folders of every user profile on your computer. Double-click the new profile you’ve created where you want to add the files from the previous profile.
- Assuming this is your first time accessing the folder, you will be warned that you don’t have access to the folder. To grant access to yourself, click “Continue.”
- Once inside the user profile’s folder, copy the files you need into the appropriate subfolders.
Tip: need to free up space on your Windows PC? Follow our guide to clean up your “C” drive.
2. Copy and Paste Files Into the Public Folder
Every user on the PC can access anything you place in the Public folder. This makes it a rather convenient location to place any files you need to move from one user profile to another.
- Navigate to “Local Disk (C:) -> Users -> Public.”
- Copy your files from the old profile to this folder in the appropriate subfolders.
3. Transfer a User Profile Using a Third-Party App
The previous methods only transfer files, but what if you want to transfer data as well, such as your settings and preferences? One way to go about this is to back up the entire user profile, then merge it with the new one. We’re using a tool called Transwiz to back up and merge the user profile.
Note: you can transfer data from the Default Profile to another profile on Windows through the “User Profiles” function in System Properties. (Type “View advanced system settings” in Search to open it.) However, this method is limited to the Default Profile only.
- Download Transwiz and install it on your PC. The program is compatible with Windows 11, 10, 7, and XP.
- To launch Transwiz, access a hidden folder on your PC called “ProgramData.” Type “folder options” in Windows Search to find it.
- Click on “File Explorer Options” when it shows up in the search results.
- In the “Folder Explorer Options” window, select the “View” tab.
- Go to the “Advanced settings” section, check the “Show hidden files, folders, and drives” radio button, and click “OK.”
- Head to “This PC -> Local Disk (C:) -> ProgramData -> ForensiT -> Transwiz -> Deployment Files.” Double-click “Transwiz” to launch the tool.
- In the UAC prompt, click “Yes” to allow Transwiz to make changes to your Windows computer.
- On Transwiz’s welcome page, check the “I want to transfer data to another computer” radio button, then click “Next.”
FYI: check the best methods to transfer data from Windows to iPhone.
- Select the user account you want to back up, then click “Next.”
- To select the location where you want to save the backup, click “Browse.”
- Once you’ve selected a location, click “Save.”
- Click “Next.” You will notice that Transwiz will save the profile as a .ZIP file.
- Create a password for the .ZIP file and hit “OK.”
- Transwiz will create a backup of the user profile. If the size of the profile is large, it may take a little while to complete.
Transferring the Data to Another User Profile
- Open Transwiz again, select “I have data I want to transfer to this computer,” then click “Next.”
- On the “Select a Transfer File” screen, click “Browse.”
- Navigate to where you stored the backup and select it, then click “Open.”
- Back on the “Select a Transfer File” screen, click “Next.”
- Enter the password you created for the .ZIP file and click “OK.”
- Under the “Enter the user account name” heading, enter the name of the user profile where you want to transfer the data, then click “Next.”
- You will see a pop-up telling you that the user profile you have entered already exists. Tick the “Overwrite existing files” checkbox and click “Merge.”
- Wait for the merge to complete – how long this will take will depend on the size of the backup. When the merge is complete, click “Next -> Finish.”
Tip: need to back up your data? You can create a USB image for that purpose.
Taking Your Data With You
As you can see, transferring files and data from one user profile to another on Windows is not a daunting task. Windows used to have a program that made the process easier called EasyTransfer. However, Microsoft removed it, starting with Windows 10.
If you don’t want to spend much time deciding what to move to a user profile or Public folder, we recommend using Transwiz to transfer everything. If you have too many files to move, learn how to transfer a large number of files quickly on Windows. If you’re having trouble accessing your profile and getting the “User profile service failed the sign-in” error, check out our list of fixes that will help you solve the issue.
Image credit: Pexels. All screenshots by Chifundo Kasiya.
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