Solved Is It Safe To Delete User Accounts ?

I have recently updated my Dell XPS 8930 desktop and the wife's HP17tby200 laptop to Win 11 25H2.

I created New Local Administrator accounts on both computers. Checking the Windows>User accounts I see that I have 6 Users on the XPS desktop and 4 Users on the HP Laptop. It appears to me that generally, there are 4 User accounts created on a new computer:
1 - Microsoft Admin Account
2 - Local Account or Admin Account (Later)
3 - Default
4 - Public

I would like to delete some of the accounts and only keep what is necessary for the safe operation of the two computers.

These are the Windows>User accounts on the XPS Desktop



There was a MS Admin Account on the XPS at first, but after I updated to 25H2, I created a Local Account (XPS) & later changed it to an Administrator Account, then I deleted the MS Admin Account. I don't think I need the first two user accounts listed in the photo above (Administrator and Administrator.XPS). I remember creating those users long time ago and I forget for what reasons. This XPS is over 5 years old.

I read somewhere on this forum that the WsiAccount should NOT be deleted. It seems odd because the properties of this account shows 0 bytes of space being used. I never heard of an WsiAccount before and I suppose that it could be 0 bytes because at the date and time of creation, it was 0 bytes.



When looking at the User Profiles on the XPS, it shows that the WsiAccount has 81.2 MB in the photo below. So I probably should NOT delete this account based on reading on here that it should not be deleted. On the photo below, I think I should delete the "XPS\Administrator 1.24 GB Local" account dated 10/14/2025.



In both of the photos there is an option to "Delete" accounts. I don't know which account I should use to delete with.

In my searching around in these user areas I discovered that of the 10 total accounts on both computers, 7 of the accounts show has an "Account Unknown"
with a very long filename of many numbers and letters. See the photo below.



All of these 7 accounts have one of these files. I'm wondering if they can be deleted. There is an option to delete the "Permission" file in all of the accounts.
At the same time, they probably don't matter and I could just leave them.

To recap, these are all the Windows/User accounts listed and which ones I think it is safe to delete or keep. Please someone let me know if I am correct in my choices:

Dell XPS Windows>Users
Administrator- - - - - - 140KB - - - - DELETE
Administrator.XPS - - - 1.25GB - - - DELETE
Default - - - - - - - - - - 377MB - - - KEEP
Public - - - - - - - - - - - 41GB - - - - KEEP
WsiAccount - - - - - - - 0 Bytes - - - KEEP
XPS - - - - - - - - - - - - 39.6GB - - - KEEP

If using the User Profiles for the XPS desktop - I should only delete the 2nd Account in the list of 4 listed:
XPS\Administrator - - - 1.24GB - - - DELETE

HP17t Laptop Windows>Users (the "Lxx" accounts are my wife's name)
Default - - - - - - - - - - 3.92MB - - - - KEEP
Lxxx - - - - - - - - - - - - 112GB - - - - DELETE- - -This is the MS Admin Account - Dated 10/12/2025
Lxx - - - - - - - - - - - - - 106GB - - - - KEEP- - - - This is the newly created Local Admin Account - Dated 10/19/2025
Public - - - - - - - - - - - 41GB - - - - - KEEP

If using the User Profiles for the HP17t Laptop - I should only delete the account listed in the center of the 3 listed;
Lxxx - - - - - - - - - - - - - 111GB - Local - - Dated 10/19/2025 - - - - KEEP

The question is which of the listing should I use to delete the accounts completely ? Windows>Users or User Profiles ?

I hope I have made myself clear.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

I tried to edit the above but could not.

I was not clear on which of the 7 accounts have an "Account Unknown" with very long filename of letters and numbers. I have indicated which accounts have the long filenames with an asterisk (*) at the start of the name.
Dell XPS Windows>Users
Administrator- - - - - - 140KB - - - - DELETE
* Administrator.XPS - - 1.25GB - - - DELETE
* Default - - - - - - - - - 377MB - - - KEEP
* Public - - - - - - - - - - 41GB - - - - KEEP
WsiAccount - - - - - - - 0 Bytes - - - KEEP
* XPS - - - - - - - - - - - 39.6GB - - - KEEP

HP17t Laptop Windows>Users (the "Lxx" accounts are my wife's name)
* Default - - - - - - - - - - 3.92MB - - - - KEEP
* Lxxx - - - - - - - - - - - - 112GB - - - - DELETE- - -This is the MS Admin Account - Dated 10/12/2025
* Lxx - - - - - - - - - - - - - 106GB - - - - KEEP- - - - This is the newly created Local Admin Account - Dated 10/19/2025
Public- - - - - - - - - - - - 41GB - - - - - KEEP

I'm wondering if they can be deleted. There is an option to delete the "Permission" file in all of the accounts.
At the same time, they probably don't matter and I could just leave them.

Thanks..

jmallard said:

I remember creating those users long time ago

Click to expand...

No, the computer made both
Administrator
and
Administrator.XPS

Administrator is the username of the normally disabled & hidden built-in Admin. Windows should stop you deleting it.

Administrator.XPS is, so I've seen claimed but never experienced, the result of a failed attempt to log into Administrator.
Is that the case here?
Have you ever done anything unusual to Administrator such as
- try to rename it?
- set or try to set a password on it?
- try to link it to an MSAccount?
- has the computer crashed or been forced off whilst logged into the Administrator?


I suggest you get a list of user accounts by running the command
Net user
and posting the results.
Do this on both computers. I am concerned by the apparent absence of of the HP's Administrator account.
A user account is not quite the same as a profile. A profile can get left behind without an account linked to it.


By the way, the folder called Default is the profile used by Windows when creating new user accounts. You must not edit it let alone delete it.


Denis

@Try3

Thanks very much for the quick response.

I ran the net user command on each computer. Here is the result:

XPS desktop

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.26200.6899]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Windows\System32>Net User

User accounts for \\XPS

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Administrator DefaultAccount Guest
WDAGUtilityAccount WsiAccount XPS
The command completed successfully.
____________________________________________________________________

HP17t laptop

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.26200.6899]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Windows\System32>net user

User accounts for \\LORRAINE-LAPTOP

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Administrator DefaultAccount Guest
Lorraine Lorri WDAGUtilityAccount
The command completed successfully.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

I appreciate you having me run this command. I have to admit, it is new to me and I'm not sure how to interpret those files.
Could you please explain them to me ?
It is strange that both the files show the Windows Version as "10.0.26200.6899).

Now I definitely don't know what I can delete.

It is helpful that you took time to answer - Thank You !!

Jerry

jmallard said:

It is strange that both the files show the Windows Version as "10.0.26200.6899).

Click to expand...

Actually, no that is always a mystifying number. It's been weird for so long that I cannot even remember the excuse for it the detailed technical explanation.

The last two groups of numbers [26200.6899] are your Version [25H2] and Build [6899 - the last CU you updated to].
But why it's preceded by 10.0 I don't know.
- The 10 itself is reasonable because Windows 11 is essentially Windows 10 with a rehashed user interface.
- I don't know what the .0 is for but that's what I think I saw an explanation of ages ago.


Denis

There are accounts created by Windows on both computers that you should not delete -
Administrator
DefaultAccount
Guest
WDAGUtilityAccount

I have never seen this account before [it's on your XPS]
WsiAccount
I suppose it was made by some installed security[?] utility.

Your account
XPS
seems to me to have either been made by you or the computer maker.

Her accounts
Lorraine
Lorri
seem perectly normal.


I do not think there are any accounts to delete.
I have more than either of you because I always make two spare, Admin-level, password-protected local user accounts as a precaution against user profile corruption [which does not seem to be nearly as common as it was a decade ago].
my ditty - Create two spare local, password-protected Admin accounts [post #2] in Windows 10, 11 - TenForums


Is there anything you want to discuss about user accounts before we move on to talk about the various profiles & Permissions issues you also posted about?


Denis

Try3 said:

I have never seen this account before [it's on your XPS]
WsiAccount
I suppose it was made by some installed security[?] utility.

Click to expand...

I trust OATs' explanation in
In User folder--see a folder named WsiAccount? - ElevenForum


Denis

Try3 said:

I trust OATs' explanation in
In User folder--see a folder named WsiAccount? - ElevenForum


Denis

Click to expand...

I knew I had read about this WsiAccount on this forum. That is the post that I read and learned about the WsiAccount.

Thanks for the link. I don't know how it got installed on my XPS.

It is late for you, about 12:35 PM. I don't know where you are located but I would like to talk more about your responses, but it is 4:43 AM here in CA and I need to go to bed.

You have basically solved my problem and answered my questions. I won't delete anything.

Jerry

Jerry,

jmallard said:

I would like to talk more

Click to expand...

When it's

jmallard said:

4:43 AM ... in CA

Click to expand...

it's 12:43 here in the UK i.e. time for lunch.

Post again whenever you're ready,
I'll probably be staying online until my dinner goes ping at about 12:00 in CA.


Denis

Simple answer is do not delete any built in profiles. You can get issues e.g. inability to add a new user if things go pearshaped.

If you add a user, it is safe to delete them.

Remember the old adage - if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

There is absolutely nothing to be gained by deleting inbuilt profiles as it "ain't broke".

cereberus said:

Simple answer is do not delete any built in profiles. You can get issues e.g. inability to add a new user if things go pearshaped.

If you add a user, it is safe to delete them.

Remember the old adage - if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

There is absolutely nothing to be gained by deleting inbuilt profiles as it "ain't broke".

Click to expand...

I agree, I have been biting my tongue.

Also, on the HP, the one profile OP marked for deletion is 112 GB. Somebody was using that for something.

pseymour said:

Also, on the HP, the one profile OP marked for deletion is 112 GB. Somebody was using that for something.

Click to expand...

Yes, it's the profile for one of his wife's two user accounts.

I deliberately avoided commenting on any of the account profiles until we'd got the list of user accounts nailed down.


All the best,
Denis

That wasn't my point, but okay.

jmallard said:

* Lxxx - - - - - - - - - - - - 112GB - - - - DELETE- - -This is the MS Admin Account - Dated 10/12/2025
* Lxx - - - - - - - - - - - - - 106GB - - - - KEEP- - - - This is the newly created Local Admin Account - Dated 10/19/2025

Click to expand...

Jerry,

As pseymour has pointed out, you said you would delete that MSAccount of your wife's.
She's got an awful lot of data in there.
I assume she's already copied over the files she wants to retain to her local account.


Denis

antspants said:

I agree, I have been biting my tongue.

Click to expand...

Same. Looks like Cereberus nailed it though. I tend to get impatient with multiple user accounts that are no longer (or never were) needed. I'm inclined to simply do a clean install. As a rule there should be only one administrator. As an extra safety precaution you can have an additional log in for normal daily use and simply keep the administrator log in for when things go awry. But hey, that's just my opinion.

Try3 said:

Jerry,

As pseymour has pointed out, you said you would delete that MSAccount of your wife's.
She's got an awful lot of data in there.
I assume she's already copied over the files she wants to retain to her local account.


Denis

Click to expand...

My wife is not an avid computer user like me. She is competent at what she does and used computers for years in her payroll clerk job(s) and has had a few home laptops over the years. She is not into the setup, software installation, internet connections, etc., tasks. She leaves that to me. Yes, I copied the profile files from the MSAccount of my wife to her new Admin Account. It was a little tedious, but I got it done and all the programs were present - just took logging on to most of them to get them going as in the past.

Unfortunately, I waited until the last few days before updating to Win 11 on my computers. I was just dreading it. I hate being forced to update my computers (along with millions) and everything else in this "everything has to be replaced in 5 years society".
I was initially going to do a clean install on both computers but the thought of installing over 50 programs and getting my 3 old printers installed on my XPS desktop and over 22 programs on my wife's HP laptop was daunting. That's not counting acquiring the proper drivers for display, sound, printers, etc. You can read about my update saga in my first post on this forum. Please HelpDetermine The Best Way to Update to Win 11
Fortunately I received many help offers and very quickly - just like this thread.

I had never heard of OOBE & Rufus and many other things involving this Win 11 update. I got the impression that most folks did not want to create a MS Account and those that did, created a new Local Amin Account after install and deleted the required MS Account after an install. That is why I was thinking of deleting the wife's MS Account. I already did that on my XPS and fortunately my update carried over all programs and information.

So Thanks Very Much to @cereberus, @antspants, @pseymour, @Scannerman and of course @Try3 for responding with helpful information and giving of their time. I appreciate it very much. This forum has an overwhelming amount of expert information and expert members.

In the end, I agree with everyone, I won't be deleting any user accounts. Probably would have caused me many new problems down the line. This one is SOLVED.

Jerry