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8 min fix Updated 8 Aug 2026Intermediate

By , IT support technician

Quick Answer

Do not save new files in this session — anything created in a temporary profile is deleted at sign-out. Click Start > Power > Restart (a full restart, not sign-out) and sign in again; it can take two restart cycles.

Fix "You've Been Signed In with a Temporary Profile" on Windows ​

Applies to: Windows 10, Windows 11
Article Type: Troubleshooting
Last Updated: 2026-08-08

Summary ​

Your files are not gone. This message means Windows could not open your normal user profile during sign-in, so it parked you in a blank temporary one — everything you know is still on the disk, and a full restart or two reconnects it. This article walks through the fix and the one real risk to avoid while you are in the temporary session.

Symptoms ​

  • A notification appears near the clock: You've been signed in with a temporary profile. You can't access your files and files created in this profile will be deleted when you sign out.
  • Your desktop looks factory-fresh: default wallpaper, no shortcuts, and empty Desktop and Documents folders.
  • Apps behave as if this is their first run — your browser shows no bookmarks and Outlook asks to be set up again.

Before You Start ​

  • No admin rights are needed for anything here — the one repair that requires them ends in a ready-made ticket instead.
  • This error appears after a successful sign-in. If Windows blocks you before the desktop loads — including the error The User Profile Service failed the sign-in, this problem's sign-in-blocking cousin from the same root cause — follow How to Fix Windows Sign-In Errors instead.

Instructions ​

1. Do Not Save New Work in This Session ​

Everything created inside a temporary profile is deleted when you sign out. That risk applies only to new work — your existing files are not in danger.

  1. Treat this session as look-but-don't-save: no new documents, no downloads you intend to keep, no settings changes. All of it lives in the temporary profile, which Windows wipes at sign-out.
  2. If you already created a file you need, copy it to a USB drive or attach it to an email to yourself — anywhere outside this PC's user folders — before you restart or sign out. Your existing files need no rescuing; they sit untouched in your real profile.

2. Restart the PC Fully and Sign In Again ​

A full restart — not the sign-out the on-screen message suggests — releases the locks that kept your profile from loading, and it can take two rounds.

  1. Click Start, click the Power icon, and select Restart. Choose Restart, not Shut down — with Windows' Fast Startup feature enabled, Shut down skips the full reset that Restart performs.
  2. When the lock screen returns, sign in as normal.
  3. Check the desktop. If your own wallpaper, shortcuts, and files are back, your profile loaded — you are done.
  4. If the temporary-profile message appears again, run one more full restart and sign in again. The second cycle succeeds in many cases where the first does not.
  5. Still in a temporary profile after two full restarts? Continue to Step 3.

3. Check Disk Space and Pending Updates ​

A nearly full drive and a half-finished Windows Update are the two common triggers for a profile that fails to load.

  1. Press Win + E to open File Explorer and select This PC in the left sidebar. Look at the storage bar under Local Disk (C:) — a red bar means the drive is nearly full.
  2. If the drive is nearly full, free some space before the next restart — How to Fix "Low Disk Space" or "Disk Full" Errors on Windows walks through what is safe to remove.
  3. Open Settings (press Win + I) and select Windows Update at the bottom of the left sidebar. If an update is waiting with a Restart now button, click it and let the update finish completely — an update stopped halfway is a common cause of exactly this error.
  4. After freeing space or finishing updates, restart and sign in once more.

4. Send IT a Ticket for a Profile Repair ​

After two full restarts with disk space and updates ruled out, the profile needs a repair that requires admin rights. Here is exactly what to send.

  1. Find your device name: open Settings > System > About. Your Device name is listed under Device specifications.
  2. Send this ticket, filling in the two blanks: "Every sign-in on my PC lands in a temporary profile — the on-screen message is You've been signed in with a temporary profile. Two full restarts did not clear it, the disk has free space, and no updates are pending. Please repair or rebuild my Windows user profile. Username: [your sign-in name]. Device name: [from Settings > System > About]."
  3. Your files survive the repair either way: a repair reconnects Windows to your existing profile folder, and a rebuild creates a fresh profile with your files copied into it — they stay on the disk throughout.

Troubleshooting ​

WARNING

Anything you create while signed in with a temporary profile — documents, downloads, browser bookmarks — is deleted when you sign out. Before any restart, move work you cannot afford to lose onto a USB drive or attach it to an email to yourself.

Symptom / ErrorPotential CauseSolution
Desktop is empty and your files look deletedYou are in the blank temporary profile, not your ownNothing is deleted — your files sit in your real profile on the disk. Work through Steps 2–3 to reconnect it.
Message returns after every restartProfile damage needs an admin-level repairUse the ticket script in Step 4 — this variant is not fixable from a standard account.
The User Profile Service failed the sign-inSame profile corruption, but it blocks sign-in entirelyFollow How to Fix Windows Sign-In Errors, which covers that error.
Error started right after an update restarted the PCUpdate stopped half-installedOpen Settings > Windows Update, install anything pending, and restart again (Step 3).