Save and move a Windows user profile to another PC

Anyone who buys a new computer knows when it is inconvenient to reconfigure Windows every time to adapt it to our needs, given that often we won’t even remember the changes we made.

By saving the profile used on your Windows PCin order to always remain updated and synchronized as in a backup, it will be possible to move it to another PC easily to immediately find all the settings, personal files and customizations used on the previous computer, being able to immediately start using the new PC.

READ ALSO: Important folders and files to save on a Windows PC

1) Microsoft account synchronization

Con Windows 11 e Windows 10 we can quickly synchronize our profile using a valid Microsoft account. Thanks to the account we will be able to move our profile to all systems equipped with Windows 11 and 10, we will only have to log in with the same account from all machines.

On Windows 11 we press the keys WIN+I to immediately open the system settings, let’s go to the path Account -> Backup Windows and activate the switches next to the items Remember my apps and Store preferences.

On Windows 10 the procedure is very similar: we always press WIN+I on the keyboard, let’s get on the path Account -> Sync settings and we activate all the items in the window, which can be activated after selecting the item Sync settings.

For both operating systems you must use a Microsoft account to take advantage of this synchronization system. If we have never used it before we recommend you read our guides on how to use your Microsoft account in Windows 10 and 11 come on how to change account type in windows 11 and 10.

2) Direct copy of the User folder

Without having to do who knows what tricks Windows supports direct copy of User folders from one profile to anothertaking care to also copy the necessary permissions to be able to modify the moved folders (to avoid problems opening files on the new PC).

Before proceeding, let’s press WIN+E on the keyboard, let’s bring ourselves in This PCwe press on Windows and right click on the folder Users and let’s get into the tab Safety.

Now let’s make sure the user is present Everyone in Users and groupswe press the button Edit and we emerge Complete control. Let’s confirm on OKright-click on the folder User and we press on Copy.

Now we copy this folder onto a USB stick and connect the latter to the new PC; from the recipient computer we copy and paste the folder into the folder C:\so you can immediately use the personal folders used on your old PC.

Remember to remove the permissions assigned to the folder Usersleaving the basic ones expected by Windows for the user Everyone (or Reading and execution, Viewing folder contents e Reading).

To learn more we can read our guide to su How to have full access (Ownership) of files and folders in Windows 10 and 11.

3) Move profile with Control Panel

Another way to back up your profile and restore it on another computer is to use the Backup tool built into Windows 7 and later versions of the operating system.

To proceed we open the Start menu, search System and, in the window that opens, press on Advanced system settings.

Now we press on the tab and press on Settings in the section User Profileschoose the profile to transfer from those present, press Copy to and choose whether to copy the profile to a folder or to a USB stick, to be used later on the new PC to copy the contents to the cartella C:\Users.

This trick works effectively only on Windows 7; from Windows 8.1 onwards, user profiles with Microsoft accounts are “blocked” and can no longer be transferred manually from the window seen above.

Conclusions

On new versions of Windows we can synchronize the user profile and save programs too included in the system, without having to download third-party programs. If we have old versions of Windows or use local profiles, it is worth trying the other transfer methods, paying attention to the associated permissions.

To learn more we can read the guides on how to do it Backup user folders and save personal data in Windows come on how to transfer Windows to another PC or disk, without reinstalling and losing data.