Windows 8 Bible

Deleting User Accounts

An administrator can easily delete user accounts. If nobody has ever used a user account, then deleting the account is no big deal. But if someone has used the account, the decision to delete it is more complicated. When you you delete a user account, you also delete all e-mail messages downloaded to the computer, Internet favorites, music, pictures, and videos. You could also delete all of that user’s saved files if you’re not careful. Doing this by accident would be a disaster because there’s no way to undo the deletion.

Caution

Deleting a user account can have very serious consequences. Don’t do it unless you fully understand the ramifications.

If you want to save the user’s e-mail messages and Internet favorites, export them to that user’s Documents folder first. Read the Windows online help for more information on exporting Internet Explorer favorites. Also, refer to your e-mail program’s help for information on saving e-mail messages to a local drive, such as to your Documents folder.

So let’s assume you understand the consequences and have no intention of deleting an account just for the heck of it. Only administrators can delete user accounts. So if you’re in a standard account, you at least need to know the administrative password to delete a user account. You also need to log in to any account except the one you intend to delete. Then:

1. Display the Control Panel, click User Accounts, and click Manage Another Account.

2. Click the account ...