PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteThe safest fix is to protect any work first, start Windows in Safe Mode, sign in with the affected account, and then restart normally. If the account still will not load, create a new local administrator account and copy your personal files from the old profile. Do not sign out of a temporary desktop until you have copied files you created or changed there: Microsoft warns that those files can be lost when the temporary session ends.
What the error means
“The User Profile Service failed the logon. User profile cannot be loaded” means Windows could not load the normal profile directory and settings for that account. The profile contains the user’s desktop, documents, application settings, and other account-specific data. A failure in that loading process is different from entering an incorrect password. The password may be accepted while Windows still cannot attach the profile to the session.
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Windows can sometimes open a temporary profile after this failure. The desktop may look familiar enough to use, but it is not the account’s normal profile. Microsoft’s current Windows 10 and Windows 11 guidance warns that files created or changed while using a temporary profile are lost when you sign out. Treat a temporary desktop as an emergency workspace for copying data, not as proof that the problem is fixed.
Choose the recovery path before changing anything
Your next action depends on what Windows can still open and on whether unsaved work is at risk. Use this decision table to avoid making the situation worse.
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| What you can observe | First action | Why this path fits |
|---|---|---|
| A temporary desktop appears after sign-in | Copy newly created or changed files to a USB drive or another safe location before signing out | The temporary profile may discard changes at sign-out |
| The sign-in screen loops or returns the same error | Enter Windows Recovery Environment and start Safe Mode | Safe Mode loads only essential drivers and default settings |
| Safe Mode loads the original desktop | Restart normally and test the account again | A clean Safe Mode sign-in can separate profile loading from a startup component |
| Safe Mode and normal mode both reject the profile | Create a new local administrator account, then copy data from the old profile | A new profile is Microsoft’s supported fallback when the original is corrupted |
| Event Viewer records User Profiles Service Event ID 1509 | Use the event’s path and filename details to investigate the failed profile-file copy | Event ID 1509 identifies a concrete profile-copy failure rather than a generic sign-in symptom |
1. Protect files in a temporary profile
If Windows shows a desktop but displays a temporary-profile warning, stop before signing out, restarting, or shutting down. Connect a USB flash drive or use another storage location that is not the affected profile. Copy documents, pictures, downloads, project folders, browser-export files, and anything else you created or edited during that session.
- Open File Explorer and identify the files you created or changed during the temporary session.
- Copy those files to the external drive or another safe location. Use copy rather than move so the temporary session still retains its local copy until you verify the backup.
- Open several copied files from the external location to confirm that the transfer completed and the files are readable.
- Only after verification should you sign out or restart.
Also preserve files that existed before the error if you are unsure where the normal profile is stored. A later administrator account can usually read the old profile folder, but a backup made before troubleshooting gives you an independent copy. Do not assume that a temporary desktop’s Documents folder is the same folder used by the original account; Windows may be using a temporary profile path.
2. Start Windows in Safe Mode
Safe Mode starts Windows with essential drivers and default settings instead of the full collection of startup programs and third-party components. Microsoft recommends trying Safe Mode and signing in with the original profile. A successful Safe Mode sign-in is useful evidence even if the normal desktop still fails later.
From the sign-in screen
- At the Windows sign-in screen, hold Shift and select Power > Restart.
- When the recovery menu appears, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
- After the Startup Settings list appears, select 4 or F4 for Safe Mode. Choose the networking option only if you genuinely need network access for a recovery task; ordinary profile testing does not require it.
- At the next sign-in, select the affected account and enter its usual password. Use the account’s password rather than a PIN if Windows does not accept the PIN in Safe Mode.
From a running Windows session
If another account can sign in, open Settings > System > Recovery and select Advanced startup > Restart now. On some Windows 10 installations the equivalent control is under Settings > Update & Security > Recovery. Then follow Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart and choose Safe Mode.
If the recovery menu does not appear
Do not repeatedly interrupt power while Windows is writing data. If the normal sign-in screen remains inaccessible, use the device’s documented recovery method to reach Windows Recovery Environment, or ask the computer manufacturer for the correct key sequence. The important destination is the Windows recovery menu containing Startup Settings; the exact key used to enter it differs by device.
3. Test the original profile in Safe Mode
After Safe Mode starts, check whether the original account opens its expected desktop, files, and settings. The result determines the next branch.
- The original profile loads: Do not change registry values yet. Restart Windows normally from Start > Power > Restart, then sign in again with the same account.
- The same profile error appears: Record that Safe Mode did not load the profile. Proceed to the new-account recovery path and collect the Application log details described below.
- A temporary profile appears again: Treat its files as at risk, copy any new work immediately, and do not assume that another restart will preserve it.
Microsoft notes that more than one restart may be needed after a Safe Mode sign-in. Use a normal restart rather than a forced power-off, and check whether the original files and settings return. If the normal session succeeds, open a few important documents and applications before considering the incident resolved.
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From Safe Mode, select Start > Power > Restart. At the sign-in screen, choose the affected account. A successful recovery should show the account’s usual desktop and profile folders rather than a temporary-session notice.
- Confirm that Desktop, Documents, Pictures, and other expected folders contain the original data.
- Check that the account’s normal settings are present instead of Windows’ default first-run settings.
- Open representative files and save a small test document to verify that the profile can write normally.
- If the account loads only once and fails again, treat the problem as recurring and continue with diagnostics rather than relying on another restart.
Keep the external backup made in the first step until the account has worked through a complete sign-out and sign-in cycle. A temporary profile can look normal for one session while still failing at the next logon.
5. Create a new local administrator account when the profile remains unusable
When the original profile will not load in either normal mode or Safe Mode, Microsoft’s supported fallback is a new local administrator account. This does not repair the old profile in place; it gives you a clean profile from which to recover files and continue using the computer.
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Create the account through Settings
- Sign in with another account that already has administrator rights, or use an administrator account available on the computer.
- Open Settings > Accounts > Other users. In Windows 10, the page may be labeled Family & other users.
- Select Add account. When Windows asks for a Microsoft account, choose the option to add a user without using that account, then select the local-account option. The wording can vary by Windows release.
- Enter a new user name and a strong password, and complete the security questions if Windows requests them.
- Select the new account under Other users and choose Change account type > Administrator.
- Sign out, select the new account, and complete its first sign-in. Windows will create a fresh profile folder.
Use a distinct account name so you can tell the new profile from the damaged one. Do not delete the old account or its profile folder while recovery is in progress.
6. Copy personal files into the new profile
After the new administrator account opens, copy personal data from the old profile folder. The old profile is commonly under C:Users<old-user-name>, while the new one has its own folder under C:Users. The folder name is not always identical to the account’s display name, so identify it by checking the contents and modification dates.
- Open File Explorer and browse to
C:Users. - Open the old user folder and copy personal folders such as Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Videos, and Music into the corresponding folders in the new profile.
- Copy work-specific folders stored elsewhere on the system, and copy the files you rescued from the temporary profile on the external drive.
- Do not copy the entire old profile wholesale. Leave hidden profile databases and configuration files in place unless you have a specific, documented reason to migrate one.
- Open several copied files from the new account, then create and save a new test file to confirm that the new profile has normal write access.
Some applications store data in hidden folders such as an application-specific directory under the old profile. Migrate such data only when you know the application’s supported import or transfer procedure; copying every hidden setting can reproduce the corruption that prevented the profile from loading.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.7. Use Event Viewer to identify recurring profile failures
If the error returns, record the exact event rather than repeatedly guessing at settings. Open Event Viewer, then go to Windows Logs > Application. Look for entries from the User Profiles Service around the time of the failed sign-in.
What Event ID 1509 tells you
Event ID 1509 documents a failure to copy a profile file. Its details can include a path and filename, which may point to a damaged file, an inaccessible profile location, or another profile-storage problem. Copy the event’s source, date and time, event ID, path, and filename into your notes before making changes. Those details are more useful to an administrator or support technician than the sign-in message alone.
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Compare normal mode and Safe Mode evidence
- If Safe Mode works but normal mode fails, note which startup components are absent in Safe Mode and inspect the Application log for the matching time.
- If both modes fail, prioritize protecting data and creating the new administrator profile rather than repeatedly restarting.
- If Event Viewer shows Event ID 1509, preserve the referenced path and filename; do not rename or delete files blindly.
Event Viewer does not automatically repair the profile. Its value is diagnostic: it identifies a specific profile-file copy failure and gives you information for a targeted fix or escalation.
Registry edits: why they are not the first fix
Many internet instructions tell users to edit HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionProfileList, rename keys ending in .bak, or change State and RefCount. Those values can be relevant to a particular profile-loading failure, but there is no single Microsoft-documented registry edit that fixes every instance of this message.
Registry changes affect the whole operating system and can make a profile or Windows unbootable when applied to the wrong key. Treat them as an administrator procedure only after you have a backup and a profile-specific diagnosis, such as an event log entry that explains what is wrong. Export the relevant registry key before any edit, record the original values, and avoid deleting profile keys simply because their names look unfamiliar. The Safe Mode test, normal restart, data backup, and new-profile recovery are safer documented paths when the cause is not established.
Common failure patterns and the correct response
| Symptom | Likely interpretation | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop appears with a temporary-profile notice | Windows could not attach the normal profile and is using a disposable session | Copy new or changed files immediately; sign out only after verifying the backup |
| Safe Mode accepts the original account | Essential profile loading works when nonessential drivers and startup settings are omitted | Restart normally and test; if normal mode fails again, document the difference |
| Safe Mode shows the same error | The failure is not limited to a normal-startup component | Create a new local administrator profile and recover personal data |
| Event ID 1509 names a file | The User Profiles Service could not copy a profile file | Preserve the path and filename for targeted troubleshooting or support |
| New account works but old account does not | The original profile is likely damaged or otherwise unusable | Use the new account, migrate verified personal files, and keep the old profile until recovery is complete |
What not to do
- Do not sign out of a temporary profile before copying files created or edited in that session.
- Do not assume the message proves that the password is wrong; it describes a profile-loading failure.
- Do not delete the old profile folder while files still need to be recovered.
- Do not apply a registry recipe copied from a generic guide without backing up the registry and matching the edit to an observed symptom.
- Do not repeatedly force the computer off during recovery; use the normal restart and Windows Recovery Environment paths.
When to stop troubleshooting locally
Escalate to an administrator or professional support when the old profile contains the only copy of irreplaceable data, the disk reports read errors, the profile path is on unavailable storage, or Event Viewer points to a wider storage or permissions failure. Give them the account name, whether a temporary profile appeared, whether Safe Mode loaded the original account, the number and details of relevant User Profiles Service events, and the steps already completed. This evidence narrows the problem without requiring you to experiment with destructive changes.
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If the new local administrator account works, keep the external backup and the old profile untouched until all important files open correctly from the new account. Once the data is verified and any application-specific migration is complete, an administrator can decide whether the old account should be removed. That cleanup is separate from fixing the logon failure and should not be rushed.
Quick Recap
Quick recovery checklist
- Temporary desktop present: copy changed files to USB or another safe location.
- Enter Windows Recovery Environment and choose Safe Mode.
- Sign in with the original account and note whether its normal profile loads.
- Restart normally and verify files, settings, and a test save.
- If the error persists, create a new local administrator account.
- Copy verified personal folders from the old profile into the new one.
- Check Event Viewer > Windows Logs > Application for User Profiles Service events, especially Event ID 1509.
- Delay registry edits until you have a backup and a profile-specific diagnosis.
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