This content has been, and is no longer maintained by Indiana University. Resources linked from this page may no longer be available or reliable. A Microsoft Windows user profile describes the Windows configuration for a specific user, including the user's environment and preference settings relating to installed applications, desktop icons, and color options. The profile is built in part from System Policy information (e.g., things that a user has access to and things that the user can and cannot change), and in part from permitted, saved changes that a user makes to customize the desktop. If you have administrative privileges, you can copy one user profile to another; follow the steps below for your operating system. Indiana University policy requires that you normally refrain from running your Windows computer as an administrator. For more, see Note: As copying one profile to another will completely overwrite the target profile, you should back up any important data before copying over a profile.
Windows 7: Copy A Modified User Profile Over The Default Profile. New Information: Note, when I first made this post I just hacked around to see how I could copy.
It's also a good idea to test these steps on a test profile before copying over a profile in use. Windows 8, 7, and Vista. In Windows 8, from the Desktop, press -c, and choose Settings and then Control Panel. In Windows 7 and Vista, from the Start menu, click Control Panel.
Change to Category view, if necessary; then select System and Security, and then System. Click Advanced System Settings. Under 'User Profiles', click Settings. Select the profile you want to copy. Click Copy to, and then enter the name of, or browse to, the profile you want to overwrite. This will usually be in C: Users username, where username is the name of the profile to which you are copying.
Click Permitted to use, and then add all user accounts to which you want to give full profile control. Note: If this doesn't match what you see, refer to. From the Start menu, select Settings, and then Control Panel. Double-click System.
Click the Advanced tab, and then, under 'User Profiles', click Settings. Click the profile you want to copy, and then click Copy to. In the Copy To dialog box, click Browse to select the directory to which you want to copy the profile. This will usually be C: winnt profiles username or C: Documents and Settings username, where username is the username of the profile to which you are copying.
How can the answer be improved? Does any know how to do this? In XP I used to configure a profile to how I liked it. Then I would restart, log in as a different user and copy the one.
Default Profile Picture
When you've selected the directory, click OK. Under 'Permitted to Use', click Change. In the field labeled 'Enter the object name to select:', enter the username of the user who needs to have rights to view this profile. Click Check Names to make sure that the user is found. If the user is not found, you may need to click Locations. To select the correct domain (or, if it is a local account, to select the computer name), and then click OK.
Click OK twice. If you are prompted to continue, click Yes. Allow a minute for the system to copy the profile. In the User Profiles window, click OK, and then click OK again in the System Properties window.
Copy Default Profile In Windows 10
Say, for example, I set up a new Vista Ultimate on a domain and logon as the domain administrator, and then install all programs and set up the desktop and all that the way I want. Next, I want to logon as another domain user but that gets the original default first time desktop and settings. Is there a way to copy all those settings from the Administrator account, or any other account for that matter, to the other first time account? And have all settings, desktop, programs, etc., carry over and work? Setup group policy to create a standard desktop. Another method is to copy the user you want to the default profile on each pc.
Any new users will use that as a template. Kerry Brown Microsoft MVP - Shell/User 'crosstixp' wrote in message news: Say, for example, I set up a new Vista Ultimate on a domain and logon as the domain administrator, and then install all programs and set up the desktop and all that the way I want. Next, I want to logon as another domain user but that gets the original default first time desktop and settings. Is there a way to copy all those settings from the Administrator account, or any other account for that matter, to the other first time account? And have all settings, desktop, programs, etc., carry over and work? I figured out another but that really doesn't work either. I tried using the Advanced settings area where you can copy profiles to other folders.
Profile Copy Tool
This causes that profile to not be able to save History in IE and a few other things, all rights related. I haven't tried copying to the default profile as yet because of the above rights issue. The Windows Easy Transfer isn't quite what I am looking for either. This seems more like a migration type of thing but I haven't found quite what I am looking for to be able to do this under Vista.
'Kerry Brown' wrote: Setup group policy to create a standard desktop. Another method is to copy the user you want to the default profile on each pc. Any new users will use that as a template. - Kerry Brown Microsoft MVP - Shell/User 'crosstixp' wrote in message news: Say, for example, I set up a new Vista Ultimate on a domain and logon as the domain administrator, and then install all programs and set up the desktop and all that the way I want. Next, I want to logon as another domain user but that gets the original default first time desktop and settings. Is there a way to copy all those settings from the Administrator account, or any other account for that matter, to the other first time account? And have all settings, desktop, programs, etc., carry over and work?