How to Transfer Windows 10 User Profile to New PC?

"I just bought a new computer with Windows 10 Pro, and want to migrate my user profile from my existing Windows 10 Pro computer to the new computer so I have all my files and settings setup for the new machine. How can I do this now?"

---From Microsoft Community

What is Windows 10 User Profile?

A User Profile is a container holding user-specific data such as desktop, system files, downloads, documents, pictures, music, App data, etc. Windows 10 User Profile is stored automatically in C:\Users. And you can only access the data in User Profile on the current computer.

However, what if you replace your old PC with a new one? How can you have the same Use Profile settings on the new computer? The easiest way is to transfer Windows 10 User Profile to new PC.

Can you copy a User Profile from one computer to another?

Windows Easy Transfer (WET) was introduced by Microsoft in Windows Vista/7/8/8.1 to enable you to migrate User Profile from PC to PC, which is easy and free and brings great convenience to those who have the need to configure the same set of User Profile on new PC.

But when Microsoft released Windows 10, it did not come with Windows Easy Transfer. Although you cannot use WET on Windows 10 or higher versions anymore, there are still some solutions to move User Profiles between PCs. Next, you will be introduced how to migrate User Profile to new computer Windows 10 in different ways.

How to transfer Windows 10 User Profile to new PC?

When it refers to data migration, you may think about manually moving it from one place to another. But it takes a long time to copy all files and is full of risks during the process. Read the below content to know how can Windows 10 move User Profile to new PC quickly and safely.

Method 1. Using a Microsoft account

Using a Microsoft account to transfer Windows 10 User Profile to new PC is one of the simplest ways. What you need to do is to sign up for a Microsoft account, sync your User Profiles, and you will get them on any PC when you sign into the same account. Below are the steps:

Step 1. Open Microsoft's webpage on your browser and create a Microsoft account.

Step 2. After creating an account, log in with the account to your old PC. Navigate to Windows Settings, then Accounts.

Step 3. You will find the option of Sign In just below the Local Account Administrator's name. Microsoft will then sync your desktop environment, settings, and even files.

Step 4. Next, log out from the old PC and sign in to the new PC. Then, your profile will be replicated in the new PC.

For the record, this method will replicate your Windows 10 user profile only. Files won't be moved unless they were synced with OneDrive. 

Method 2. Using OneDrive

OneDrive is released by Microsoft to store users' data on the cloud. It has an app version and web version. Similar to Method 1, when you log in OneDrive on the old PC, you can copy your User Profile to a specific place. Then, log in OneDrive on the new PC and sync them onto the new PC. Follow the steps to have a try.

Step 1. Log in to your OneDrive account. (If you don't have a Microsoft account, go to the official website to sign up for one.) Here we take OneDrive web as an example. Right-click the blank and select "Upload" > "Files" to sync the files you want to transfer to the cloud.

Another way to upload files is to directly right-click your files, and choose "Share" to move them to OneDrive.

Step 2. Sign in to your account in the OneDrive app or website on the new PC.

Step 3. Then download them from OneDrive to the new computer.

If you have a Microsoft account, you automatically get 5GB of storage for free on OneDrive. However, 5GB may be not enough to copy all of your User Profiles, especially when your computer has been used for a long time. Thus, you can switch to the third way to bypass the storage limit.

Method 2. Using a file migration tool

The third way is to employ a file migration utility. There are many software can meet the requirements, and AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional is one of them. It's compatible not only with Windows 10, but also Windows 11, 8, and 7. With an easy-to-use interface, you can transfer Windows 10 User Profile to new PC safely and quickly. After that, User Profile performs normally as before.

Preparations:
◉ Take out the destination disk from your new PC and connect it to your old PC.
◉ Download AOMEI software on your old PC.

Here is a demo version for you to have a free trial:

Step 1. Install and launch PA Professional. Click “Free up” in the top toolbar and select “APP Mover”.

Step 2. In the new window, click “Move Folders”. (If you want to move installed program, just click "App Mover".)

Step 3. First, select the folder to move. Then, select the new drive and click Move.

Step 4. You will see a pop-up message confirming the force closing of the running programs when the move starts. Click OK to start the process.

Step 5. Wait for a while and click "Finish" to complete the action.

Important: Sometimes, you not only want Windows 10 transfer user profile to new pc, you may also want all your applications, folders, files, and even OS on your new PC. In such a case, AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional provides you with the "Disk Clone" feature to clone everything from one drive to another.

FAQs

How do I copy a Windows 10 user profile?

Go to Control Panel > System > Advanced system settings, then open User Profiles and use the Copy To option. Alternatively, manually copy the user folder from C:\Users[Username] to another location, ensuring hidden files are included. For a seamless transfer, use tools like Windows Easy Transfer, AOMEI Partition Assistant to migrate user files efficiently.

How do I transfer my personal settings to a new computer?

Manually copy C:\Users[Username] to an external drive and move it to the new PC. For a full migration, tools like AOMEI Partition Assistant can transfer settings, files, and applications.

Where are User Profiles stored in Windows 10?

User profiles are located in C:\Users, with each account having its own folder. These contain personal files, AppData, and settings. Profile configurations are also stored in the registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList.

Conclusion

How to transfer Windows 10 User Profile to new PC? You have learned three practical ways in this passage. Try and select the one that satisfies your needs. If you need to move everything to the new PC, you should take a closer look at AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. This versatile disk manager can also increase drive space, wipe hard drives, convert MBR to GPT, and more.