Forum Discussion
User account settings changed unexpectedly
My Windows user account settings, including my desktop background, theme colors, and privacy options, keep changing back to default on their own. This happens after every restart, even though I've run malware scans and installed all updates. Has anyone else seen this and found a permanent fix?
4 Replies
Go to Settings → System → About, and check the 'Device specifications' → there's no direct temp-profile indicator here, so instead check: sign out, sign back in, and look at your desktop icons/files.
If anything you saved to the desktop before is missing after restart, or File Explorer shows your username folder as 'TEMP' or similar when you type %userprofile% into the address bar, you're loading a temporary profile — this is the single most common cause of settings resetting on every restart, not just personalization.
This happens when Windows fails to load your real profile (often due to corruption) and creates a fresh temp one each session.
Sign in with a Microsoft account to sync your settings, or create a new local account, migrate your data, and then delete the old account.
The screenshot only shows a Windows Security permission prompt. It does not show why your account settings are resetting. If you did not start the action yourself, select No.
Settings returning to default after every restart usually means Windows is loading a temporary or damaged user profile. Try these checks:
- Open Settings > Accounts > Windows backup.
- Turn off Remember my preferences temporarily.
- Change the wallpaper or theme, restart, and check whether the change remains.
If it still resets, create a test account:
- Open Settings > Accounts > Other users > Add account.
- Select I don’t have this person’s sign-in information.
- Select Add a user without a Microsoft account.
- Sign in to the new account, change its wallpaper, and restart.
If the new account remembers the settings, your original user profile is probably damaged. Back up your Documents, Pictures and other personal files, then use the new account.
Also check Settings > Accounts > Access work or school. A connected company or school account may apply its own settings whenever you sign in.
Restart (don't shut down) your PC and let it reach the desktop. Repeat this process 3 or 4 times. It can sometimes force Windows to re-evaluate and fix the temporary profile state.
