It is indeed time-consuming to spend long periods setting up your new Windows PC with precisely the same settings and user profile folders as you have on the old one.

In this guide, I have explained three different ways to successfully transfer or migrate your user profile to another windows 10 computer with ease.

  • Windows Backup Utility
  • Advanced Windows Properties
  • Backup Software
  • File History

A user profile stores all settings made on your PC and other information related to your user account. The user profile contains all your personal data, restrictions, applications, information for system needs and so on. You can also create multiple user profiles on just a computer, in which you can decide to or not share folders and settings.

Transfer User Profile Via Windows Backup Utility

Windows Backup Utility is a feature available to Windows 10 users that allows users to backup all data related to the PC, including the user profile. It is recommended that you backup your data on an external hard drive, network drive, or other off-site location like large storage USB drives.

To carry out this process, follow the steps below:

  • Go to Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
  • While in the Backup and Restore window, click ‘Set up backup’ (with the administrator logo by the side)
a Backup and Restore window on a Windows 10 PC with the "Set up backup" option highlighted
Windows Backup and Restore screen
  • Plug-in your external hard disk or storage disk, if that is what you would be using. Then select the location with which you want to save the Windows 10 user profile backup and click ‘Next’ to continue.

Windows Backup Utility 2

a pop up window of the "Set up backup" option to select backup destination for user profile
Windows set up backup windows
  • On the next page, ‘What you would want to back up?’, select Let me choose and click ‘Next’.
  • The next page appears with every created user profile and system drive(s) selected. After unchecking profiles you do not need, click ‘Next’.
  • The next page will provide a summary of your backup operation. If there are no problems, click ‘Save settings and run backup’.

To restore the user profile in new Windows 10 PC

  • Plug in the storage device containing the user profile.
  • Go to Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Window 7).
  • Click Select another backup to restore files from, then select the preferred backup location from the list and click ‘Next’.
  • Click ‘Browse for folders’ to select your user profile folder.
  • Choose the location to restore the user profile. Be sure to tick “In the original location”, then click ‘Restore’ complete process.

Transfer User Profile Via Advanced System Properties

Windows also provide another built-in feature to copy, delete, or move user profile. In situations where you only want the user profile without the image file, this method is perfect and more comfortable to use.

To carry out this process, follow the steps below:

  • Open the File Explorer, then go to This PC > Properties > Advanced system settings.
a Windows 10 system properties page highlighting the "Advanced system settings"
Advanced System backup window
  • Click the Settings options under the User Profiles section.
the advanced system settings pop up window, highlighting the user profile settings options
System properties window
  • Plug-in storage device
  • In the pop-up window, all created user profiles are listed. Select any of the user profiles you want to copy, then click ‘Copy To’.
the user profiles pop up window for user profile backup/copy
Advanced system user profile window
  • Plug-in storage device and restore.

Transfer User Profile Via Backup Softwares

There is various third-party application software available for this process. To mention a few:

  1. AOMEI Backupper Standard
  2. EaseUS Todo Backup/PCTrans
  3. TransWiz
  4. PCmover (Especially when you want to move everything on your PC)

The softwares mentioned earlier are available for free, except for the PCmover. But I can guarantee the AOMEI Backupper Standard as I have had my share of experience with it.

Steps to use the AOMEI Backupper Standard to back up user profile:

  • Download the AOMEI Backupper software and install it.
  • On the main interface, click ‘Backup’ and select ‘File Backup’
AOMEI Backupper backup page with the user profile backup option highlighted
AOMEI Backupper homepage
  • Click 'Add Folder' to select the user profile to be transferred.
  • Click the space beneath the arrow to specify the location where you want to save the image backup.
AOMEI Backupper file backup page with the add folder option highlighted
AOMEI Backupper backup page
  • Then click ‘Start Backup’ to begin running the backup.

To restore the backup on the new PC

  • Download the AOMEI Backupper software and install on the new Windows 10 PC
  • On the main interface, click ‘Restore’ and select ‘Select Image File’ to browse and choose the backed up image file.
a pop up file explorer window to search for existing image file to restore
Select Image file screen

Transfer User Via File History

Note that this process would only the Windows settings and get your cloud sync working. You will still need to transfer important files and re-install programs manually.

Steps to transfer User profile using File history tool:

  • Plug-in a storage device to save the backup files
  • Go to Settings > Update & Security > Backup, then click ‘Add a drive’
a backup settings page on a windows 10 PC, with the "Add a drive" option highlighted
File History backup window
  • Select your plugged-in storage device.
  • Then add additional preferred folders to the default backup list by clicking ‘More options’
the backup option page of a Windows 10 PC, highlighting the "Add a folder" and "Back up now option"
File History backup options window
  • Start backup

To restore the backup to the new Windows 10 PC

  • Plug-in the storage device containing the backup files
  • Go to Setting > Update & Security > Backup, then click ‘More options’
a backup options page on a Windows 10 PC, with the "Restore files from a current backup" option highlighted
File History restore file page
  • Scroll down, and click ‘Restore files from a current backup”
  • Browse through to select the backup file you wish to restore, then click on the green button with the anti-clockwise arrow.

Conclusion

These four tested options should help you transfer your user profile and the data with optimum ease, rather than going through the stress of configuring and customizing it all over again. Feel free to drop in the comment section any difficulty you encounter and any other solutions you need to troubleshoot your PC.