As you know, each time you log out of your Windows 10 computer, it will take you to the login screen where you can switch users or log back in. But there are instances where Windows 10 remains stuck on the signing out screen, along with a blue spinning circle and all you can see is the process of your computer signing out, however, it does not progress and only gets stuck there. Thus, in this post, you will be guided on how you can resolve such an issue on your Windows 10 computer.
So if you are one of the users who experience the same problem, there are several fixes you can check out if your computer is stuck on the signing out screen with a blue spinning circle. You can try to force shutdown your computer or troubleshoot the problem in a Clean Boot State. You could also try to check the status of the User Profile Service or repair User Profile, as well as run System Restore. For more details, refer to each one of the suggestions provided below. But before you troubleshoot the problem, make sure that you are logged in to your computer as an administrator.
Option 1 – Try to force shutdown your computer
The first thing you can do is to force reboot your computer as this simple fix could help in fixing the problem. This option is quite simple, just make sure that before you do it, you have to save all your work.
- First, turn on your computer and press and hold the power button for at least 30 seconds. You might notice the screen flashing or making any changes, just ignore it.
- After that, plug out and plug in your computer and automatically turn it on.
- Once done, check if the issue is now fixed or not.
Option 2 – Put your computer in a Clean Boot State
It is possible that some third-party application is causing your computer to get stuck in the signing out screen. So you can try putting your computer in a Clean Boot State and see if it fixes the problem.
- Log onto your PC as an administrator.
- Type in MSConfig in the Start Search to open the System Configuration utility.
- From there, go to the General tab and click “Selective startup”.
- Clear the “Load Startup items” checkbox and make sure that the “Load System Services” and “Use Original boot configuration” options are checked.
- Next, click the Services tab and select the “Hide All Microsoft Services” checkbox.
- Click Disable all.
- Click on Apply/OK and restart your PC. (This will put your PC into a Clean Boot State. And configure Windows to use the usual startup, just simply undo the changes.)
- Once your computer is in a Clean Boot State, you should now be able to sign out or sign in without any problem.
Option 3 – Try checking the status of the User Profile Service
If forcing your computer to shut down or putting your computer in a Clean Boot State didn’t fix the problem, you can try to check the status of the User Profile Service since it is the one responsible for loading and unloading user profiles. Thus, if this service is disabled or stopped, you will no longer be able to sign out or sign in successfully.
- Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run utility and type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Services Manager.
- From there, look for the User Profile Service and make sure that its Startup Type is set to Automatic and that its status is “Started”.
- Once done, exit the Services Manager and see if the issue is resolved.
Option 4 – Try to repair your corrupted profile via Registry
In this second option, you can try to repair the corrupted profile using the Registry but before you proceed, make sure to create a System Restore Point and then follow the steps below.
- Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
- Then type “regedit” in the field and hit Enter or click OK to open the Registry Editor.
- Next, go to this registry key: ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionProfileList
- Once you’ve opened the registry key, you should see a list of all the user profiles on your computer. Now click on each S-1-5 folder and look for the “ProfileImagePath” entry and double click on it to check which user account it is related to. You will see a path like “CUsersACK” where “ACK” is the username.
- You should know which of the user account is corrupted. Just look for a key named “RefCount” and change its Value data to “0” and click OK. And if it isn’t available, simply right-click on the right pane and create it.
- After that, double click on the key named “State” and make sure that the Value data is “0” and click OK.
- Exit the Registry Editor and restart your computer to apply the changes made and then check if it fixed the problem or not.
Option 5 – Run System Restore
- Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
- After that, type in “sysdm.cpl” in the field and tap Enter.
- Next, go to the System Protection tab then click the System Restore button. This will open a new window where you have to select your preferred System Restore point.
- After that, follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process and then restart your computer and check if the problem is fixed or not.