Windows 10 KB4532693 update misplacing user profiles

On Tuesday, Microsoft released the KB4532693 update to Windows 10 with one of the listed highlights being ‘Improves the installation experience when updating to Windows 10, version 1903.’ However, some users have reported a less than optimal installation experience, to say the least. Upon completing the installation process, these users found their profiles missing and their desktops and Start Menus reset to default.

According to BleepingComputer, there is a bug in the update that loads a temporary profile mid-update and never switches back. Fortunately, the bug does not delete user profiles. Users’ profiles are instead being renamed and can be restored by editing the Registry. However, users have also reported successful resolution of the issue by restarting Windows a few times or uninstalling the update.

Strangely, as of the publishing of this post, the support page for the update still reads, ‘Microsoft is not currently aware of any issues with this update.’ Regardless, it would be safest to avoid this update.