blocked by a special profile

Question

blocked by a special profile

randy hall 0

I cannot open my files or photos because I am blocked by special profile deployment

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2 answers

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Answer 1

The “special profile deployment” message means Windows is blocking the app because the current session is using a profile whose changes may be discarded; protect any new local work, then sign out and sign back in with a normal account.^1^

1. Protect files before signing out

If Windows loaded a temporary profile, changes made during this session can be lost after sign-out.

Copy any files created or changed during this session from Desktop, Documents, Pictures, and Downloads to:
- your external drive, or
- OneDrive, after confirming synchronization has completed.
For OneDrive files showing a blue cloud, right-click important files and select Always keep on this device. A green circle with a white check indicates that the file is downloaded.^2^
Do not delete or move the original files yet.

2. Reload the Windows profile

Select Start → your account picture/name → Sign out.
At the sign-in screen, select your usual account and sign in again.
Try opening:
- one local photo from Pictures;
- one file from the external drive;
- one fully downloaded OneDrive file.

Microsoft documents this deployment error as ERROR_DEPLOYMENT_BLOCKED_BY_PROFILE_POLICY (0x80073D23) and recommends logging out and back in, or using a different account that is not a special profile.^1^

3. If the message returns, test a new Windows account

Create a new account to determine whether the existing profile is damaged:

Open Settings → Accounts → Other users.
Under Add other user, select Add account.
To create a local test account, select:
- I don’t have this person’s sign-in information
- Add a user without a Microsoft account
After creating it, expand that account under Other users.
Select Change account type → Administrator → OK.
Sign out, sign in to the new account, and test the same files.

These are Microsoft’s current account-creation and administrator configuration paths for Windows 10 and Windows 11.^3^

If Photos and other apps work there, migrate to the new profile:

While signed into the new account, open File Explorer.
Browse to C:\Users\<old-account-name>.
Copy your personal folders into C:\Users\<new-account-name>.
Restart and sign back into the new account.
Sign in to OneDrive and Microsoft Store apps again as needed.

Microsoft recommends this procedure for a corrupted profile and warns not to enable hidden or protected operating-system files while copying profile data.^4^

Do not remove the old account until all local, external-drive, and OneDrive files have been opened successfully from the new account and backed up.

Managed work or school PC

If Windows will not let you add another user, or the new account receives the same message, the device may have an organizational deployment policy. Contact the device administrator and provide the message plus error code 0x80073D23. Microsoft also documents policy-blocked deployment as requiring administrator involvement.^1^

References

Answer 2

Hi randy hall,

Since the profile-related steps have already been covered, I would first check whether this restriction affects all files or only certain locations/file types.

Please try these steps:

Create a new .txt file in Documents and open it.
Copy one affected photo/file to the Desktop and try opening the copy.
Right-click an affected file > Properties. If an Unblock option appears under the General tab, select it and click Apply.

If only specific files remain blocked, please share the exact error message shown when opening one of them, along with where the file is stored, such as OneDrive, Documents, an external drive, or another folder. That will help narrow down whether this is a file-level restriction or a broader Windows configuration issue.