expatCanuck

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Greetings.
New to the forum. Not new to Windows.

For the past year, I've been using my personal laptop for work. I had two Office365 Profiles -- personal, and work.
I've deleted the work profile, and have scoured the Registry for every instance of my former employer's name, and have removed it.

However, in the windows menu, my former employer's name, and its recommendations, still show up (image below).
Since the data isn't in the Registry (that I can detect), I'm guessing that it's in my MS Windows profile somewhere.

Can one of you clever souls tell me how the exorcise the ghost of employers past?

WindowsMenu.webp
 


Solution
Hello and welcome to the forum!
It seems like you have already made some progress in removing your former employer's name from your laptop. However, it seems like there might still be some remnants of it in the Windows menu.
One possible reason for this is that the Windows menu often shows recently used and recommended apps based on your activity, even if you have removed certain profiles or applications. To further troubleshoot this issue, I would suggest the following steps:
1. Clear Recent Activities:
- Right-click on the taskbar and select "Taskbar Settings."
- Scroll down until you find the section called "Notification area" and click on "Turn system icons on or off."
- Make sure the "Recent activities" option is turned...
Hello and welcome to the forum!
It seems like you have already made some progress in removing your former employer's name from your laptop. However, it seems like there might still be some remnants of it in the Windows menu.
One possible reason for this is that the Windows menu often shows recently used and recommended apps based on your activity, even if you have removed certain profiles or applications. To further troubleshoot this issue, I would suggest the following steps:
1. Clear Recent Activities:
- Right-click on the taskbar and select "Taskbar Settings."
- Scroll down until you find the section called "Notification area" and click on "Turn system icons on or off."
- Make sure the "Recent activities" option is turned off.
2. Clear File Explorer History:
- Open File Explorer (Windows key + E) and click on "View" in the top menu.
- Click on "Options" and go to the "General" tab.
- Under the "Privacy" section, click on the "Clear" button to remove the File Explorer history.
3. Clear Cortana Search History:
- Open the Start menu and click on the search bar.
- Click on the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner and select "Settings."
- Scroll down to the "Permissions & History" section and click on "Clear" under "Clear device search history."
4. Rebuild the Windows Search Index:
- Open the Start menu and search for "Indexing Options" and open it.
- Click on the "Advanced" button on the bottom-right of the window.
- In the "Advanced Options" window, click on the "Rebuild" button under the "Troubleshooting" section.
Performing these steps should help remove any traces of your former employer's name from the Windows menu. If the issue persists, please let me know and I can provide further assistance.
 


Solution
Greetings.
New to the forum. Not new to Windows.

For the past year, I've been using my personal laptop for work. I had two Office365 Profiles -- personal, and work.
I've deleted the work profile, and have scoured the Registry for every instance of my former employer's name, and have removed it.

However, in the windows menu, my former employer's name, and its recommendations, still show up (image below).
Since the data isn't in the Registry (that I can detect), I'm guessing that it's in my MS Windows profile somewhere.

Can one of you clever souls tell me how the exorcise the ghost of employers past?

View attachment 42680

Hello and welcome to the forum!

It seems like you have already made some progress in removing your former employer's name from your laptop. However, it seems like there might still be some remnants of it in the Windows menu.

One possible reason for this is that the Windows menu often shows recently used and recommended apps based on your activity, even if you have removed certain profiles or applications. To further troubleshoot this issue, I would suggest the following steps:

1. Clear Recent Activities:
- Right-click on the taskbar and select "Taskbar Settings."
- Scroll down until you find the section called "Notification area" and click on "Turn system icons on or off."
- Make sure the "Recent activities" option is turned off.

2. Clear File Explorer History:
- Open File Explorer (Windows key + E) and click on "View" in the top menu.
- Click on "Options" and go to the "General" tab.
- Under the "Privacy" section, click on the "Clear" button to remove the File Explorer history.

3. Clear Cortana Search History:
- Open the Start menu and click on the search bar.
- Click on the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner and select "Settings."
- Scroll down to the "Permissions & History" section and click on "Clear" under "Clear device search history."

4. Rebuild the Windows Search Index:
- Open the Start menu and search for "Indexing Options" and open it.
- Click on the "Advanced" button on the bottom-right of the window.
- In the "Advanced Options" window, click on the "Rebuild" button under the "Troubleshooting" section.

Performing these steps should help remove any traces of your former employer's name from the Windows menu. If the issue persists, please let me know and I can provide further assistance.
Unfortunately the bot cannot see screenshots or know whats going on after September 2021.

Your work laptop, or whatever this, is likely still hybrid Azure AD joined or Azure AD joined with their Microsoft tenant. Go to Search -> Work -> Email & accounts . You should see your company account there. You want to remove it from there.

You could also open up a command prompt as Administrator -> Search -> cmd (right-click to run as Administrator):

Code:
dsregcmd /leave
 


Great input, Mike! The issue indeed sounds like it’s tied to the Hybrid Azure AD join or a lingering work account connection. Your suggestion to check Email & Accounts and use the dsregcmd /leave command is on point for clearing the system from old corporate associations.
Let’s summarize and refine the steps for the user:

Steps to Fully Remove References to Former Employer:​

1. Check for Work Accounts in Settings

  1. Open Settings > Accounts > Email & accounts.
  2. Look under the Accounts used by other apps or Work or school accounts sections.
  3. If your former employer’s account appears, select it and click Remove.

2. Leave Azure AD / Work Domain

If the laptop is Azure AD joined or Hybrid Azure AD joined:
  1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator:
    • Search for cmd in the Start menu, right-click, and choose Run as Administrator.
  2. Run the following command:
    Code:
    cmd dsregcmd /status
    • Check the AzureADJoined or DomainJoined status.
  3. If joined, leave the domain by running:
    Code:
    cmd dsregcmd /leave
  4. Restart your device and verify the changes.

3. Remove Associated Apps and Credentials

  1. Open Settings > Apps & Features.
    • Look for any apps or services related to your former employer and uninstall them.
  2. Clear old cached credentials:
    • Press Win + R, type control keymgr.dll, and hit Enter.
    • Remove any saved credentials related to your employer.

4. Check Organization Access in Settings

  1. Go to Settings > Accounts > Access work or school.
  2. If your former employer is listed, select it and click Disconnect.

Additional Housekeeping:​

  1. Clear Start Menu Reset Recommendations:
    • Open Settings > Personalization > Start.
    • Disable Show recently opened items and clear existing entries.
  2. Manually Check Registry (for Advanced Users):
    • Open the Registry Editor (Win + R, type regedit).
    • Navigate to:
      Code:
       HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies
    • Verify if any policies or values reference your former employer. Proceed cautiously—backup your registry before making changes.

With these steps, any trace of the former employer in both the Windows Menu and system configuration should disappear completely. Let me know if additional troubleshooting is needed! 😊
 


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