By browsing the disc of your PC with the Windows file explorer, you may have come across a mysterious backrest in the strange name. Do not delete it, it is not a virus but an element of the system.
The Windows file system is complex to say the least, not to say frankly messy. Not only is its basic structure convoluted, but files with exotic names and indefinite utility regularly appear, according to the system updates or application installations. In the heap, it is difficult to know what is useless or downright dangerous.
While strolling through the Windows file explorer, you may have come across a strange folder, and all the more disturbing as it is in the user directory (C: USERS On most PCs), which contains the data associated with different users of your computer. Appointed WSIACCOUNTthis file does not correspond to any of the user accounts you have created, and you say that it may indicate the presence of a virus.
Rest assured, this folder is a legitimate and safe element of Windows, which was created automatically by the system and which is used by the mechanism “Web sign-in”, or “web connection”. This function, initially introduced on Windows 10 then deployed on Windows 11 version 22:2:2 AM during the update KB5030310allows in particular to connect to Windows without password.
More specifically, the “web connection” is based on Providers Credentialsor identifier suppliers, to allow a user to access his Windows session without typing their password. To do this, it uses the information transmitted by an authentication application, as Microsoft Authenticatorand requires validation on a third -party device, such as a phone.
The “WSIACCOUNTED folder corresponds to a local user account used in the background by the system to allow the” web connection “to operate. As a result, it does not appear in the list of user accounts available on the screen Connection to Windows.
The “web connection” being a specific function of the different versions of Windows Pro, Windows Enterprise and Windows Education, you may not find the WSIACCOUNT folder on your own PC, especially if you use Windows Family. Nevertheless, as Windows 11 Pro is sometimes installed on main public computers, you could meet this file.
If this is the case, do not worry, therefore, the WSIACCOUNENT user account does not indicate the presence of malicious software or an invasive application. And even if you are not using the “web connection”, do not delete the WSICCOUNT folder. It is completely empty, and therefore does not occupy any room on your PC, and can also be used for the proper functioning of applications or services using the “web connection” in the background, without you realizing it.