#How to delete user profile on mac how to#
#How to delete user profile on mac mac os#
#How to delete user profile on mac update#
#How to delete user profile on mac password#

While people might think to look for the root of these problems within the user's folder, they will not find them there. Another indicative behavior would be the inability to modify that account's settings, such as its password, log-in window picture, or custom home folder location. One example of such behavior is an admin account no longer being able to authenticate to access system preference settings even though it is listed as an admin account. Keep it disabled as the norm.Problems with user accounts in OS X can happen that result in an account not being able to change configuration options and previously accessible resources. Root user should only be active under special circumstances. When Root User is enabled your login screens will always have an “Other” login showing.

#How to delete user profile on mac password#

Double check that the Guest User check boxes are still unchecked and now the selection for Guest User should be completely grey.Go ahead and log off your user id under the Apple Menu and the resulting action should bring a login screen with the primary login name and password ONLY. In Users and Groups you should have already turned off Guest User. If you see “Disable Root User” click on that and it will change to “enable root user” meaning the root user is not logged onto the system.Back track your steps and relock each pref.pane. Once that is unlocked from the Directory Utility Menu Bar at the top of screen select edit. That takes you to the Directory Utility pref panel and you need to unlock that with an admin password.

Click the edit or join button a dropdown will appear, click on the Open Directory Utility button. Go to the users & groups pref pane and unlock it with an admin password.

#How to delete user profile on mac how to#

The true culprit here is whether “root user” is enabled or disabled.Here is how to check and disable root user if necessary.

#How to delete user profile on mac mac os#

OK… I just tested this on 2 iMacs one from 2012 and one from 2009 both running Mac OS 10.13. But if you aren’t sure, it’s best to go ahead and change your administrator password while you’re at it.

#How to delete user profile on mac update#

This is the equivalent of removing the account altogether (or as near as you are going to get), because in order to re-enable the Guest User account, someone would need your computer’s adminstrator password.Īs to how that Guest User account was activated and showed up in the first place, if you didn’t set it up that way yourself, the most likely way is that your last OS update included that ‘feature’. Now, when you look the list of users you will still see Guest User, but you will see that it is off. Uncheck the checkbox next to “Allow guests to log in to this computer”:īe sure to click the lock when you are done. Highlight the Guest User account, and you will see that the “Allow guests to log in to this computer” checkbox is no longer greyed out. Now, open up your System Preferences, and go to Users & Groups: You will see that the Guest User account no longer has the checkmark next to it. Once logged back in to your account, you can also always check that the Guest User account is indeed logged out by clicking on the drop down list of users from your menu bar. Now log back in to your account (we are assuming here that you are the administrator of your computer and have admin privileges). Once your computer is done processing this request, you will be returned to the login screen, where you will see that the Guest User account is no longer logged in (denoted by the absence of the orange and white circle and checkmark). Go ahead and hit ‘Delete Files & Log Out’ because you don’t care because you are wanting to delete the guest account entirely. Logging out deletes all files and information in the guest user home folder. To do so, log in to the Guest User account, and then click on the Apple logo in the far upper left-hand corner, and select “Log Out Guest User”.īefore logging the Guest User account out, your computer will give you this warning:

The thing to understand is that just because the Guest User account isn’t the currently active account, it may still be logged in.Īnd by now you may have figured out that the key to being able to delete the Guest User account is first logging that account out. This will take you to the login screen, where you will almost certainly see that the Guest User account is logged in. If you don’t have the user accounts dropdown enabled, then instead log out of your own account by clicking on the Apple logo in the far upper left-hand corner of the menu bar, and choosing “Log Out (your username)”: