Using a pre-owned Mac

Question

My Dad passed away a few weeks ago and I now have access to his Mac computer. I have little to no knowledge of Apple devices and ecosystem, having used Windows for everything before.

I have all his passwords and Apple ID etc., and have been going through it to save photos and his meanderings. Once I have done this I would like to use it as my home computer.

My question is, can I keep my Dad's identity on there (not ready to let him go yet) and upload my own Apple ID and email accounts etc. without compromising space/usage/integrity of the machine, or will this cause me problems later if I need to get it repaired or install things later?

Answer 1

You can simply create a new Admin account in the system. After creating it, during the initial setup, you'll be asked to sign in with your Apple ID. You can also choose to create a new Apple ID if you don't have it already.

Apple ID is required to interact with the plethora of online services offered by Apple. You can learn more about Apple ID in the Apple Support document:

• Create, manage, and use an Apple ID

Once you have your account setup, you can use the system normally and will have access to all the features. Your Dad's user account can stay on system safely.

To create a new admin account, go to System Preferences → Users & Groups → (Click the lock to make changes) → (Click on + button towards the bottom of the left sidebar) → New Account → Administrator.

Creating an additional user account won't take up much space. It gives you a segregated environment while giving access to the systemwide pre-installed apps (those installed in /Applications directory). You generally won't face any issues later while repairing or installing things.