Questions tagged [administrator]
Use this tag when asking questions concerning admin user on macOS
270
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How do I override or reset a Mac without an admin password?
A while ago, my remote job had mass layoffs and let ex-employees keep our computers. IT claimed they reset the computers remotely, but it didn't seem to work. My issue is that since I don't have ...
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101
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MacOS: How can I unlock a system plist file to edit? [trying to get rid of a stray Netskope VPN entry]
I'm trying to get rid of a stray Netskope Client (NSClient1) VPN entry that wouldn't go away. I found its traces only in /Library/Preferences/com.apple.networkextension.plist - this is the system's ...
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40
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resetting admin pw for imac 2007 A1224 10.4.10 thru single user mode
I was gifted a 2007 iMac A1224 OS X 10.4.10 with a forgotten admin pw. Command+r doesn't get to any erase disc/reinstall os. Is there a way to change the admin pw thru the command+s single user mode ...
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780
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Factory reset will delete admin account? [closed]
I lost the admin account on my Mac and I want to factory reset my macbook. Will it erase all the accounts and help me create a new admin account?
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855
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Can't login to MacBook Pro, password and password reset not working
I am helping a friend who was deleting some files and sudo stopped working for him. He reset his computer and can't log back in. First he gets-
Reset password using Apple ID credentials
I enter ...
- 101
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118
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System admin password not working
I have a 2019 Macbook Pro, Ventura. Recently, I've noticed that my system password (I am the only user, and I checked in Users & Groups) doesn't work to change my Privacy and Security settings. I ...
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90
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Is it possible to setup (install apps, adjust settings, etc) an MDM Mac, with an "admin" user, then change the user to a "standard" one?
I'm sorry if the language in the title is confusing. I struggled to type out what I'm trying to do in one sentence. Hopefully I can provide some context below that will help.
My company buys Mac ...
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308
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How to update Firefox with MDM and no admin
I am trying to update Firefox on my school computer but I need an Admin password to do this.
My MacBook is a 13” M2 Pro that has the weird school app store called “Self Service” which only lets you ...
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492
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I can’t log in, how to reset password macbook m1
the password is wrong it shows but I have taken the pic of the password last night
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71
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How to I prevent a Standard user from booting into Safe Mode?
I am the admin of my son's Mac. When he boots into Safe Mode, the parental control software is disabled and I am not able to block certain apps, or websites or track his web activities. Apple Screen ...
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44
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Can I allow a remote user to log into my MacBook Pro laptop as an Admin?
Hoping there is a simple way for a user to log into my Mac as an Admin remotely. I need them to be able to gain access to all the user's files whenever I am online.
So far, it seems they have to log ...
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In general, which files and directories can be deleted from MacOS without bricking it? [closed]
I would like to make my MacOS as minimal as possible without it being unable to boot. The main reason is to reduce complexity and focus on understanding a smaller number of things before adding in ...
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199
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Admin account not in sudoers
On my MacBook (OS 12.6.1) I have a primary account and a secondary one, which is an admin. In the terminal, I can su into the secondary one. However, if I try to use sudo then, I see that the admin ...
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83
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How can a mac admin access my laptop by files while I’m offline?
I have a company laptop and my Mac admin was able to update my application apps, remove unnecessary apps, and clear old files in my document folder. However, he was able to do all of this while my mac ...
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36
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New Monterey install: No disk access
PROBLEM...
After an erase and install upgrade to Monterey (from Big Sur) the main admin user account has no access to any of the disks.
HAVE TRIED...
Checking if the user has admin privileges (it ...
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37
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Location to store application specific hidden files without need for administrator privilege
I have a software application that I am porting to MacOS. It is normally a Linux based app. There are application specific files required for the software to run correctly that I want hidden from the ...
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254
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Installing Adobe After Effects without the administrator rights
I'd like to get a one year license for After Effects and start learning it but in the past I've installed the trial and it was requiring an administrator password. It then added all kind of processes ...
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46
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Delete nonadmin user without old password to get FireVault
I am running Ventura on a MacBook Pro.
So last month my dad passed away and I'm trying to figure out how to turn on FileVault on the machine. Before he passed away, he apparently set my username as ...
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63
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How to create two macOS Installations on one iMac, securely separated from each other by using FileVault?
The requirement in a no-budget project is as follows: an existing iMac, which is used by one developer for most of the time, has to be used by a second developer from time to time; so both developers ...
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117
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Can a macOS administrator retrieve the password of a user who has enabled TouchID on the same laptop?
TouchID allows a user to log into a laptop through a fingerprint. The fingerprint itself is used by the operating system to retrieve the user password and then the password is used to complete the ...
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Ansible: Accidentally changed admin user to standard user - no longer in sudoers file
I have been learning how to use Ansible to administer my machines lately. I ran a playbook that creates a new user named patrick on the target machine. This machine is a Macbook with user patrick ...
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268
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Local Admin Login While Someone Is Already Logged In
In my current job I am an admin working with Macs in a school district. I previously worked in a district that had an interesting option for local tech accounts to bypass the logged in user by ...
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150
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MacOS unable to login after user folder moved to external SSD
I‘m running MacOS Monterey on a Mac Mini M1. I wanted to use an external SSD for all my data. Therefore, I moved my users folder to the SSD and then changed the account settings to point to the new ...
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2
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102
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Unlock specific preference panes (e.g. "Startup Disk") for standard user
I want to alter the default startup disk whilst in macOS, I have Windows installed on Boot Camp.
Standard user accounts on my computer can't change the default startup disk without requiring an admin ...
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330
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Terminal Help - Reverting a Standard Mac user account back to an admin account?
I've been doing a Jamf now roll out, but have mucked up the user account by using this terminal command:
sudo dseditgroup -o edit -d UserName -t user admin
Which basically made the admin account ...
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19
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Is there a way to reset the Administrator on mac [duplicate]
I forgot the Admin password, and is there a way that i can reset it without using third party apps and things?
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456
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AppleScript: How to do shell script with admin privileges that only asks for password on first run/never?
I'm trying to write an AppleScript that will update the schedule boot/wake time of computer to be a hour from the time the script is run. My script below works, but every time I run it, I'm asked for ...
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503
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How can I reset my password in recovery mode
I am unable to use “resetpassword” for this and cannot sign into any of my accounts until I reset my password. I cannot leave recovery mode until I have the password so I cannot run a “sudo” command.
...
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46
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Why admin users don't show up in "Users and Groups"
When I tried to reset my password, through the terminal in recovery mode, I saw two other users:
But looking at Users and groups in system preferences, I only see one account:
I tried deleting ...
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46
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Selling (sign out) multi-user, several Mac devices securely
In our company, we have several Macs and Macbooks. They aren't used anymore, so we want to sell them. The IT department said that we don't know about erasing the devices securely. So, I'm searching ...
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77
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Old MacBook, how to reinstall OS (fine to delete all data on the drive), but screen doesn't work
I've been using this MacBook for years even though the screen is damaged -- I just use an external monitor.
So what's the problem?
I want to reinstall the OS -- take it back to the base state, ...
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2
answers
77
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Trying to delete admin account
I made an admin account that I don't need and it just clogs my storage.
I have tried making new admin accounts and attempting to delete that admin account while logged into the new one, but it's just ...
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43
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Keep app from being added to dock
I am running MacOS 10.15.7. Corp IT has an app that, after being removed from the dock keeps getting added back. I don't mind the app itself, just don't need to have my dock cluttered. I do have admin ...
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250
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How to regain admin privileges on Big Sur
I'm using Big Sur and renamed my admin account. Now it has been downgraded to a standard account. There are other admin accounts on the system, so backing everything up and reinstalling wouldn't work. ...
user354914
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794
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Mac Mini refuses my password even if its the correct one
As I wanted to keep my data more secure, I decided to change my admin password (my only account). I wrote my password on a piece of paper too (new passwords are easily forgotten).
I try to connect ...
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376
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No admin account on Big Sur [duplicate]
i updated my mothers macbook air 2014 to Big Sur, I had problems during install and finished the install in safe mode. after restarting i was prompted with her old login screen which accepted her old ...
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144
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what is the logic behind not requiring admin password for adding login items on macOS?
I've recently installed steam by just copying app folder to applications and was surprised to discover that app automatically added to login items after first run. I didn't expect that to happen. It ...
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342
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How to lock/block Safe Mode from standard user account?
Is there a way to prevent a standard user from signing into safe mode and only allow the admin of my mac to boot/sign into safe mode?
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1k
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How to add an admin user to sudoers on Big Sur [duplicate]
I am running Big Sur on a MacBook Pro and am unable to run su or sudo in a terminal window despite being logged into an Admin (and Mobile) account. I always get the error: <username> is not in ...
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242
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I need to retrieve my password to get administrator access back in macOS High Sierra [duplicate]
I have a MacBook Pro that I have forgotten my administrator password to. I believe I last logged into it in 2018, so I am still using macOS High Sierra because I can't upgrade without being in the ...
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151
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How do I investigate "macOS wants to make changes"
Every now and then a window pops up:
I hit deny, it reappears, I hit deny again, and, after 2-4 repetitions, I am left alone.
I wonder if there is a way to figure out what is going on - is there ...
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3
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1k
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How good is the user isolation in macOS?
Recently I bought the MacBook Air M1. I have created two accounts. Laptop will be used by two different persons. Both users have administrative permissions.
I have been wondering if that setup will ...
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121
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Setting a default username in Admin authentication dialogs?
For years, whenever I was presented with a dialog asking for Administrator authentication, the Username field was already filled in. I only needed to fill in the password.
This changed (I think) ...
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444
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New MacBook Pro M1 keep asking for admin password
Keep asking, and does not accept password, though it is the right password
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2k
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How to remove unremovable network drive login item?
When I reboot my MacBook Pro (11.3 now, but it's been happening for years) the reboot pauses for about a minute, after which it tells me there was a problem connecting to a certain defunct network ...
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3
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7k
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Is there an equivalent to Microsoft LAPS for MacOS?
I am looking for a way to randomize local administrator accounts on MacOS. For Windows, there is a solution called LAPS, which randomizes the local admin passwords (so that every system cant get ...
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135
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Lost admin privileges on iMac
It happened after changing admin name following migration to new Mac Air. I've tried various suggested fixes calling for Single User Mode, then mount-uw/ and rm /var/db/. AppleSetUp, also going to ...
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3k
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Impossible to downgrade admin user -- "Allow user to administer this computer" box greyed out
I am trying to remove the admin right from my personal user account. To do so I created another admin account, but the checkbox in System Preferences > Users & Groups remained greyed out. Then ...
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348
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Unlocking iPad Purchased from Government
I have an iPad that was purchased from a previous employer (government local council). I have tried to factory reset it, but when setting up, I am told that this needs to be completed by the ...
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407
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How do I log user out on macos 10.15
Per this: https://osxdaily.com/2015/08/17/log-out-other-user-without-logging-in-mac-os-x/
all users should be listed in activity monitor
but I only see the process for my user.
So how do I boot other ...
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