Change Users & Groups settings on Mac (2024)

macOS Sequoia 15

macOS Sonoma 14

macOS Ventura 13

macOS Monterey 12

macOS Big Sur 11.0

macOS Catalina 10.15

Mac User Guide

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- Erase your Mac
Resources for your Mac
Resources for your Apple devices
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Change Users & Groups settings on Mac (1)

If your Mac has multiple users, you should set up an account for each person so each can personalize settings and options without affecting other users. You can let occasional users log in as guests without access to other users’ files or settings. You can also create groups and choose automatic login options. You must be an administrator of your Mac to perform these tasks.

Both standard users and administrators can join network account servers.

To change these settings, choose Apple menu >System Settings, then click Users & Groups in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)

Open Users & Groups settings for me

Option				Description
Users				View the list of users. Click the user picture to change it. See Change a user’s login picture. Click next to a user name to view details and make changes. See Change User settings and Change Sharing Only User settings. Turn on the Guest User account to allow occasional users to log in. See Change Guest User settings.
Groups				View the list of groups. Click next to a group name to view details and make changes. See Change Group settings.
Add User				Click Add User to create a new user (you may be asked to enter your password), then choose a type of account. Administrator: An administrator can add and manage other users, install apps, and change settings. The new user you create when you first set up your Mac is an administrator. Your Mac can have multiple administrators. You can create new ones, and convert standard users to administrators. Don’t set up automatic login for an administrator. If you do, someone could simply restart your Mac and gain access with administrator privileges. To keep your Mac secure, don’t share administrator names and passwords. Standard: Standard users are set up by an administrator. Standard users can install apps and change their own settings, but can’t add other users or change other users’ settings. Sharing Only: Sharing-only users can access shared files remotely, but can’t log in to the computer or change settings. To give the user permission to access your shared files or screen, you may need to change options in File Sharing, Screen Sharing, or Remote Management settings. See Set up file sharing and Share the screen of another Mac. See Add a user or group.
Add Group				Click Add Group to create a new group (you may be asked to enter your password). Groups allow multiple users to have the same access privileges. You control a group’s access to your shared folders by setting access permissions in the File Sharing options in Sharing settings. See Add a user or group.
Automatically log in as				Choose whether to have a specific user logged in automatically. Use automatic login: Choose a user, enter the password, then follow the onscreen instructions. Automatic login takes effect the next time you restart the Mac, and whenever the Mac starts up, that user is automatically logged in. Turn off automatic login: Choose Off. At startup, the Mac opens a login window showing all the users. Note: Automatic login allows anyone to access your Mac simply by restarting it. If automatic login is enabled, make sure your Mac doesn’t automatically log in an administrator. When FileVault is turned on, automatic login is disabled.
Allow network users to log in at login window				Specify which network users can log in to your Mac. (This option only appears if your Mac is joined to a network account server.) See Allow network users to log in to your Mac.
Network account server				Join a network account server, or manage network account server settings. See Join your Mac to a network account server.

You can also customize the options that are available in the login window, such as password hints, the user list, and the Sleep, Restart, and Shut Down buttons. See Change Lock Screen settings.

Open Lock Screen settings for me

See alsoOpen items automatically when you log in on MacTurn on accessibility options in the login window on MacChange a password or user picture on MacSwitch quickly between users on Mac

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