How To Make A New User Account On A Mac

Having multiple user accounts on your Mac is the best way to maintain privacy amongst different users in your household or office. There can be numerous forms of user accounts. In this article, we will discuss the different types of user accounts and go through step-by-step on how to make a new one.

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What are User Accounts?

A user account is the identity of a person on a computer. If multiple people are sharing the same device, there can be multiple accounts. Each account will maintain a certain level of privacy from the other. The user accounts are there to block off access to different parts of the system for different users. This feature is espeically useful in an office environment where multiple employees may use the same system.

Different Types of User Accounts?

Before discussing how to make a user account, it is useful to know what the different types are. Computer user accounts can be separated into different categories based on their accessibility. Some accounts are given special privileges, while others have restrictions. In general, there are five types of user accounts as follows:

Administrator

Administrator accounts have full access to the computer. The owner of the Mac usually owns this type of account. In a business setting, the administrator will be used by a boss or technical support staff. It allows them to do everything possible on the Mac, including access to other accounts. They can also remove other accounts if they want to. We recommend not having more than two or three administrator accounts.

Standard

A standard user is someone who might use the Mac very often. A colleague can use this account. It will give the user the freedom to do what they need to on their account, like their work, browser the internet, play games, etc. However, it is a bit restrictive as compared to the administrator as a standard user can't access any other account, nor can they change the computer settings.

Managed with Parental account

As the name suggests, this account is to be given to a child. It can be used if your child uses your Mac or has their own Mac. You can choose the age range of your child and this way, they won't have access to any applications not suited for their age. Moreover, you can restrict their access to specific websites and programs which might seem inappropriate for them.

Sharing Only

This account is used to share media remotely. If you want to share your files with someone, then you may use this account.

Group

This is a sort of shared space where you can add other users. If you want to give one or more additional people access to particular form, type, set or directory of data or files, then this type of account can be set up. It is perfect for a work environment where you might want to share a file with multiple people.

How To Make a User Account

If you're a new Mac user or shifting from Windows, making a new user account might be a different experience for you. This process is relatively easy and will take only a couple of minutes. The steps to make a new user account are as follows:

Click on the Apple logo on the top left-hand corner of the screen.
Choose "System Preferences".
This will open a window. The System Preferences are used to control multiple processes on your Mac.
Click on the “Users and Groups."

This icon has a silhouette of two people. Additionally, it has "Users and Groups" written as well, so it should be easy to find.
Click on the padlock on the bottom left-hand corner of the window.
Enter your password. This is a security feature and prevents unauthorized people from making significant system changes to your Mac.

The padlock will unlock, and you can now add the user.
Click on the plus sign above the padlock.
Click on the drop-down menu in front of "New account:" and choose your desired account. There will be four different options, which were explained earlier.
If you are unsure as to which account to choose, then choose the standard account as a default.
Enter the name of the person using the account.
Choose a password and enter it. You will also have to verify the password in the text input box.
Enter a password hint as well. This will help you remember the password in case you (or the person who's account it is) forgets.
Click on "Create Account".

The account has now been created and can be seen under the "Current user" category.
After creating an account, you can reset the password, enable parental control, and allow the user to administer the account. The options for these are in the same window.