Macworld - USA (2021-08)

138 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021

HELPDESK MAC 911

Administrator from the New Account

pop-up menu.

With an existing account you want to

elevate to an administrator:

1. Open the Users & Groups
   preference pane.


2. Click the lock icon at the lower-left
   corner and authenticate yourself.


3. Select the account in the list at left.


4. Check the box “Allow the user to
   administer this computer.”


5. macOS notes that you have to restart
   your Mac for that to take effect; do so.
   Once logged into a different account
   than the one you’re changing and out of the
   account you’re changing (if you have fast-
   user switching enabled), you can proceed.


6. If you want to change the folder
   name in the Users
   directory for your
   account, start by
   following these
   steps; it’s optional:


7. If you’re
   sharing that user
   directory, start in the
   Sharing preference
   pane, select the File
   Sharing item in the
   left-hand menu, click
   the shared folder in
   Shared Folders, and
   click the minus sign
   (–) to remove it.

access from the account that you log
into in order to change the other
account’s full name.
Warning! As with anything involving
system-level changes, I strongly
recommend initiating a manual Time
Machine backup or updating a clone on an
external drive before you start in case
something goes wrong.
It’s easy to set up a new account in
macOS:

1. Open the Users & Groups
   preference pane.


2. Click the lock icon at the lower-left
   corner and authenticate yourself.


3. Click the plus sign (+) at the lower-
   left corner to add an account.


4. Fill out details, but be sure to choose

You can upgrade an existing account to have administrator privileges.