If you’re tired of running over to a user’s Mac just to enter a password so the print server can restart after a paper jam, then you may be thinking it’s time to give everyone admin privileges. And believe it or not, that may be a valid solution to the problem, depending on the competence and trustworthiness of your users. It is, in fact, the method we use all users at our home and office are set up as administrators, relieving us of the more mundane tasks of Mac administration. But if you’re inclined to use the standard, managed, and administrator user models to ensure a bit tighter security, then this tip can help you keep your personal workload low, while allowing other users to perform routine tasks, such as resetting printers, without needing the local overlord to make an appearance. The first account created during the original setup of your Mac is an administrator account that includes elevated privilege levels that allow the account holder to manage the basic system. The Mac’s administrator account isn’t an all-powerful tyrant it has a number of restrictions, including the inability to access another user’s data. It does, however, have power over all of the Mac’s system preferences, including the ability to add new apps, add new users, assign user groups, manage parental controls, set up accessibility options, and manage printers. While the administrator is one type of account, the Mac OS supports additional types, including: (Some system preferences are restricted to those with administrator accounts, which can prevent Standard users from fixing common problems.) If there’s a system preference pane for a service, users holding an administrator account can make changes as they see fit. Standard: Standard user accounts can install apps and change settings that affect only their own accounts. So, standard users can pick their own desktop wallpaper, customize the Dock, and set their own preference for how a mouse or track pad works. They can’t add or delete users, or change settings that would affect anyone else. Managed: Managed users are bound by the restrictions set up by Parental Controls. With Parental Controls, you can restrict the apps available, the websites that can be visited, and the contacts available to the user through various apps, such as Messages and Mail. Managed users can also have usage restrictions based on time, to ensure kids aren’t using their Macs when they should be sleeping. Sharing Only: Allows users to log in remotely and access their own files. It doesn’t allow general access to the Mac, or the ability to change any settings. Guest: Guest user accounts are for visiting family, friends, or clients who may need to use your Mac for a brief time, perhaps to check messages or access a website. All of a guest user’s data stored on the Mac is deleted automatically when the user signs out. One method to help resolve the burden of administration is to spread the task around, allowing other trusted users to share the work. (Standard and Managed users can have their privilege levels elevated to allow them to administer the computer.) In general, this is a good idea having a single administrator can cause problems if the administrator isn’t available when some task comes up that needs the admin password. The first step is to use the Mac OS Users & Groups preference pane to change the account type for the selected individual. In this example, you can change a standard user to an administrator. Of course, you must already be an administrator for this to work. If you’re not currently logged in to your administrator account, log out, and then log back in with the appropriate account. Launch System Preferences by clicking its Dock icon, or by selecting System Preferences from the Apple menu. In the System Preferences window, open the Users & Groups preference pane.Ĭlick the padlock icon in the lower left corner, and then enter your administrator password. Select the user account you wish to elevate to an administrator account from the sidebar list.
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