How to Create a New User Account on Mac (Sonoma/Ventura)

Cassie Xie
Last updated: Nov 3, 2023
Summary: This post mainly introduces how to create new user accounts on Mac. How to change the type of user account, how to switch between user accounts, and how to delete a user account on Mac are also introduced.

If you need to share your Mac with others (families, friends, colleagues, etc.), you can create multiple user accounts on your Mac computer so that everyone can personalize their settings. Learn how to add or delete user accounts in macOS (Sonoma/Ventura) below.

create user account Mac

How to Create a User Account on Mac (Sonoma/Ventura)

You can easily create new user accounts on your Mac using System Settings. Check the step-by-step guide below.

  1. You must be an administrator of your Mac to add or delete a user account on your Mac. Log into your Mac with an administrator account.
  2. Click Apple > System Settings to open Mac Settings.
  3. Click Users & Groups in the left sidebar.
  4. Click the Add Account button below the list of users in the right window. You may be asked to enter your account password to unlock Users & Groups settings. Enter your password and click Unlock.
  5. In the pop-up window, select the type of user account you want to create next New Account. You can check the detailed explanation of the different types of user accounts later in this post.
  6. Enter the full name, account name (used as the name for your home folder), password, and password hint.
  7. Click the Create User button to create a new user account on your Mac computer.

Types of User Accounts on Mac:

  • Administrator: The administrator account has all the system privileges. It can change user system settings, manage other user accounts, install apps, etc. You can create multiple administrator accounts on a Mac.
  • Standard: The standard account can change its own settings and install apps, but it can’t add other user accounts or manage their settings. You can easily change a standard account to an admin account.
  • Sharing Only: This kind of account can access shared files remotely, but it can’t log in or change settings on the Mac computer.
  • Group: This option doesn’t create a new user account on Mac but creates an account category. The user accounts in this category have the same privileges.

How to Change User Account Type on Mac

If you want to change the account type like turning a standard account to an administrator account, you can follow the steps below.

  1. Click Apple > System Settings > Users & Groups.
  2. Click the “i” icon next to the target user account.
  3. In the pop-up window, turn on the option “Allow user to administrator this computer” and click Done.
  4. Restart your Mac to make the change take effect.
change user account type on Mac

How to Switch Between User Accounts on Mac

If your Mac has multiple users, you can follow the steps below to easily switch between user accounts.

  1. Click the Apple menu and select Log Out [Username].
  2. Select the user account you want to switch to from the pop-up users list.
  3. Enter the password to log into the selected user account on your Mac.
tip
If you create multiple user accounts on your Mac, you can also enable Fast User Switching in the Control Center to quickly switch between different user accounts. Click Apple > System Settings > Control Center, and turn on the “Show in Control Center” option under Fast User Switching.

How to Create a User Group on Mac

  1. Click the Apple Menu > System Settings > Users & Groups.
  2. Click the Add Group button.
  3. Enter a name for the group and click Create Group.
  4. Then click the “i” icon next to the group and add users to the group.

How to Delete a User Account on Mac

  1. Click Apple > System Settings > Users & Groups.
  2. Click the “i” icon next to the target user account.
  3. Click the Delete Account button and enter your password to unlock the settings.
  4. Choose what you want to do with the account’s home folder and click the Delete Account button to remove this account.

The End

This post offers a step-by-step guide on how to create a new user account on macOS Sonoma/Ventura. Some other tips like how to change account type, switch between multiple user accounts, and delete a user account on Mac are also introduced. Hope it helps.

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Cassie has been writing about technology for her entire career life - over 5 years. She enjoys diving into how Apple products work and then breaking it down in a way anyone can understand.