When you set up a Mac for the first time after buying it, the account you create for OS X is given admin access. From there on, any account you create can be set up as a guest, basic user, or admin user.
If you have made extra admin accounts on your Mac and no longer need them, then it’s usually a good idea to consider removing them for security reasons.
In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to remove an admin account from your Mac.
Why to remove an admin account
Admin user accounts have more rights than any other type of user you can create on your Mac. They can tamper with system files, add or remove user accounts, and more.
If someone who had an admin account is no longer using your computer, you may want to remove that account so it doesn’t pose as a security risk. After all, if you have more than admin account on your Mac, that means there are two or more separate passwords that can be used to get admin access to your Mac, and it opens you up to more security threats.
Of course, you should definitely back up any important data that may be stored on the account before you remove it; otherwise, you’ll just be deleting potentially important data that you cannot recover after removing the account.
How to remove an admin account from your Mac
To remove an admin user account from your Mac, you’ll follow these simple steps:
1) Launch the System Preferences app and open the Users & Groups preferences pane.
2) Click on the Lock button at the bottom of the preferences pane to unlock the settings within.
3) You will be prompted to enter your password to move forward, so enter it and then click the blue Unlock button.
4) Once you’re in, select the admin account you want to remove from the sidebar in the System Preferences app, then click on the – button to proceed with removing it.
5) You will be prompted with options for how you want to dispose of the Home folder. Typically, you’ll want to delete the Home folder along with the account. Choose your option carefully, then click on the blue Delete User button.
6) Once deleted, make sure to re-lock the preferences pane again by clicking on the Lock button.
And that’s it! You’ve just removed an admin user account from your Mac while leaving yours completely alone.
Wrapping up
It’s a good idea to keep admin access to as little people as possible. I typically only keep admin access for myself, this way it keeps control over the computer and its file contents to myself only.
If you have an admin account on your Mac that doesn’t need to be there, it’s probably a good idea to consider removing it using the steps highlighted above.
More tutorials:
- How to add a new admin user to your Mac
- Creating a guest account on your Mac
- Removing unwanted user accounts from your Mac
Do you have more than one admin account on your Mac? Why or why not? Share in the comments!