How to Delete a User Account on Mac

Sue Wayne

Dec 16, 2024 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

When you no longer need a user account on Mac, the ideal thing to do is to delete them. Usually, it is easy to remove the user account from MacBook, but some users don't have any idea how to do it. So, in this article, we are going to cover the methods you can use to remove a standard account or an admin account. Just keep it in mind that when you delete an account, the data files will also get deleted and the user won't be able to login to the Mac again.

So, if you are about to delete users on MacBook, make sure that they have a backup of the data and files of their account.

Part 1. When to Delete an Account on Mac?

Normally, people allow their closed ones to create a user account on their laptop or desktop. There are several benefits of doing this but sometimes it can be a problem too. As a result, the owner has to delete the users on MacBook. Some of the reasons to do so are given below:

• If you have personal data saved on the computer, then having multiple users can be dangerous as the data can be breached.
• If one of the user accounts gets attacked by a virus, then the whole computer will suffer.
• The private information will be shared with other users without your consent.
• Creating multiple accounts sometimes has a negative impact on system performance.

Unless you keep your account protected, your account and data will always be at risk. Therefore, it is a better thing to delete the extra users permanently.

Part 2. How to Delete a User on Mac?

Now, we will discover the methods that we can use to delete the user accounts from MacBook Pro easily.

1. Delete Admin User on Mac

At first, we will learn how to delete an admin account from Mac. The most common scenario when people have to delete the admin account is when their Mac used to belong to someone else like their elder sibling or parents. Whatever the reason is, if someone had an admin account on your system, then deleting the account is the best option so that it won't pose a security risk. So, in order to avoid the security threats, you should create a backup of the account data and remove the admin account without losing data. The steps are given below:

1. Launch the System Preferences application on your Mac and access the Users & Groups option.

   

2. Tap on the Lock button at the bottom of the preferences to unlock the settings.

   

3. To access the settings, you will have to enter the password. Type the password and press the Unlock button to access the settings.

   

4. When you have logged in to the Admin account, select the account and click on the minus sign right below the Login options.

   

5. Tap on the Lock button at the bottom of the preferences to unlock the settings.

   

6. To access the settings, you will have to enter the password. Type the password and press the Unlock button to access the settings.

   

Now, there won't be a user account on your Mac and you can use it freely without any risk of data theft.

2. Remove Guest Account on Mac

Sometimes, our friends and family members also create a guest user account to use our Mac. But when they haven't used the account for a very long time, you can delete the guest user from Mac easily. After all, the guest user is only for temporary users. Just follow the steps below:

1. Open the System Preferences and access the Users & Groups settings.
2. Now unlock the settings by clicking on the Lock button at the bottom of the interface on the left side.
3. You will be asked to enter the admin password to unlock the settings in order to make changes to the account.
4. When you have logged in to the Admin account, select the account and click on the minus sign right below the Login options.

   

In case, you are trying to delete additional guest user accounts, you will have to follow the same steps mentioned above in the Admin section from Step 4. The guest user account simply gives everyone else a common log in point to the users. The particular user accounts are specified for a single person. And the account can be deleted by the admin in the same way as other accounts.

Part 3. What If the Deleted User Account Reappears?

If the deleted user account reappears on Mac, then you can use the Directory Utility to remove the account. But while you are doing this, make sure that you are not deleting the only Admin account from Mac or the account in which you are logged in. Otherwise, you won't be able to delete the user account from Mac at all. In such cases, you will have to create another admin account or log out of the user account. Then try deleting the account with the help of Directory Utility by following the steps below:

1. Log in with the user account which you intend to keep and press the Command + Space key to launch Spotlight. Type the Directory Utility and press the Return key to select the option.
2. If there is a lock sign in the lower-left corner, then you will have to click on it and enter the admin password.
3. Now, switch to the Directory Editor tab in the window and choose the user from the Viewing pop-up menu.
4. A list will appear on the left side of the window where you will find the user account which you want to delete. Make sure that you select the right name and click on the minus sign in the lower-left corner of the window.

   

5. Now click on the Delete button and the user account will be deleted.

Once you've deleted the account, you will also have to remove its folder from the system.

Part 4. How to Recover Data after Deleting Account?

In unfortunate situations, the users end up deleting some files they need. But that doesn't mean they have to lose the files permanently. There is always a way to recover the lost or deleted files from Mac. The only thing you need is Recoverit.

Usually, when you delete the user account from MacBook, the data and files also get deleted. You can find the files in Trash Bin but if the trash bin is also empty, Recoverit will come to your rescue. The best tool that you can use for Mac data recovery is Recoverit Mac Data Recovery software.

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Begin with the download and installation of the software on the Mac and finish the setup. Then follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Select the disk

Launch the software and specify the location Mac where the files were stored. If you don't know the exact location, then choose the "I can't find my partition" option and hit the Start button to initiate the process.

Step 2: Scan the Location

The software will run an All-Around Scan of the system and look for the lost and deleted files. Once the scan is complete, the software will display the results in a particular manner sorted out according to their format.

Step 3: Preview and Recover

Check the files that you want to recover and have a preview. You can select as many files as you want and click on the Recover option at the bottom of the screen.

While you are trying to recover the files, make sure that you specify a location to download the files differently than their previous location.

Part 5. Tips for Deleting User on Mac

If you are trying to delete a user account on Mac, then it will be better if you know some tips and tricks. Typically, the Mac users keep a single account on their system. But it can be helpful to have some additional accounts for friends, family, and co-workers. But to delete the accounts, you can keep the following tips in mind:

• Make sure that you know the admin account password in order to access or unlock the settings. The administrator access is required to delete an account from Mac.
• Keep a full backup of the data of the user account to make sure that the users don't lose the important files permanently.
• The guest user account can only be disabled and can't be deleted permanently.
• Remember that you can't delete the user account in which you are logged in. So, you'll have to log out of the user account first.
• If you want to keep the data safe, then you can create a disk image of the folder. You can find the image in the Deleted Users folder under the Users folder subsection.

Now, you know how to delete the admin account on MacBook Pro. You can always create another user whenever you want. And if any circumstances you lose the data files, it can always be restored with the help of Recoverit. It is the perfect Mac data recovery tool. So, if your friends or closed ones face the same problem, you know what to do to help them retrieve important data.