Avoid Problems with User Accounts

One of my siblings (who will remain unnamed) used to come home every Christmas and “borrow” my mom’s computer. Without fail, he left behind a jumble of changed preferences, randomly installed apps, and disconnected cords that took hours to fix before my mom could use her computer again. Today, this source of family strife could have been easily avoided. The answer? User accounts ①.

Know Your Accounts

User accounts allow multiple people to have a custom experience on the same Mac—without altering each other’s settings or mixing up files. Sierra lets you choose from several user account types.

Separate accounts can keep people out of your stuff, make troubleshooting easier, and (through the use of Parental Controls) help kids and novices navigate the computer.

Welcome Visitors to the Guest Account

When you first install and boot your Mac into Sierra, the operating system automatically configures a guest account. Guests don’t need a password to log in, but the account has strict limits on what it allows.

For example, guests cannot change user settings or computer settings. They also can’t log in remotely, even when remote login is turned on in the Sharing System Preferences pane. Sierra stores guest files in a temporary folder and then deletes those files when the person logs out.

Because of this, the guest account is the place to steer visiting friends and relatives. It makes it easy for them to check their webmail or finish a quick paper in Google Docs—and leave no trace behind.

If you don’t see a guest account on your login screen, open System Preferences and go to the Users & Groups pane ②. Click the lock icon and enter your administrator’s name and password.

Click Guest User in the accounts list. Select the Allow Guests to Log In to This Computer box and, if you choose, the Enable Parental Controls box ③. (We’ll talk about that next.)

Create Managed Accounts for Kids and Novices

A managed account can make using the computer easier. It can also keep users out of trouble by limiting what changes they can make to the system or which parts of the Web they visit:

1. Open System Preferences > Parental Controls, and click the lock icon at the lower left. Enter your administrator’s name and password, and click Unlock.
2. Click the plus button. Type in the user’s name as well as a name for the account. (The latter becomes the name of the person’s user folder.)
3. Choose the user’s age in the Age pop-up menu. This sets age restrictions, including those for the iTunes, iBooks, and App Stores ④. (You can tailor these later.)

   

   What’s limited is determined by age—your choices are 4+, 9+, 12+, and 17+. For example, if you pick the 12+ setting, Sierra allows music with explicit content, but sets the maximum movie rating to PG-13, TV shows to TV-PG, apps to 12+, and restricts books with explicit sexual content. It also allows access for this age group to the iTunes Store and iBooks Store, and to iTunes U.

4. Enter a password in the Password field. (Click the key icon next to the field for suggestions.) Retype the password in the Verify field, and type a clue in the Password Hint field for the inevitable moment when the user forgets the password.
5. Click Create User.
6. Enter your administrator password when prompted and click Modify Configuration.

The new account appears in the accounts list.

Customizing the Managed Account

Set up a managed account in the Parental Controls preference pane. In the pane, click the lock icon at the lower left, enter your administrator’s name and password, and click Unlock. Select the account to customize at the left. As of Sierra, options include: Apps, Web, Stores, Time, Privacy, and Other.

Most tools in the Parental Controls pane are self-explanatory. But here are a few you don’t want to overlook:

• The Finder, simplified: Click the Other button to see the Use Simple Finder checkbox ⑤. This mode substantially reduces what the user can do in the Finder. Access to Spotlight disappears, and basic Finder actions are disabled.

  

  The Dock changes. It contains only Finder, the Trash, and three folders—My Applications, Documents, and Shared ⑥. Simple Finder is so limited that it’s probably only a good choice for young children.

• Application limits: To winnow down the apps that a user can explore, click the Apps button and then select Limit Applications on this Mac. Specify the apps you want available in the Allowed Apps list.

  For instance, you might limit your 4th grader to Safari, Minecraft (have a heart), TextEdit, Calendar, Chess, Dictionary, iBooks, Preview, Reminders, and FaceTime (to talk with Grandma). To use something that’s not on the list, your child will need to ask for an administrator’s help.

• Screen-time tools: The Time section is a gem if you want a no-hassle way to limit screen time ⑦. Here you can set total time limits for the weekdays and weekends. You can also enforce bedtime by preventing access to the Mac between certain hours.

Create a Troubleshooting Account

When your Mac misbehaves, it can be hard to tell whether the problem is specific to your user account or it affects the computer as a whole. Having a clean extra account that you use only when troubleshooting is a great way to isolate problems. You should create this account now, so that it’s ready and waiting if you ever need it.

Leave this account set to Sierra’s defaults. The goal here is to see whether a problem is related to a specific user’s settings or files (learn more at this Apple page).

Adding the Account

1. Go to System Preferences > Users & Groups. Click the lock icon and enter your administrator’s password.

   Click the plus button. In the dialog that opens, choose Administrator in the New Account pop-up menu. Type in a full name for the account, as well as an account name—say, Troubleshooting Account and trouble, respectively.

2. Type a password in the Password field and then repeat it in the Verify field.
3. In the Password Hint field, type in something that will help you remember the password that day you actually need to use this account.
4. Finally, click Create User.

The new account appears in the accounts list at the left ⑧. When you’re done, quit System Preferences.

Logging in with Your Troubleshooting Account

Log in with this account if:

• You keep encountering a problem after you log in to your user account.
• You aren’t sure whether a problem is limited to your user account or if it affects your whole Mac.

Once you’ve logged in to the troubleshooting account, see whether you can reproduce the problem or not:

• If the problem disappears in your troubleshooting account, then the issue is likely a bad preference file or login item in your main user account, so you can focus your troubleshooting there.
• If the problem appears even in the troubleshooting account, move on with your troubleshooting, since you now know for sure that the problem is not limited to just your account—it’s a system-wide software or hardware problem.