By default, the first user that sets up a Mac will become an administrator. If you share your Mac with others and want to give them admin access then you can do this quickly and easily.
Once you promote a standard user to an administrator account, they’ll be able to add and manage other users, install apps and change settings. Admins can also demote any other existing administrators if they no longer need their privileges.
Follow the steps below to learn how to promote a standard user account to an administrator account on Mac.
What you’ll need:
- Mac
- Access to the administrator account
The short version:
- Open the System Settings app on your Mac
- Select Users & Groups from the left sidebar menu
- Click the info icon next to the user’s name
- Toggle on Allow this user to administer this computer
- Enter the admin’s password
- Select OK
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Step
1Open System Settings on your Mac
We’ll be demonstrating on a Mac that’s running on the MacOS Sonoma 14. If you are running on macOS Monterey 12 or below then scroll down to our Troubleshooting section and follow the steps listed there.
To open System Settings, either look for the above app icon in the bottom panel or in the Launchpad, or select the Apple menu in the top-left of the screen and then choose System Settings.Step
2Select Users & Groups from the left sidebar menu
You may need to scroll down to find this option. Otherwise you can search for Users & Groups in the search panel at the top of the sidebar.
Step
3Click the info icon next to the user’s name
The info icon is a lowercase i in the middle of a circle. Clicking this will open a pop-up window with more options about the select user’s account.
Step
4Toggle on Allow this user to administer this computer
Once you turn this toggle on, you’ll be prompted to enter the admin account’s password.
Step
5Enter the admin’s password
Enter the password for your Mac here and then select Unlock. You may be told that you need to restart your computer at this point.
Step
6Select OK
Once you’re happy with the new admin, click OK. If you weren’t prompted to restart your Mac earlier then make sure you do soon after you click OK.
Troubleshooting:
Although fairly similar, the steps slightly differ if you’re using an older version of macOS.
Enter your Mac’s System Preferences, select Users & Groups then click on the padlock at the bottom left to unlock the preference pane. From here, choose the user you’d like to add as an administrator and select Allow user to administer this computer.
Follow the steps above but turn off Allow this user to administer this computer. You may need to restart your computer to let the changes take effect.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
