Administrators can add a Mac user in Users & Groups or delete one after choosing what happens to that person’s home folder. Pick the account type and retention option deliberately: deleting a home folder removes its local files.
Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then select Users & Groups in the sidebar. You may need to scroll, and macOS can ask for an administrator password before allowing account changes.
Click Add User below the account list. In the New User menu, choose Standard for an everyday account, Administrator only for someone who must manage other users, or Sharing Only for remote file access.
3
Enter the account details
Enter the full name, review the generated account name before continuing, then create and verify a password. Apple says the account name cannot be changed after the account is created.
4
Finish and test the new account
Click Create User, sign out of the administrator account, and sign in once as the new user. Confirm that the expected home folder and permissions are present before using the account for work.
5
Open the account to remove
Return to Users & Groups, click the Info button beside the account, then choose Delete User. You cannot select an account that is currently logged in, so sign that person out first.
Choose Save the home folder in a disk image to archive it, Don’t change the home folder to keep it in /Users, or Delete the home folder only when its local files are no longer needed.
7
Verify access is removed
Confirm the deleted user is absent from the login window and, when you kept an archive, confirm the chosen retained folder or disk image exists. Do not assume iCloud content was removed from every device.
Video walkthrough
If it does not work
If the Add User or Delete User button is unavailable, sign in to an administrator account and make sure the target user is not logged in.
If local files matter, choose an archive or retained home folder before confirming deletion; changing the account record is not a substitute for a backup.
ⓘ Sources and verification
Checked against official documentation on . Scope: macOS.
Follow the linked first-party guidance if labels differ after a platform or app update.
