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No access to admin name

I accidentally changed the name of my admin account without changing the name of the home directory. Now I can't sign into any administrator account or make any changes. HELP!!!

MacBook Air

Posted on Sep 14, 2020 5:13 AM

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Posted on Sep 14, 2020 6:00 AM

Once we get it you back in to straightened it out...


https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201548


See if you can create a new administrator account by restarting the Setup Assistant:

  1. Boot into Single User Mode: Start/restart your Mac. As soon as you hear the startup tone, press and hold ⌘ + S until you see a black screen with white lettering. (If you end up back on the login screen after a flash of the black screen with white lettering, enter your password and it will return to the black screen.)
  2. Check and repair the drive by typing /sbin/fsck -fy then ↩ enter - as directed by the on-screen text.
  3. Mount the drive as read-write by typing /sbin/mount -uw / then ↩ enter.
  4. Remove the Apple Setup Done file by typing rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone then ↩ enter.
  5. Reboot by typing reboot then ↩ enter.
  6. Complete the setup process, creating a new admin account.


Be very careful to notice the spaces in those Terminal Commands.


Once you've done that the computer reboots and it's like the first time you used the machine, except all your data will stile there. Your old accounts are all safe. From there you just change all other account passwords in the account preferences!!

4 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Sep 14, 2020 6:00 AM in response to Levi_Rosenbaum

Once we get it you back in to straightened it out...


https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201548


See if you can create a new administrator account by restarting the Setup Assistant:

  1. Boot into Single User Mode: Start/restart your Mac. As soon as you hear the startup tone, press and hold ⌘ + S until you see a black screen with white lettering. (If you end up back on the login screen after a flash of the black screen with white lettering, enter your password and it will return to the black screen.)
  2. Check and repair the drive by typing /sbin/fsck -fy then ↩ enter - as directed by the on-screen text.
  3. Mount the drive as read-write by typing /sbin/mount -uw / then ↩ enter.
  4. Remove the Apple Setup Done file by typing rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone then ↩ enter.
  5. Reboot by typing reboot then ↩ enter.
  6. Complete the setup process, creating a new admin account.


Be very careful to notice the spaces in those Terminal Commands.


Once you've done that the computer reboots and it's like the first time you used the machine, except all your data will stile there. Your old accounts are all safe. From there you just change all other account passwords in the account preferences!!

Sep 15, 2020 5:55 PM in response to BDAqua

Yes!

Thank you very much.


After I filled in my details, it asked me for an iCloud passcode, which I don't remember creating. I tried approving on another device, but nothing happened for an entire day.

Eventually I just held down the power button and restarted the computer - it did the trick!

All the data, apps and docs were there and the admin account works.


Thanks!

No access to admin name

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