Is it safe to change the name of a Mac user account?
I am following the guidance from this Apple webpage: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201548
The instructions are straight forward but the warning about damaging the account has me worried.
the link you've shown is the page i would have pointed you to if you didn't already have it. if you follow those instructions TO THE LETTER, then you won't have any issues. make sure to read the instructions many times to become familiar with them. and then have that page open while applying the changes. if possible, open that page on another mac. better yet, print them out. the warning you are seeing IS serious because if you miss even one step, to can bork things up to the point that you lose everything on the mac. and always make a backup before making any major changes to your machine. and finally, you need to ask yourself, "how important is changing the name for me?"
the link you've shown is the page i would have pointed you to if you didn't already have it. if you follow those instructions TO THE LETTER, then you won't have any issues. make sure to read the instructions many times to become familiar with them. and then have that page open while applying the changes. if possible, open that page on another mac. better yet, print them out. the warning you are seeing IS serious because if you miss even one step, to can bork things up to the point that you lose everything on the mac. and always make a backup before making any major changes to your machine. and finally, you need to ask yourself, "how important is changing the name for me?"
you're welcome. i'm happy to help. :)
rkaufman
Your reply is very confusing,
Please re-read the Apple advice letter you quoted
I have read the Apple web page many times, its straightforward and I understand the procedure.
from your screen shot that you are doing things incorrectly
I am not doing anything incorrectly, the image is from the Apple webpage
I have not undertaken the procedure to change the username, I wanted advice from experienced users before attempting a procedure that has a red waring.
Please tell me what you think is wrong with Apples advice.
Thank you jefrey, you have confirmed my thoughts.
Changing the name is very important as the current name is a jumbled up series of numbers.
The alternative is to create a new account for this user which will take many hours to move items over from the mis-spelled account to a new account.
Please re-read the Apple advice letter you quoted. It appears from your screen shot that you are doing things incorrectly. Failing that, please call AppleCare and they will be able to assist.
change name of a Mac user account
