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Can’t delete a User Account in Catalina

I’m trying to clean up a 2013 iMac. When I go to “Users and Groups” to delete, unlock, select the other account, press the - , and nothing happens and Preferences hangs after a minute or two. Activity (Task) Monitor confirms the App is not responding.

Should I just drag that User to Trash in Finder?

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Jul 14, 2021 3:21 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jul 14, 2021 5:58 PM

Hello, McCarthy Forester.


Reboot into Safe mode (hold the shift key down at startup) and see if you can delete the account while logged in that way. It takes longer to safe boot so be patient.


How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support 


Safe mode forces the OS to clear certain caches and logs and do other miscellaneous housekeeping. It's non-destructive to user data so is safe to do.  Very often certain weird software behavior is corrected by simply logging in this way as a troubleshooting method. When you're in safe boot, the machine will not be at its best performance, especially with graphics, but that's normal.


Does the problem persist while in Safe mode? 

Exit safe mode by restarting your Mac normally and re-evaluate the issue again after a normal reboot.

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1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 14, 2021 5:58 PM in response to McCarthy Forester

Hello, McCarthy Forester.


Reboot into Safe mode (hold the shift key down at startup) and see if you can delete the account while logged in that way. It takes longer to safe boot so be patient.


How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support 


Safe mode forces the OS to clear certain caches and logs and do other miscellaneous housekeeping. It's non-destructive to user data so is safe to do.  Very often certain weird software behavior is corrected by simply logging in this way as a troubleshooting method. When you're in safe boot, the machine will not be at its best performance, especially with graphics, but that's normal.


Does the problem persist while in Safe mode? 

Exit safe mode by restarting your Mac normally and re-evaluate the issue again after a normal reboot.

Can’t delete a User Account in Catalina

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