You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

User profile for user: Alan Blair
Alan Blair Author
User level: Level 1
14 points

Users & Groups within my MacBook

MacBook (white plastic case) Mid 2010 Mac OS High Sierra 10.13.6. I know it's older than Moses but I would imagine that this Users & Groups are the same as my 2019 iMac 27", Big Sur Mac OS X Monterey 12.6.1.

So: from the MacBook, and when in System Preferences>>Users & Groups, I am unable to, when clicking on the lock icon, unlock things. My MacBook is telling me that the username is incorrect (I did not change it), and the descriptor somehow was changed from Administrator to Standard - not done by me. No one else touches the MacBook. So I somehow did this. Besides a complete restore, is there anything else?

MacBook, macOS 10.13

Posted on Nov 6, 2022 5:06 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: BDAqua
BDAqua
User level: Level 10
245,189 points

Posted on Nov 6, 2022 5:20 AM

I've seen this a few times...


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 still be there. Your old accounts are all safe. From there you just change all other account passwords in the account preferences!!

View in context

Similar questions

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: BDAqua
BDAqua
User level: Level 10
245,189 points

Nov 6, 2022 5:20 AM in response to Alan Blair

I've seen this a few times...


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 still be there. Your old accounts are all safe. From there you just change all other account passwords in the account preferences!!

Reply
User profile for user: Alan Blair
Alan Blair Author
User level: Level 1
14 points

Nov 6, 2022 7:18 AM in response to BDAqua

BDAqua:


Your answer got me thinking. Since I dabbled in Linux for a few years, I read your directions. Then I started thinking. All I wanted was to essentially re-do the Startup routine to make things like they were if you were the first person to fire up the Mac and I came up with this:  rm "/Volumes/Macintosh HD/var/db/.AppleSetupDone" That did it! So were it not for your suggestion, I would still be pulling my hair out (what there is left of it). Thanks for the suggestion. It helped a lot. AB

Reply

Users & Groups within my MacBook

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.
Learn more Sign up