When I start up this MacBook Pro OS 12.5.1 (15 inch, 2018) I see three systems

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Level 1

15 points

When I start up this MacBook Pro OS 12.5.1 (15 inch, 2018) I see three systems

I don't know how this happened or how to return to just one. They have different versions of my name, and each has the same "logo" (a photo of a quilt) when I log in. The extra two use up so much space on my hard drive that even my WD easystore external hard drive won't boot up so I can back up my hard drive. Also, I can't upgrade to 12.6.1. The message is that it might affect "the other users." Any ideas on how this happened and how I can return to just one? Karen

Posted on Nov 6, 2022 12:50 PM

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Answer 1

John Galt

Level 10

155,960 points

Nov 6, 2022 6:21 PM in response to Ramimur

Do you always choose the same icon when logging in to your Mac, and does everything work as expected when you do that?

The reason for asking is that you probably want to remove the User Accounts you do not need, and you want to be certain you don't need them.

Then, read the following: Delete a user or group on Mac - Apple Support.

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Answer 2

Ramimur Author

Level 1

15 points

Nov 7, 2022 10:51 AM in response to John Galt

Thanks for your response. I wish I could say I always used the same icon, but I tried all of them separately, trying to figure out what was going on & if I could fix it on my own. I should know better than that by now. My MacBook Pro wouldn't recognize its regular backup external drive. Fortunately, I found an older one that I left attached, which eventually appeared on the screen. I didn't want to execute your recommendation until I had a full backup. It's backing up now, "about 2 hours remaining." It's been a long time since I used it. I'll review each of the three options and decide what to do. I am looking for one old "datafile" that's hidden. Maybe I can find it on one of the three. It's a third-party billing software for my psychotherapy practice that doesn't play nice with updates on my two active Macs. I'll let you know how it goes.

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Answer 3

Ramimur Author

Level 1

15 points

Nov 7, 2022 4:33 PM in response to John Galt

All three of Mac's personalities now reside only on my older external hard drive. The link to "delete a user..." didn't describe exactly what came up in the instructions on my laptop. Fortunately, I'm a psychiatrist and made a clinical decision to delete the two on either side of the middle one. I figure I'm no worse off with the one on my MacBook Pro that has the same name as the one on my MacBook Air M1 (2020) than all three struggling for space. So far, so good. Thanks!

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