Switching Between UserIDs without Password?

I can understand requiring users to initially login with their password. But once they are logged in, why do they need to type the password every time they do fast user switching? The two accounts are both in active use, you are just jumping between them. The way I see it, that would be no less secure than using the automatic login option for a single user (which in most cases would be the sole user and an admin).

Basically, we should have the option to avoid logging in repeatedly (settable on the system-wide and per-user basis). We have basic control over our hardware access - OS X should acknowledge that.

Yes, you can remove the password for the non-admin account. To do this, log off the account you wish to change. Log on as the admin. Go to System Preferences > Accounts. Click the lock icon and supply the admin password. Highlight the Standard account on the left. Click on Reset Password.. In the screen that ask for New password, leave everything blank. Click the Reset Password button. The system will now warn you that you are setting a user to no password. Click OK. All done, you can now logon or fast user switch without a password.

Deciding if this is a good idea is up to you.

No. What you are asking for is the same thing that makes Windows such as security hazard. This underlying feature is what prevents so much of the malware from causing the same grief for us that Windows user have to put up with.


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Allan

As long as you have a third account with a password, you can make that the admin account. Then remove admin rights from both your and your wife's accounts, and remove the passwords from them. Then you can fast user switch without entering passwords. Just don't make an admin account with no password - that's a big security hole.

Keeps user one from getting into user two's account and vice versa. What part of security and privacy is missing from that? If there's no distinction, why not just run the machine with one user account?

This is notpossible, password protects the admin account and others.

No setting to disable this feature.

Hope this helps

Message was edited by: leroydouglas

It sounds like you should be fine without passwords on your accounts, then. Then you can fast user switch without entering passwords. Just keep one on the admin account.

Log in to her account, open System Preferences -> Accounts, select her account, click the Password tab, then click Change Password. You can change it to a blank one from there.