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How do I delete a User that does not appear in Users & Groups?

A leftover user (former employee account) that won't go away. Phantom User account becomes the default login account regardless of the new employee's login attempts. The phantom account Home folder appears in the Users folder at the root level, but not in the Users & Groups panel in System Preferences. I have logged in as tech admin and deleted the phantom User folder (while it is not the Home folder), but it comes right back again as soon as the new employee logs in as himself. ***???


I'd just updated this iMac to Yosemite, but this issue predates any specific OS update. Has persisted from 10.5 - 10.10. but is becoming an issue with permissions.


Any thoughts other than having to reinstall the OS from scratch? I was about to, but thought I'd see if anyone else has ever heard of this.....

Posted on Mar 30, 2015 10:01 AM

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4 replies

Mar 30, 2015 10:07 AM in response to dburnett

Back up all data.

Triple-click anywhere in the line of text below on this page to select it:

/System/Library/CoreServices/Directory Utility.app

Right-click or control-click the selected text and select

Services Open

from the contextual menu.* The Directory Utility application will launch.

In the application window, click the lock icon and authenticate. Select the Directory Editor tool in the toolbar. Select Users from the Viewing menu in the toolbar, if not already selected. Locate the user you want to delete in the list and click the minus-sign icon at the bottom. Select Groups from the Viewing menu, and look for a group in the list with the same name as the user you just deleted. If found, delete. Quit Directory Utility.

Be very careful when editing the directory. Many hidden users and groups are present by default, and are needed for the normal operation of OS X. Never delete or modify a directory entry unless you’re sure you know what you’re doing. If in doubt, leave it alone.

*If you don't see the contextual menu item, copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. In the Finder, select

Go Go to Folder...

from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens (command-V). You won't see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.

How do I delete a User that does not appear in Users & Groups?

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