Unwanted account

[Curiosity]

I was advised to create an extra account on my Mac to test something. Now I want to get rid of it but the System Prefs will not let me do that. The minus sign under the account names is disabled. Is there any way to get rid of an account once it is created?

Ok, I just found out how to do that by experimentation, but what a hassle it is! I had to open all the accounts and open System Preferences > Accounts in all of them, and unlock the lock in all of them. Log out of the one to be discarded and all but one of the others. Move the selection and click the minus sign. Confirm that the account is to be deleted.

[barhar]

The simple (easy, logical, proper) solution (to remove an individual 'Account').

01. If in use, log out of the account to be deleted.
02. Via the 'System Preferences' Accounts' utility - click the 'Pad lock' icon button. The 'Authenticate' window will apear.
03. Enter the name and password of an 'Administrator' account, and click the 'OK' button.
04. Click on the (name of the) account to delete.
05. Click on the '-' icon button.
06. Click on the 'Are you sure you want to delete the user ""?' drop down sheets' 'Delete Immediately' (a MacOS X 10.4.x, 'Tiger' feature) button.

Repeat Steps 01. through 06. for any additional unwanted Account(s).

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'System Preferences' is in the '/Applications/' folder; and, also accessible via the 'Apple, System Preferences...' menu item.

[Curiosity]

Originally Posted by barhar

The simple (easy, logical, proper) solution (to remove an individual 'Account').

01. If in use, log out of the account to be deleted.
02. Via the 'System Preferences' Accounts' utility - click the 'Pad lock' icon button. The 'Authenticate' window will apear.
03. Enter the name and password of an 'Administrator' account, and click the 'OK' button.
04. Click on the (name of the) account to delete.
05. Click on the '-' icon button.
06. Click on the 'Are you sure you want to delete the user ""?' drop down sheets' 'Delete Immediately' (a MacOS X 10.4.x, 'Tiger' feature) button.

Repeat Steps 01. through 06. for any additional unwanted Account(s).

I had to do it the way I described, because I was unable to select the extra account by clicking on it, and the minus sign was disabled, unless I had had the System Prefs open and the padlock unlocked at least in that account as well as in the account from which I was going to delete it. Then I logged out of the unwanted one. I was then able to select and delete that account.

[ElDiabloConCaca]

The padlock icon in the user account you deleted has nothing to do with being able to delete that specific account.

You can try this again: create a new trash account, log into that trash account, go into the System Preferences, and make the padlock icon "locked." Then, log out, log into an administrator account, go into the System Preferences, make the padlock icon unlocked, and you will be able to delete the trash account (even though you "locked" that padlock icon in the trash account!).

The short and skinny of it is that the padlock's locked or unlocked status is irrelevant (and, basically, forgotten) once you log out of the account. The padlock icon only affects the account that is currently logged in. The padlock icon is not there to make sure that settings "stick" or somehow prevent other accounts from modifying settings. The padlock icon is there to ensure that changes don't get made to a current session's settings without administrator access (hence, it asking for an admin password when "unlocking" the padlock.).

[Curiosity]

OK, I see. Thanks very much for the info. It has been added to my tips file.