How to switch between users on Mac? 4 Quick ways explained!

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Making a separate user account that functions separately from your personal account can be useful if you want to share your Mac with another person. On the down side, though, occasionally having to switch between multiple user identities can take a lot of time. Thankfully, I’ve written a tutorial outlining how to rapidly switch between users on a Mac.

Once you’ve added more users to your Mac, there are four easy ways to go between them. As we examine each one, follow along.

  1. Switch between users using Touch ID
  2. Switch between users from Menu Bar
  3. Switch between users from Lock Screen
  4. Switch between users using Terminal

1. Switch between users using Touch ID

Using Touch ID is one of the easiest ways to switch between users on a Mac. If all user accounts have Touch ID enabled, your Mac will recognize who is using it by their fingerprint and automatically transition between accounts. To set this up on your Mac, follow these steps:

  1. Click the Apple logo on the menu bar Select System Settings.

    go-to-apple-logo-system-settings

  2. Select the Touch ID & Password option from the sidebar on the left.
  3. If you haven t already set up Touch ID, click Add Fingerprint to set it up.
    Do the same for all user accounts before moving to the next step.

    add-fingerprint-for-touch-id

  4. Toggle on Use Touch ID for fast user Switching for all user accounts.

    toggle-on-use-touch-id-for-fast-user-switching

  5. Tap and press Touch ID whenever you want to switch users instantly.
    Your Mac will automatically identify the user and switch accounts.

    tap-and-press-touch-id

Adding the Fast User Switching option to the Menu Bar is another easy way to switch between users on a Mac. Users can add a button or their name to the Menu Bar with this functionality, allowing them to quickly transition between users. Here’s how to make this available on your Mac:

  1. Click the Apple logo on the menu bar Select System Settings.

    go-to-apple-logo-system-settings

  2. Select Control Centre from the sidebar Locate Fast User Switching.
  3. Click the list next to Show in Menu Bar under Fast User Switching.
  4. Choose to show the Icon, Account Name or Full Name in the Menu Bar.
    You can also get Fast User Switching to show up in the Control Centre.

    enable-fast-user-switching-in-menu-bar
  5. Click the Icon or Name in the Menu bar when you want to switch users.
  6. Select the profile of the user you want to switch to.

    click-the-icon-on-name-to-switch-users

3. Switch between users from Lock Screen

Moreover, macOS provides an option to change users from the Lock screen whenever your Mac is manually locked or awakened. You may quickly follow these steps to swap users from the Lock screen:

  1. Click the Apple logo located on the Menu Bar Select Lock Screen.
    You can also use the Option + Command + Q keyboard shortcut.

    click-apple-logo-select-lock-screen

  2. Hover over the profile picture at the bottom to reveal all users.

    hover-over-profile-picture-and-select-user

  3. Select a user Enter the password or use Touch ID to log in.

    enter-password-and-log-in

4. Switch between users using Terminal

Are you trying to find a short way to execute administrator commands on your Mac without having to exit out of a regular user account? If so, you can switch to an admin account with heightened superuser capabilities by running a short Terminal command. This is how it operates:

  1. Open Terminal on your Mac using the Launchpad or Spotlight search.
  2. Type su <Username> in the Terminal window and hit Return/Enter.
    Replace <Username> in the command with the name of the admin.
  3. Type the password for the user and hit Return/Enter to log in.

    type-the-command-and-hit-enter

Q&As

Can I switch between users without using a password or Touch ID?

No, current versions of macOS prevent user switching without a password or Touch ID for security-related reasons.

Can I create a temporary guest account on my Mac?

Sure. You can choose to set up a temporary guest account on your Mac instead of creating a new user account. You must navigate to System SettingsUsers & Groups in order to accomplish this.Select “Guest User.”Then, in the window that appears, toggle on Allow guest to log in to this computer.

What s the difference between a standard and an administrator user?

An administrator user has complete authority over the Mac, but an ordinary user has restricted access and cannot make modifications to the system as a whole. Administrators have root-level access, can manage other users, and install software from any source.

Final Thoughts

The four simple ways I’ve listed above should be sufficient for anyone, regardless of experience level with macOS, who wants to switch between several user accounts on their Mac with ease. Please let us know which way to switch users on Mac you find most helpful in the comments section below if this tutorial was helpful to you.

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