How to Become an Administrator on a Mac

Last Updated: January 24, 2018 Tested

This article is for Mac users who want to be an administrator, or more commonly, "Admin" on their computer, but don't know how. Read on to find out!

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This should be on your dock.
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2
Go to "Users and Groups", which is under "System".
- Once there, you should see a bar with all of the users. Yours (the current user) should be on top.
- Click on the lock at the bottom of the screen.
  
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- Type in a current Administrator's username and password in the spaces provided. If you don't have access to this information, you probably shouldn't be Admin on that computer.
  
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3
Click on the "Allow user to administer this computer" button.
- A pop-up should come up, saying that, for these changes to take effect, you must restart your computer. Do so, and your user should be an Admin and have Admin powers!
  
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Question

If my first admin put passwords and everything on my laptop but I want to make myself an admin, will it remove any previous data like iCloud and app store data?

Community Answer

It could. If you do it on a different computer then it will. If you are just doing it on your computer with all of your stuff then you're good to go.

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Question

My grandparents passed away and as a gift, I received my grandpa's Mac. I don't have any admin information though. What can I do?

Community Answer

Check out the helpful tips in this article about how to reset the admin info and password on wikiHow.

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Things You'll Need

A current Admin's username and password.
A Mac computer, whether it be a MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or iMac.

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