One of macOS ’s most good features — and its biggest variety from pre - OS hug drug versions of macOS — is appropriate multiple users to have singular accounts on the same computer . Sometimes , however , you might decide only after creating and using an history for a while that you might want it split into two or more macOS logins .
Perhaps you have an report in which you mixed personal and business purposes and settle that demand to be separated out . Or you had a single account for your family , and in the sake of privateness and home comity , you wanted to split those out .
Apple does n’t have a “ disconnected account ” choice , as it ’s perhaps a rare matter its user would want . But it ’s not that difficult in the destruction . In my examples below , I consider turning one account into two , but you could also split one into three or more with the same principles .
depart with these considerateness :
Small amount to copy or cloud-based access
If you have a comparatively small amount of cloth to move or it ’s almost all in the cloud , here ’s how I intimate proceeding .
Start with a new drug user account :
Now from your existing account :
you could now lumber in to the new bill and move those items into that bill ’s home directory in appropriate location .
For any cloud - found accounts , sign in with the appropriate software , via the Apple ID or iCloud preference pane , or the net Accounts preference pane .
A lot to copy or to split up
If you have quite a lot to copy , I suggest a more complicated access that works out easier in the conclusion : parallel the account exclusively .
Now you may :
Once arrant , choose > exit [ accounting name]and logarithm in to your Modern news report . Perform the same operations in reverse for it , slay textile and accounts unique to your existing story and bestow ace needed for the new story .
This Mac 911 article is in reaction to a doubt pass on by Macworld lector Arielle .
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