Delete a user account through System Settings
To remove a user from your Mac, open System Settings and navigate to the General section, then select Users & Groups. Click the lock icon in the bottom left corner and enter your admin password — you need administrator access to delete accounts. Select the user you want to remove from the list on the left, then click the minus button below the list. A confirmation dialog will appear asking what you want to do with that user's home folder.
You have three options: save the folder to a disk image (a compressed file), delete the folder when ready, or keep the folder on your Mac. Most people choose to save the folder if the account contains files they might need later. If you delete the folder, all documents, photos, and settings associated with that user are permanently removed from your Mac.
After you confirm your choice, the account is removed and the user can no longer log in. If that user is currently logged in, you will be asked to log out first before the deletion completes.
Key Takeaways
- You must have an administrator account to delete any user account on your Mac.
- Deleting a user account removes their login access, but you can choose to keep or delete their home folder separately.
- If you save the home folder as a disk image, you preserve all files and can access them later without the account existing.
- A user who is currently logged in must log out before their account can be deleted.
What happens to files when you delete a user
When you delete a user account, the files in that user's home folder are not automatically deleted unless you specifically choose to remove them. The home folder contains the user's Desktop, Documents, Downloads, and all process settings tied to that account. If you save the folder as a disk image, it becomes a single file you can store anywhere on your Mac or an external drive.
If you choose to keep the folder on your Mac without converting it to a disk image, it remains in the Users folder but becomes inaccessible through normal login. You can still access these files if you have administrator access by navigating to the Users folder in Finder, but the account itself no longer exists. This option is useful if you want to preserve the files but do not need the account anymore.
Deleting a managed family account
If the account you are removing is a child's account set up through Family Sharing, the process is slightly different. Open System Settings, go to General, then Users & Groups. Select the family account and click the minus button. You will see an option to remove the account from Family Sharing. The account is deleted from your Mac, but the child's Apple ID account itself still exists — they can use it on other devices.
Family accounts often have Screen Time and app restrictions set up. Deleting the account removes all of those restrictions from your Mac, but the child's Apple ID account and any data stored in iCloud remain unchanged. If you want to preserve the files from a family account before deletion, choose the option to save the home folder as a disk image.
Removing a guest account
Guest accounts are temporary logins that do not require a password and leave no permanent files behind. To remove a guest account, open System Settings, go to General, then Users & Groups. Select "Guest User" from the list and uncheck the box that says "Allow guests to log in to this computer." This disables the guest account entirely.
Unlike standard user accounts, guest accounts do not have a home folder that persists after logout. Any files created during a guest session are deleted when the guest logs out, so there is nothing to save or remove when you disable the guest account. You can re-enable guest login at any time by checking the same box.
Troubleshooting when you cannot delete an account
If the minus button is grayed out or you cannot delete an account, you likely do not have administrator access. Only an administrator can delete user accounts. If you are logged in as a standard user, you will need to ask someone with an administrator account to perform the deletion, or you can change your own account type to administrator if you have the password for an existing admin account.
Another common issue is that the account you want to delete is currently logged in. Log out of that account first, then return to System Settings and try again. If the account is a managed family account, you may need to remove it from Family Sharing before you can delete it — the system will prompt you if this is required.
Securely removing sensitive data before deletion
If the account contains sensitive information and you plan to delete the home folder rather than save it, consider using a find deletion method. straightforward deleting a folder through System Settings does not make the data unrecoverable — specialized tools can sometimes retrieve deleted files. For accounts with financial records, passwords, or personal documents, you may want to manually delete sensitive files first, then empty the Trash and empty Trash securely.
To empty Trash securely on a Mac, right-click the Trash icon in the Dock and select "Empty Trash Securely" if that option appears. Not all Mac models support this feature, but it overwrites deleted files so they cannot be recovered. After you have removed sensitive data this way, you can proceed with deleting the user account normally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete my own administrator account?
No. You cannot delete the account you are currently logged into. You must have a second administrator account on the Mac, log into that account, and then delete your original account from System Settings. If you only have one administrator account and no other admin accounts exist, you cannot delete it.
What if I forgot the password for the account I want to delete?
You do not need the password for the account you are deleting — you only need administrator access on a different account. Log in with your administrator account, open System Settings, and delete the other user normally. The password for the account being deleted does not matter.
Will deleting a user account remove their iCloud data?
No. Deleting a user account from your Mac only removes the account from that computer. The person's iCloud account, email, photos, and other data stored in iCloud remain intact on Apple's servers. They can log into their Apple ID on another device and access everything.
Can I recover a deleted user account?
Once deleted, the account cannot be recovered through System Settings. If you saved the home folder as a disk image before deletion, you can access those files by opening the disk image file. If you deleted the home folder when ready, the account and its files are permanently removed from your Mac.
Do I need to do anything before selling my Mac?
Yes. Delete all user accounts except one administrator account, or erase the entire Mac and reinstall the operating system. If you leave user accounts on the Mac, the new owner will see them and may be able to access files in those folders. For a complete fresh start, use Erase Mac in System Settings under General, which removes all accounts and data.