How to remove a user account from your Mac
To delete a user account on your Mac, open System Settings, go to General, then Users & Groups (or just Users on newer macOS versions), select the account you want to remove, and click the minus button. The system will ask whether you want to keep or delete the files in that account's home folder. After you confirm, the account is gone and cannot log in anymore.
You need administrator access to delete any account, including your own — though deleting your own account requires a second admin account to exist first. If you are the only administrator on the Mac, you cannot delete your own account without creating another admin account beforehand.
The process takes less than a minute, but the choice of what to do with the account's files matters. Most people either keep the files (stored in a folder you can access later) or delete them when ready. Deleted files cannot be recovered, so understand what you are removing before you confirm.
Key Takeaways
- You must have administrator access to delete any account on your Mac, and you cannot delete your own account unless a second admin account exists.
- Open System Settings, navigate to Users & Groups (or Users), select the account, and click the minus button to start the deletion process.
- When you delete an account, macOS asks whether to keep the account's files in a folder or delete them permanently — deleted files cannot be recovered.
- If you keep the files, they appear in a folder on your Mac that you can access and sort through later.
- Deleting a standard user account is faster and simpler than deleting an administrator account, which requires extra confirmation steps.
Before you delete: what happens to the account's files
When you delete an account, macOS gives you two choices about the files stored in that account's home folder — the Documents, Downloads, Desktop, and other personal folders belonging to that user.
If you choose Keep the account's files, macOS moves everything into a folder named after the deleted account, placed in the Shared folder on your Mac. You can then open that folder, sort through what is there, and delete or move files as needed. This is the safer choice if you are not certain whether you need anything from that account.
If you choose Delete the account's files, everything in that account's home folder is erased when ready and permanently. This includes Documents, Downloads, Desktop, email, browser history, and any other personal data stored there. You cannot undo this action, so only choose this option if you are certain nothing in that account matters.
Standard user accounts (those without administrator rights) are usually easier to delete because they hold fewer system settings. Administrator accounts sometimes require you to enter your own admin password to confirm the deletion.
Step-by-step: deleting an account on macOS Sonoma and newer
On the newest versions of macOS, the Users section moved into System Settings under a slightly different name. Here is the exact path:
- Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and select System Settings.
- Click General in the left sidebar.
- Scroll down and click Users (not Users & Groups — that name changed).
- Look for the account you want to delete in the list and click it once to select it.
- Click the minus button (−) below the account list.
- A dialog box appears asking what to do with the account's files. Choose Keep files or Delete files.
- If you chose to keep files, click Delete User. If you chose to delete files, enter your admin password when prompted, then click Delete User again.
The account is now removed. That user cannot log in to the Mac anymore, and their name no longer appears in the login screen or the Users list.
Step-by-step: deleting an account on older macOS versions (Big Sur through Monterey)
If your Mac is running macOS Big Sur, Monterey, or Ventura, the path is slightly different:
- Click the Apple menu and select System Preferences (not System Settings).
- Click Users & Groups.
- Click the lock icon in the bottom-left corner and enter your admin password to unlock the panel.
- Select the account you want to delete from the list on the left.
- Click the minus button (−) below the account list.
- Choose whether to keep or delete the account's files, then click Delete User.
The steps are nearly identical to newer versions — the main difference is the name of the settings app and the need to unlock the panel first. After you click Delete User, the account is gone.
Deleting your own administrator account
You cannot delete the administrator account you are currently logged into. If you try, the minus button will be grayed out and unclickable.
To delete your own admin account, you must first create a second administrator account on the Mac. Log into that new admin account, then go back to Users & Groups (or Users), select your original account, and delete it using the same steps above. After deletion, you can log in only with the new admin account.
If you are the only person using the Mac and you delete your own account, you will still have access to the Mac through the new admin account you created. The old account's files will be kept or deleted based on your choice during the deletion process.
What to do if you cannot delete an account
If the minus button is grayed out, the most common reason is that you do not have administrator access. Only an administrator can delete accounts. If you are logged into a standard user account, you will not be able to delete anything.
If you are logged into an admin account but the minus button is still grayed out, you are probably trying to delete the account you are currently using. Create a second admin account first, log into it, and then delete the original account from there.
If the account you want to delete is linked to an Apple ID and you are not sure of the password, you may see a warning asking for the Apple ID password. Enter it to proceed. If you do not know the password, you will need to reset it through Apple's account recovery process before you can delete the account.
After deletion: recovering files you kept
If you chose to keep the deleted account's files, they sit in a folder inside the Shared folder on your Mac. To find them, open Finder, click Shared in the sidebar, and look for a folder with the deleted account's name.
You can open this folder, look through the files, and move anything you want to keep to your own Documents or another location. Delete the rest when you are done sorting. This folder stays on your Mac until you manually delete it, so there is no rush.
If you chose to delete the files during the account deletion process, they are gone permanently. There is no recovery folder and no way to get them back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete an account if I forgot the password?
Yes. You do not need the account's password to delete it — you only need administrator access on your Mac. Log into an admin account, go to Users & Groups, select the account you want to delete, and click the minus button. If the account is linked to an Apple ID, you may be asked for that Apple ID password, but the account's login password is not required.
What happens to email and browser data when I delete an account?
Email and browser data are stored in that account's home folder. If you choose to keep the files, they move to the Shared folder and you can access them later. If you choose to delete the files, all email, browser history, saved passwords, and bookmarks are permanently erased. You cannot recover them after deletion.
Do I need to back up the account before I delete it?
Not required, but it is a good idea if the account contains anything you might need later. You can use Time Machine to back up the entire Mac before deletion, or manually copy important files to an external drive. Once you delete the account and choose to delete its files, recovery is not possible.
Can I delete a guest account?
Yes, the same way you delete any other account. Guest accounts appear in the Users list and can be removed by clicking the minus button. Guest accounts typically do not contain personal files, so the choice to keep or delete files matters less.
What if the account is still showing up after I deleted it?
Log out completely and log back in, or restart your Mac. Sometimes the Users list does not refresh when ready. If the account still appears after a restart, it may not have deleted properly — try the deletion process again, making sure you are logged into a different admin account.