How to Delete Users in Mac OS Panther

Deleting settings or preferences from a computer, especially the Mac OS Panther, is much simpler than adding or updating them. However, although it is a fairly straightforward process, it does still require making a number of irreversible decisions. All user account settings in Mac OS Panther (making new users, changing various preferences and deleting a user) are managed from a single location, the "Accounts" area of "System Preferences."

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Administrator account or password

Delete Users in Mac OS Panther

1. Start the "System Preferences" application by double-clicking its icon in the "Applications" folder, selecting it from the Apple menu or clicking once on its "Dock" icon.

2. Navigate to the fourth tier ("System") in the resulting window and click on the first available icon, "Accounts."

3. Highlight the appropriate user account in the left window pane, and click on the "-" (minus sign) icon at the bottom of the pane.

4. Read the resulting dialog box carefully, as there are different deletion options.

5. Choose "Okay" if you want the contents of the user's "Home" folder and the account settings saved into a folder for safekeeping or future reference.

6. Choose "Delete Immediately" if you do not need to save any data, settings or preferences associated with the user account you wish to delete. There is no recourse to this action, so do not use this option if you are uncertain about any future need for this information.

Tips & Warnings

• Unless you have an administrator account, you will need the user password to be able to delete a particular user's account. If you do not have the password, you will need to obtain it or ask the user to assist in deleting his account.
• Take the time to learn about user accounts, and check your "Accounts" settings regularly to ensure that other computer users have not set up superfluous, space-consuming accounts. If you identify multiple accounts for a single user, remember that the user may have saved data into multiple "Home" folders.
• Be careful when deleting user accounts, as there is no "Undo" command for this process.
• You cannot delete the only "Admin" user account. To do so, you must create a second "Admin" account first.
• Make sure to copy data from a duplicate or superfluous "Home" folder to the user's actual "Home" folder before deleting the unnecessary account. Data deleted via this process is not recoverable.