Forums
New posts
Articles
Product Reviews
Policies
FAQ
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
General Discussions
Security Awareness
Setting and using a dedicated admin account on the mac
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="MacInWin" data-source="post: 1741875"><p>OK, I'll start the discussion. I run as an Admin all the time. i do that because when I want to install or configure something, I want to install or configure something, not have to figure out what account I'm using to get there. As for malware, most of it is not going to ask for installation permission, or will come piggybacked on something you DO want to install (Softonic, I'm looking at you...), so being a non-admin won't make a bit of difference there.</p><p></p><p>Now, there IS a risk of running as Admin and that is that I get stupid and install/configure something I should not. But I've been doing this computer thing since the late '60s, so I have been around long enough to have made most of the mistakes and learned from them. (I just doomed myself, but hey, at my age any excitement is ok by me.) For a newbie, particularly a newbie to macOS, running as a standard user may be a wise thing for a while until they have a few miles on the old buggy. But newbies will still make mistakes and jump to Admin to install MacKeeper, or an antivirus, or some other crapware, so even that small protection of being a standard user is pretty thin. But maybe, just maybe, having to log in as an Admin might make one or two of them actually think before they pull that trigger. (Yeah, I've been there, done that, so don't say I'm picking on newbies. Everybody was a newbie at some time!)</p><p></p><p>So, in your situation, if you trust your wife not to do something, shall we say, less than wise, then you might make her account Standard. Or yours, if you are the one more likely to mistype. But if you are both reasonable people and think before pressing Return, then I don't think you need to have a separate account for admin or change your account to standard.</p><p></p><p>I do have a clean Admin account on my system, but that for when I get all borked up and have to exit my account for there to sort it out. Last time was about a year ago, maybe a bit more. But I know that the day I delete that clean admin account I'll bork things up royally, so it's "insurance" for me to have it there. I just don't run it much.</p><p></p><p>That's one man's position. Let's hear from the rest of the guys.</p><p></p><p>EDIT: IF I had kids using my machine, they would all be standard accounts. No admin for them until I KNOW what they are doing and capable of doing. And maybe not even then.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="MacInWin, post: 1741875"] OK, I'll start the discussion. I run as an Admin all the time. i do that because when I want to install or configure something, I want to install or configure something, not have to figure out what account I'm using to get there. As for malware, most of it is not going to ask for installation permission, or will come piggybacked on something you DO want to install (Softonic, I'm looking at you...), so being a non-admin won't make a bit of difference there. Now, there IS a risk of running as Admin and that is that I get stupid and install/configure something I should not. But I've been doing this computer thing since the late '60s, so I have been around long enough to have made most of the mistakes and learned from them. (I just doomed myself, but hey, at my age any excitement is ok by me.) For a newbie, particularly a newbie to macOS, running as a standard user may be a wise thing for a while until they have a few miles on the old buggy. But newbies will still make mistakes and jump to Admin to install MacKeeper, or an antivirus, or some other crapware, so even that small protection of being a standard user is pretty thin. But maybe, just maybe, having to log in as an Admin might make one or two of them actually think before they pull that trigger. (Yeah, I've been there, done that, so don't say I'm picking on newbies. Everybody was a newbie at some time!) So, in your situation, if you trust your wife not to do something, shall we say, less than wise, then you might make her account Standard. Or yours, if you are the one more likely to mistype. But if you are both reasonable people and think before pressing Return, then I don't think you need to have a separate account for admin or change your account to standard. I do have a clean Admin account on my system, but that for when I get all borked up and have to exit my account for there to sort it out. Last time was about a year ago, maybe a bit more. But I know that the day I delete that clean admin account I'll bork things up royally, so it's "insurance" for me to have it there. I just don't run it much. That's one man's position. Let's hear from the rest of the guys. EDIT: IF I had kids using my machine, they would all be standard accounts. No admin for them until I KNOW what they are doing and capable of doing. And maybe not even then. [/QUOTE]
Verification
Post reply
Forums
General Discussions
Security Awareness
Setting and using a dedicated admin account on the mac
Top