Mac Tips & Lessons
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macOS Classes5 Lessons
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New in macOS Sequoia3 Lessons
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Getting Started with the Mac13 Lessons
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14+ Tips for Getting Started with a New Mac (and older Macs)
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How to tell which macOS you are using
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Getting Around your Mac
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Working with Finder Windows
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Accessing Folders and Navigating Folders
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A Look a the Folder Hierarchy of the Mac
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Using Keyboard Shortcuts
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Notifications and the Notification Center
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Searching with Spotlight Search
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System Preferences Overview
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Mac Quick Look Demystified: Preview Files with Ease!
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Quickly access Mac system settings with Menu Bar or Dock
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Learn Cut, Copy, and Paste on Mac
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14+ Tips for Getting Started with a New Mac (and older Macs)
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Menu Bar Lessons for the Mac4 Lessons
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Dock Lessons for the Mac11 Lessons
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Automatically Hide the Dock
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Open Recent Documents from a Closed app with the Mac's Dock
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Open an App's Recent Documents through the Dock on the Mac
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Change the Position of the Dock
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Working with Applications in the Dock
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Documents and Folders in the Dock
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Customizing the Dock
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Add Printers to the Mac's Dock
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3 Easy Tips for Organizing your Folders in the Mac's Dock
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Unlock Hidden Settings for the Dock
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How to Add Folders to the Mac Dock
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Automatically Hide the Dock
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Finder Lessons for the Mac24 Lessons
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Opening an Enclosing Folder from a Finder Window
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Adding a Folder to the Sidebar in a Finder Window
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Cycle through your Open Finder Windows
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Set What Folder A New Finder Windows Shows
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Finder Window View Options
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View Unopened Documents with Quick Look
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Arranging Files and Folders
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Actions and Tasks
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Finder Windows as Tabs
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Customizing the Sidebar
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Customize the Finder Window Toolbar
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Show the Path Bar in a Finder Window
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Keep Folders on Top
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Show the Status Bar in Finder Windows
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Set what is searched in a Finder Window
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Hide your Hard Drives from the Desktop
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Add Documents to a Finder Window Toolbar
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Resizing Finder Window Columns
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Copy the location of a File or Folder as Pathname
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Set what your Finder Windows Open To
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Show the Mac's Clipboard in a Window
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Create a PDF from Multiple Images with Quick Actions on the Mac
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The ultimate guide to the Mac's Finder: 24+ tips included!
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Need help Organizing Your Mac? Master Smart Folders Today!
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Opening an Enclosing Folder from a Finder Window
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Manage Applications on the Mac24 Lessons
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Easily Open the Applications Folder
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Apps and Significant Energy
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Set which Applications Open at Login
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Add the Applications Folder to the Dock
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Close Windows when Quitting Apps
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5 Ways to Find and Open your Applications on the Mac
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Finding your Applications Folder
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Switching between Open Applications
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Hiding Open Applications
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Launchpad and Applications
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Opening Applications with Spotlight Search
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Installing Applications
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Removing or Uninstalling Applications
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Applications in Full-screen Mode
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Finding an App’s Preferences or Settings
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Open Apps with the Launchpad Icon
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Use Keyboard Shortcuts to Switch between Open Apps
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Shrink Apps to Prevent the MacBook Pro Notch from Obscuring App Controls
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Prevent In-App Rating & Review Notifications
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How to Check App Version History on Your Mac
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How to Use Multiple Desktops with Spaces
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Switch between open apps with the Mac's App Switcher
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Enhance your Mac experience by Installing iOS apps
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Add a Signature to a Document
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Easily Open the Applications Folder
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Manage Files and Folders on the Mac30 Lessons
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Selecting Documents and Folders
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Working with Save Dialog Boxes
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Deleting Files and Folders
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Copying, Moving, and Grouping Files
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Move Selected Files into a New Folder
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Specifying Applications for Documents
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4 Ways to Open a File on the Mac
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3 Ways to Force Quit an App on the Mac
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4 Ways to Edit Finder Window Sidebars on the Mac
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Create A New Folder with Selected Files on the Mac
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Using Spring-loaded Folders
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Compressing Files and Folders
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Convert and Compress Images with Quick Actions
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Viewing Document Information
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Renaming Files in Batches
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Tagging Files and Folders
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Set What App a Document Opens With
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Open Windows Media or WMV Files
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Tips for finding your Downloads Folder
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See Folder Sizes in a Finder Window
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Duplicate Documents with Stationery Pad on the Mac
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Reverse the Print Order of your Document
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Creating PDFs on a Mac: Two Easy Methods
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Save Time and Effort: How to Select Multiple Files on Your Mac
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How to Easily Zip and Unzip Files on Your Mac
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Learn how to use Find and Replace on the Mac
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Rename Multiple Files on the Mac
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How to Manage Storage on Your Mac - Easy Tips & Tricks!
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Ever Wondered How to Rename Mac Files? Top 7 Tips Here!
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11 Easy Ways to Optimize Your Mac's Desktop Experience
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Selecting Documents and Folders
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General macOS Lessons21 Lessons|1 Quiz
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Have your Mac Learn Spelling
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Close Notifications with a Swipe
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Working with the Today View
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Using Siri
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Using Mission Control
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Add Virtual Desktops with Spaces on the Mac
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Sharing Files with AirDrop
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iCloud Options
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Take a Screenshot of your Display
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Add Emojis as Text
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View All Open Windows as Thumbnails
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Copy, and Paste and Match Style
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Type Special Characters with the Keyboard Viewer
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Set where Screenshots are Saved
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Add a Timer to Screenshots
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Hide all your open windows to show the Mac's Desktop
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Turn on Do Not Disturb Temporarily
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Using Split View
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The Mac’s Magic Shortcut to Trashing Files and Photos Quickly
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10 Little Known Tips for the Mac
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Keyboard Navigation on the Mac
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Have your Mac Learn Spelling
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Preferences or Settings for the Mac34 Lessons
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Organize and Hide System Preference Panes
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General Preferences
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Working with Printers and Scanners
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Share Connected Printers with other Macs
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A Quick look at Sound Preferences
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A closer look at Internet Accounts
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Creating User Accounts
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Set an Animated Emoji for your Mac User Profile
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Customize the Date and Time in the Mac's Menu Bar
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Adding Parental Controls
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Change the Cursor Size
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Show the Date in the Menu bar
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Change the Clock in the Menu Bar from Digital to Analog
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Set the Scroll Bar to Always Show in a Window
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Create a New user Account
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Text Replacement
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Quickly Look up Information with the Trackpad
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Shortcuts for opening System Preference Panes
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Rename your Mac
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Searching your System Preferences
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Set the Default Browser on the Mac
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Reduce the Transparency in the Menu Bar and Dock
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Open Preference Panes from the Dock
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A closer look at Wi-fi Settings
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Using Hot Corners
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Select what macOS Updates you want to install
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Create Keyboard Shortcuts for Menu Items
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Use Keyboard Navigation to Move Focus
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Enable Fast User Switching to Switch between User Accounts
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Use Touch ID to Switch between Users on the Mac
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How to Zoom into your Mac's Display for Easier Reading
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How to Extend Your Mac Display to Your iPad
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Disabling Showing the Notification Center from the Trackpad
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Can Force Click Boost Your Productivity on your Mac? Find Out How!
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Organize and Hide System Preference Panes
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Troubleshooting Lessons for the Mac16 Lessons
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Finding Help for your Mac
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Backing Up with Time Machine
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Restoring Files with Time Machine
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Erase a Hard Drive
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Force Quit an App on the Mac
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Restart or Relaunch the Mac's Finder
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Force Quit Apps from the Apple Menu
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Putting it All Together
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Automatically delete items in the Trash after 30 Days
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Troubleshooting Bluetooth Connections
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Manage Storage Space with macOS Monterey and Earlier
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Reclaim Local Mac Storage Space by Removing iCloud Drive Downloads
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Disable Unused Sharing Options on Your Mac If You’re Not Using Them
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Forget Wi-Fi Networks that are Troublesome
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View memory usage in Activity Monitor on Mac
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Erase All Content and Settings on a Mac
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Finding Help for your Mac
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New in macOS Mojave12 Lessons
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Dark Mode Appearance
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Dynamic Desktop Pictures
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View Recent Apps in the Dock
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Gallery View for Files in Finder Windows
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macOS Software Updates in System Preferences
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Desktop Stacks for Files on the Desktop
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Keep Desktop Folders on Top of Files
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View File Metadata
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Quick Actions and Markup Files
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Continuity Camera from your iPhone or iPad
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New Privacy Options
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New Screenshot Options
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Dark Mode Appearance
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New in macOS Catalina19 Lessons
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See which apps will no longer work with macOS Catalina
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See which apps are 32-bit
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Opening Recent Folders from the Dock
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Reorganized System Preferences
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New Window Management Options
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New Screen Time Preferences
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New Music App
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New TV App
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New Podcasts App
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Manage your iOS Devices through the Finder
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What's New in the Photos App
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What's New in the Notes App
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What's New in Safari
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What's New in the Mail app
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New FindMy App
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New Catalyst Apps
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New Security and Privacy Features
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New Redesigned Reminders App
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Use an iPad as a second Display with Sidecar
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See which apps will no longer work with macOS Catalina
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New in macOS Big Sur15 Lessons
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What hasn't changed with macOS Big Sur
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Notification Center
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Allow Wallpaper Tinting in Windows
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Filtering Mail Messages
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New Control Center
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A look at the Finder Window Toolbar
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New with Desktop Pictures
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Play Startup Sound
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Drag and Drop Controls to the Menu Bar
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Battery Usage Preferences
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Change the Date & Time in the Menu Bar
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Do Not Disturb location in macOS Big Sur
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See what is Now Playing
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It’s Time to Consider Upgrading to macOS 11 Big Sur
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How to Reveal the Proxy Icon in Big Sur
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What hasn't changed with macOS Big Sur
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New & Updated in macOS Ventura12 Lessons
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How to Manage your Open Windows with Stage Manager
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New Setup Options and Filters in Focus on the Mac with macOS Ventura
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View Forecasts and More in the New Weather App on the Mac
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Add Multiple Stops to Routes in the Maps App with macOS Ventura
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Create Templates for Reminders Lists with macOS Ventura
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Maximizing Your Storage on macOS Ventura: A Guide to Managing Space
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Discover the New Clock App on MacOS Ventura
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How to Keep Scroll Bars Always Visible on Mac (macOS Ventura)
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Manage App Store and Streaming Services Subscriptions through the Mac
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Save time typing text and Emojis on your Mac with Text Replacement!
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3 Ways to Remove the Background in a Photo
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Stop Apps from Launching when your Mac Starts Up
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How to Manage your Open Windows with Stage Manager
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Favorite Features in macOS Sonoma9 Lessons
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Make Your Favorite Websites Act Like Apps with macOS Sonoma
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macOS Sonoma: Screensavers & Wallpapers
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Click your Wallpaper to Show the Desktop
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Add Widgets to your Mac's Desktop
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My 3 Favorite New Features in Reminders with macOS Sonoma!
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iCloud Passwords for Chrome: Seamless Access to Your Passwords
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Make your next Zoom Presentation stand out with Presenter Overlays
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Turn off Click Wallpaper to Show Desktop
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Build your own Apple Passwords app in 5 minutes! A Step-by-Step Guide
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Make Your Favorite Websites Act Like Apps with macOS Sonoma
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New in macOS Monterey6 Lessons
Create a New user Account
Learn how to create a new user account and enable fast user switching on your Mac.
In this lesson for the Mac, I show you how you can create a new user account on your Mac and easily switch between multiple user accounts. Each user account will have there own Home folder with its own documents, pictures, music, and movies folders. Access to these accounts is limited to the account owner, so someone from one account is not going to be able to another user’s folders. You can also easily switch between these different account directly from the Menu Bar. See how to create a new user account and enable Fast User Switching in this video.
Video Transcript (video also has closed captions):
In this video, I’m going to show you how you can create another user account on your Mac. When you create another user account on your Mac, it’s almost like you have two different Macs. Each user is going to have their own home folder, which means each user’s going to have their own pictures, folder, their own music folder.
Once you create your new account, you can also easily switch between these two different accounts. Let’s see how this works. Let’s go to my Mac. Now I have a couple of different accounts on the smack. I have my personal account, which has all of my personal information in there. And then I have my demo account.
This is what I am in right now. This is what I do all my recordings on. If I wanted to switch between these two different accounts, all I have to do is go up to my menu bar, and you’re going to see Dan’s Tutorials. This is the account that I am in. To switch to a different account. I click on this, and I select the account I want to go into.
If I were to select Dan Wassink, what it would do is it would switch to that account. I would have to type in my password, and then I’d be in that other account. Now each one of these accounts has their own user folder. What I’m going to do is I’m going to open up a new Finder window here. When we look at the folder structure, our Mac’s hierarchy, you’re going to see, I have a users folder. This is where all of our information is in this user’s folder. Remember how I said I have a couple of different accounts. Well, if we look here, you’re going to see, I have Dan’s Tutorials and Dan Wassink.
Those are my two different accounts. So when I click on dance tutorials here, you’re going to see that I have all of my different folders, applications, desktop documents, downloads movies, music, and pictures. And then when I go over to Dan Wassink here. I also have those same folders along with some additional folders.
So think of each user account almost has their own computer. Each user is going to have their own music folder. Each user is going to have their own pictures folder, and you can easily switch between these different accounts by going up to the menu bar and then selecting the account you want to go into.
So how did I set this up? Well, it’s pretty easy. What we need to do is we need to go to our system preferences. So I go up to the Apple menu. And then we go over to system preferences from here. What we need to do is we need to go to users and groups. When I click on this, you’re going to see all of the users on the left side.
So here we have Dan’s Tutorials; this is my current user. And then I also have other users. Dan Wassink. To create another account. All I have to do is unlock it. So I’m going to unlock this. I type in my password. And then I click on the plus. So let’s go ahead. I hadn’t clicked on it. And from here, I can create my new account.
The first thing is, is we need to set what type of account it is. We can make it a standard account or an administrator account. What I usually recommend is an administrator account. Otherwise, anytime that person wants to change their account, it will require its administrator to approve it.
So again, I usually recommend just making them an administrator by making them an administrator. This does not mean that they will be able to get into the other accounts. It just means that they will be able to make changes to their account without having an administrator approve it. So let’s go and make this an administrator account.
And now, what I do is I type in the name. We’re going to make an account from my wife. So I’m going to type in here, Beth Wassink. So now Beth is going to have her account on this computer. I have to type in a password, so I type it in here. I type it in again. To verify. Now I know what my password is, but if you want to leave a password, hint in here; you can do that as well.
So if you forget it, you can click on password hint, and it’ll give you a hint. I’m going to leave this blank. And now, all I need to do is click on create user. So I created a new account as an administrator. I gave it a name, the account name was filled in automatically, and then I gave it a password.
Now, all I need to do is click on create user, and you’re going to see we have a new user. So what do you think we’re going to see when I go back to my finder window? Well, let’s close this, and let’s open up a new finder window. When we go over to users, you’re going to see, we have Beth Wassink, and I cannot get into any one of those folders.
It is a completely separate account. So now that we have this account set up, how do we add our fast user switching up here on the upper right-hand corner? So I can switch between these different accounts while we need to go back over to our system preferences. So now, what I do is I go back over to my Apple menu, and then we go over to system preferences.
And we go back over to that users in groups. We have one other option here that we need to set. We have to first unlock it. I type in my password. And now, what we do is we go over to log in options. When I select this, you’re going to see an option to show fast user switching. When you select this, you get this little menu up here on the upper right-hand corner.
And what you’re able to do is switch between your different accounts. If I were to uncheck this. I would no longer easily switch between my different user accounts because it is no longer in my menu bar. What I would need to do is I would need to go underneath the Apple menu and then log out of one account and log into another.
I prefer to have fast user switching enabled. When I select this again, what I’m able to do is go up to my menu bar and select which account I want to go into. So that’s how you can easily create another account and switch between those different accounts on your Mac. The first thing you need to do is you need to go to your system preferences and then unlock users and groups.
Once you unlock it, you’re going to be able to. Create a new user. I usually make them an administrator; you type in the username, the password. And then also, what I will do is I will go to login options and make sure that fast user switching is turned on. Once you do that, your new account will be created, and you can easily switch between those different accounts.
By going up to the upper right-hand corner of your menu bar. So that’s how you can easily create a new user account and switch between them the Mac.