How to switch users on Mac in 4 different ways

One of the big leaps forward Apple made when it launched OS X all those years ago was to support multiple user accounts on one Mac. Before that, there were no user accounts at all and no way to keep your files and settings separate from other people who used the same Mac. Since then, user accounts have evolved to tie in more closely with Apple ID and iCloud accounts and to allow you to quickly move from one user account to another. In this article, we’ll show you the different solutions for how to switch users on a Mac, and we’ll explain what the different types of user accounts are and what they are for.

How to create and manage user accounts on Mac

If you are the only person who ever uses your Mac, you probably only have one user account set up and have never thought of adding another one. But even for solo users, there are reasons for adding a second user account. For example, you could have one account for work and one for personal use so that you keep the data and settings for each separate. Or you could create a guest account so someone else can borrow and use your MacBook.

To create a new user account on your Mac, do the following:

1. Click the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
2. Go to Users & Groups.
3. To enable the standard guest account, click the ‘i’ next to Guest User and turn on Allow guests to log in to this computer. Enter your password to confirm.
4. To create another user account, click Add User and type in your admin password.
5. Complete the form that appears on the screen and click Create User.

Note that while you can have as many admin users as you like on one Mac, you only need one. As long as one user has admin rights, the others can all be regular users who can make changes to their own accounts but can’t do things, like install some software or change some settings, that are reserved for admin users.

How to switch between users on Mac

There are several ways to switch user accounts, each with its own pluses and minuses.

1. Fast User Switching

As its name suggests, this is the fastest way to switch users on Mac. All you have to do, once it’s enabled, is to click the user icon in the menu bar and choose the user you want to switch to. Then, type in the password for the user account. The downside of this method is that because the current user remains logged in, their account continues to take up resources like RAM, so it may slow your Mac down. Here’s how to enable Fast User Switching:

1. Go to System Settings and choose Menu Bar.
2. Scroll down to Fast User Switching and enable it. 
3. Also, choose one of the options that works best for you: Full Name, Account Name, or Icon.

You can also add Fast User Switching to Control Center. 

1. Open Control Center and click Edit Controls.
2. Type Fast User Switching in the search bar. 
3. Click the + to add it.

Once you’ve enabled Fast User Switching, here’s how to quickly switch users on Mac:

1. Choose the user you want to switch to in the menu bar or Control Center.
2. Enter the password or use Touch ID instead of typing in the password.

Tip: How to protect your privacy on your Mac

If several different people use your Mac, it’s important to take steps to maintain your privacy, especially if you share a user account with someone else or often leave your Mac unlocked. You can clear your Recent Items lists and delete your browser history, search history, and list of previous downloads. You can also monitor the permissions you give to apps to access things like camera, microphone, and folders on your Mac, delete cookies and other browser data once in a while, and, of course, scan your MacBook for malware. The easiest way to do all of these tasks with a click is to use CleanMyMac’s Protection feature, which can do it for you. 

It scans your Mac, gathers details of your settings and other data, and allows you to revoke app permissions, delete recent items lists and browser data, get rid of malware, and much more with a few clicks. You can test CleanMyMac for 7 days — get your free trial here.

2. Lock Screen

This method also leaves the currently logged-in user logged in, so it will also consume more resources, but it’s useful if your Mac goes to sleep while one user is logged in and you want to switch to another user.

1. If the lock screen isn’t already visible, click the Apple menu and choose Lock Screen.
2. Click the name or picture of the user on the lock screen.
3. Choose a different user.
4. Type in the user’s password or use Touch ID to authenticate.

3. Log out and then log back in again

This method uses the fewest resources because it logs one user out before logging another user in.

1. Click the Apple menu and choose Log out.
2. On the next screen, click the user you want to log in.
3. Type in the password for the user or use Touch ID to authenticate.

4. Use a keyboard shortcut or a hot corner

You can also use a keyboard shortcut to go to lock screen and switch users — Control + ⌘ + Q

It may be somewhat faster than doing it from the main Apple menu, but choose which one works better for you. 

Finally, you can set up a hot corner that will take you to lock screen. Here's how: 

1. Go to System Settings > Desktop & Dock.
2. Scroll down and click Hot Corners. 
3. Select any corner and click it. 
4. Select Lock Screen > Done. 

Now, all you have to do is move your finger to this corner using the trackpad, and you will go to lock screen and will be able to switch users.

If your Mac has lots of user accounts on it, you may need to switch between them quickly, or you may need to log out of one and into another. Follow the tips above to discover how to switch users on your Mac.