Mac Password

The “root” user in Mac OS X has special rights that other users don’t. This is a privileged user that has full access to all the areas of the file system and can perform special tasks. This user is disabled by default; to enable it read on to find out how this is done.

What Is the Root User

In Mac OS X, the “root” user (also known as superuser and the administrative user) is a privileged user who has full read and write rights to all parts of the Mac file system. The main purpose for the root user account is to perform specific administration and monitoring tasks. It is recommended to log off of the root user account after completing a task, and disable it if it is not used often.

Enabling Root User

Mac OS X 10.4.* and earlier

1. Click Finder in the Dock.
2. Open the Go menu and select Applications
3. Open the Utilities folder
4. Open NetInfo Manager .
5. Click the lock on left-hand side of the window.
6. Enter name and password for an administrator account, then press OK.

then

In Mac OS X 10.2 and later, open the Security menu and select Enable Root User

In Mac OS X 10.0 / 10.1, open the Domain menu and select Security. Then from the submenu, select Enable Root User.

1. If a root user password has not been previously set, you will see a message on your screen saying “NetInfo Error”. Click on OK.
2. Here you can enter the root password. Once entered, click on Set.
3. Re-Enter the password and click on Verify for verification.
4. Click on the lock again to keep changes.

Mac OS X 10.5 or later

1. Open up Finder and then select Utilities from the Go menu.
2. Open Utilities Directory.
3. Click on the lock in the Directory Utility window.
4. Enter name, password for an administrator account, and then press OK.
5. Open the Edit menu and select Enable Root User.
6. Enter password that you want to use for “root” in the Password and Verify fields and then click on OK.

How To Log In As Root

To log in as root, follow these steps:

1. If you’re already logged in, open the Apple menu and select Log Out.
2. If you’re logging in using usernames with pictures, then click on Other.
3. Type in “root” in the Name box.
4. Type in the password in the Password box. This is the one you defined while enabling the root user account.

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