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Change your root password: Manage the root user on your macOS

Posted on 01/05/202122/08/2026 IT Expert By IT Expert No Comments on Change your root password: Manage the root user on your macOS
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Root

Mac administrators can use the root user account to perform tasks that require access to more areas of the system. The user account named ”root” is a superuser with the read and write privileges to more areas of the system, including files in other macOS user accounts. Kindly refer to these related contents: How to setup external displays on your Mac and arrange your display in Mac, how to fix repeated app blocking connection alerts from Norton on Mac, how to stop Zoom App from launching automatically at startup on Mac, How to root your Android phone without a PC, and unable to change screen brightness and volume etc: Disable standard function keys on Mac,

The root user is disabled by default.  If you can log in to your Mac with an administrator account, you can enable the root user, then log in as the root user to complete your task. The root user account is not intended for routine use. Its privileges allow changes to files that are required by your Mac.

To undo such changes, you might need to reinstall your system software. You should disable the root user after completing your task. 

It’s safer to use the sudo command in Terminal instead of enabling the root user. To learn about sudo, open the Terminal app and enter man sudo.

Enable the Root User Account

To enable the root user, please follow these steps. Open the LaunchPad as shown below and select System Preferences.

Screenshot-2021-05-01-at-18.47.00

Click  on the lock icon button as shown below

Screenshot-2021-05-01-at-18.47.40

Enter an administrator name and password.

click on Unlock after inputing password

Click on the Login Options, and click on the Join button

click on Join Button

Click on Open Directory Utility.

click on Open Directory Utility

This will open the directory utility as shown below. In order to make changes. Click on the lock lock icon icon in the Directory Utility window, then enter an administrator name and password to “make Configuration” changes.

Enter new password and verify configuration

From the menu bar in Directory Utility, choose Edit and select Enable Root User

Enable root user

A prompt will come up instructing you to enter the password that you want to use for the root user. With this you can change your root password.

Enter new password

Disable the Root

Kindly follow the same steps from above and have your root account disabled.
– This time, select Disable Root User and that is all that you need to do.

Disable root user

I hope you found this blog post on How to change you root password and enabling and disabling root users on MacOS helpful. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comment session.

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Mac Tags:User Access, User Account Control, users

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