Boot straight to Standard account with Password Admin Account.

[Traverse]

I will soon be getting a Mac Mini for my mother (yes they aren't updated, but she is a computer noob and the current mini is more than enough). I have one question.

I wanted to be in control of a password Protected Admin account and let her have a non-password protected Standard; she doesn't want a password Can I set it up where it will boot straight into her standard account and the only time you see the admin is if you log out?

Thanks!

 

[DeltaMac]

Yes, set up the mini so it boots into the standard account by default

System Preferences/Users & Groups pane.
Click the padlock to unlock the settings, then click Login Options
Change Automatic Login to show your mother's standard account.

With that setting, you can shut the mini off, then restart, and the mini will login automatically to your mother's user account...

 

[Intell]

Do note that having a separate admin and non-admin account does not give OS X any security benefits. You could make her account an admin one, the only admin one, and simply not inform her of the password. Just make sure to put a password on it.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Yes, it is possible:

 

[Traverse]

Yes, set up the mini so it boots into the standard account by default

System Preferences/Users & Groups pane.
Click the padlock to unlock the settings, then click Login Options
Change Automatic Login to show your mother's standard account.

With that setting, you can shut the mini off, then restart, and the mini will login automatically to your mother's user account...

Do note that having a separate admin and non-admin account does not give OS X any security benefits. You could make her account an admin one, the only admin one, and simply not inform her of the password. Just make sure to put a password on it.

Thanks, but in a Standard Account she can't install anything without the Admin Password correct?

She doesn't want to have to put in a password every time she turns it on, I just want to make sure that anything she inadvertently does is limited. IE: settings and installing.

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Yes, it is possible:

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Thank you for going to that much trouble.

 

[Intell]

She can't install anything or change most settings with an admin account without entering the password either. The only thing having a separate account does is make installing or doing system wide changes an inconvenience. You can still have the system automatically log into an admin account without knowing the password.

 

[Traverse]

She can't install anything or change most settings with an admin account without entering the password either. The only thing having a separate account does is make installing or doing system wide changes an inconvenience. You can still have the system automatically log into an admin account without knowing the password.

You can!? Can I set that just like the standard accounts listed above?

So she will log into to Admin automatically, but it will require a password for any installs or system changes?

 

[simsaladimbamba]

You can!? Can I set that just like the standard accounts listed above?

So she will log into to Admin automatically, but it will require a password for any installs or system changes?

Yes, I have done so on many Macs, especially the public ones with sensitive data of course.

Just enable Automatic Login via unchecking that Disable Automatic Login checkbox in the System Preferences > Security > General pane and you get to choose the account to login.

 

[Intell]

You can!? Can I set that just like the standard accounts listed above?

So she will log into to Admin automatically, but it will require a password for any installs or system changes?

Yep, as simmysaladbambi said, just follow the same steps. Nothing extra needed. I do suggest at least having a backup admin account in case something prevents the main admin account from working.

 

[Traverse]

Yep, as simmysaladbambi said, just follow the same steps. Nothing extra needed. I do suggest at least having a backup admin account in case something prevents the main admin account from working.

In that case why not just have one admin and on standard vs two admin?

 

[Intell]

Because if OS X decides to go rabid and eat the only admin account, the other non-admin account can't save it.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

In that case why not just have one admin and on standard vs two admin?

If the standard account is the one for daily use, yes. If the admin account is for daily use by your mother, create another admin account with a different name and different password. A standard account will not help you much if the admin account is shot.