How to have 2 different User Accounts with Full Access...?

[fab5freddy]

I have 2 personal user accounts on my Mac Leopard 10.5.6,
and would like to gain full access to all files within the 2 User Accounts...

How do i set this up ?

Right now, it is not letting me access files from 1 user account to
the other ??

 

[frankblundt]

afaik there is no way, other than logging in as root

 

[GGJstudios]

If you need both accounts to use the same files, put them in the Shared folder.

 

[ElectricSheep]

In the Finder, navigate to the Users folder (its one level down from the top level of your startup disk). You should see your own home folder (with a house icon), and the home folder of the other user account whose files you wish to have access to.

Highlight the other user's home folder, and choose Get Info from the File menu (or hit Command-I).

At the bottom of the Info panel that pops up, you will see a list of Permissions (if you don't see it, expand the section titled Sharing & Permissions), and a tiny padlock icon. Click on the padlock icon.

You will be challenged to enter your password. Enter it and continue.

The padlock icon should now be unlocked. Click the plus button at the bottom of the info pane. Your user name will be added to the list under Sharing and Permissions. Click on the Privilege next to it, and adjust it to whatever level of access you would like to have (Read Only, Read & Write, etc.) Next, click the box with a gear in it at the bottom, and choose Apply to enclosed items. You will be warned that this is an irreversible process. Click OK, and progress bar will drop down. This step can take some time, depending on how many files and folder are inside the other user's home directory.

When the progress bar disappears, you are done. Close the info panel. You can now open up and browse the other user's home folder as if it were your own.

This whole thing is possible because of something called Access Control Lists. From the finder, you can adjust the access of any file or folder on a per-use bases without changing the ownership or group membership of these items. ACLs are incredibly flexible, but to leverage their full potential you have to jump into the Terminal. ACLs allow you control on a per-user or per-group basis access rules such as:

- Ability to delete.
- Ability to read and/or change extended attributes
- Ability to read and/or change security information
- Ability to change ownership
- Ability to read the contents of a folder
- Ability to add and/or remove items from a folder
- Ability to read, write, append, or execute (run) an item.

 

[fab5freddy]

OK, how do you log in as a Root ?

 

[frankblundt]

How to login as root

For myself, I find editing permissions directly a bit tedious, and requires too much ongoing maintenance

 

[fab5freddy]

Awesome! Are there any dangers with logging in a Root User ?

 

[ElectricSheep]

Awesome! Are there any dangers with logging in a Root User ?

Yes. Its a very bad idea to run as root regularly. You, and anything you run has full access to the entire system, no questions asked.

 

[frankblundt]

Root IS danger. Root can do anything to everything. Not sure about the current OS, but in the old versions it gave you a bright red desktop just to remind you of the awesome responsibility...

Even running an Admin account regularly is not ideal

For most situations, the Shared folder, Public folders and Fast User Switching really ought to suffice

 

[fab5freddy]

i'm trying to enable Root Access, but the Directory Utility,
it is not letting me Edit the settings....?

Thanks Electric Sheep for the elaborate explanation !

Hi Electric Sheep,

i have run into a problem now.
I did exactly what you said, but now i am editing
photoshop files in the other user account, but it is not letting
me save the file to the other account !

i can save the file to my current user account, but not the
not logged in account ! Please help !

thanks !

 

[J the Ninja]

Hi Electric Sheep,

i have run into a problem now.
I did exactly what you said, but now i am editing
photoshop files in the other user account, but it is not letting
me save the file to the other account !

i can save the file to my current user account, but not the
not logged in account ! Please help !

thanks !

*nix 101: You cannot write to other people's home folders unless they give permission otherwise.

Did you remember to enable WRITING when you shared the folders?

BTW, for enable root, did you remember to "unlock" the window first? (Click the padlock). Oh, and root's wallpaper is Aurora, just like regular users. No bright red.

 

[fab5freddy]

thanks, but i enabled reading and writing,
and it is still not letting me save to the other user account.

 

[GGJstudios]

thanks, but i enabled reading and writing,
and it is still not letting me save to the other user account.

I don't understand what the problem is with just using the Shared folder.

 

[fab5freddy]

I don't want to be limited and have to move files unneccessarily.

 

[fab5freddy]

Ok, with the explanation of Electric Sheep, i can
now access all files between the two users, but
i still can't save / write to files between the 2 users !

How can i do this ?

 

[frankblundt]

It seems to me you are trying to fight against the whole point of the way OSX User Accounts work - it's not that it's impossible, but you really are setting yourself up for a tedious and endlessly annoying experience.

Maybe if we knew WHY you wanted to do this, alternative, less contrary solutions might be able to be offered.

 

[fab5freddy]

i just want to be able to seamlessly read and write to files
betweeen my 2 users, that's all.

Is that too much to ask for ?

 

[frankblundt]

yes, it is, because user accounts are not designed to work like that, they're meant for separate users who want to be separate.

Why do you need two accounts?

 

[fab5freddy]

My First User Account is Extremely sluggish,
therefore i created the 2nd User Account.
Now i just want to use the new 2nd user account only,...

Is there a fast way to transfer all my settings from
User # 1 to User # 2 ?

thanks !

 

[frankblundt]

aaaaaaaaahh! huzzah! now we're getting somewhere

still think the easiest method is to move (not copy) your files, folder by folder, into Shared from the old account, and then move them out from there to their new homes in the new account

You don't want to be too wholesale about this, because it's all the accumulated crap in the old account which will be slowing things down - if you just copy the whole lot into the new account, you'll be back where you were.

Start with the easy ones like Documents, Music etc

Then start digging into the stuff that's in Library - forget anything that's easy to install again or is likely to cause issues: eg fonts and most preferences

 

[fab5freddy]

well, now i can access my entire user 1 account from user 2,
i just can't save or write to the other's account .......

Does anyone know how to read and write between 2 User Accounts ?

i did what Electric Sheep said and now i can access and read the files
between 2 Users, but i cannot write to the other User ??

I have turned on read and write in sharing permissions,
but it is only letting me read and not write between 2 Users....?

 

[Consultant]

Put the files in a non-user place, such as Macintosh HD. Both accounts probably need to be admin.