How to switch users on a Mac

Having multiple accounts on your Mac can serve many purposes. For example, you could set up parental restrictions for your children or save custom settings for different users.

Once you've created additional accounts on your Mac, the following sections show you two methods for switching between them.

Switch accounts by logging out

The default method for changing user accounts is to log out of the current one, and then into another.

1. In the menu bar, click the Apple icon.
2. Select Log Out at the bottom of the Apple menu.

3. Click the Log Out button on the prompt that appears.

4. Choose a different user on the login screen and enter the password.

Use fast switching

The more recent versions of macOS have a fast user switching feature that lets you change users without logging out. This section shows you how to enable this feature, and then how to use it to switch accounts.

How to enable fast user switching

1. In the menu bar, click the Apple icon.
2. Click System Preferences at the bottom of the Apple menu.

3. Click the Users & Groups shortcut icon.

4. Click the lock symbol in the lower-left corner of the Users & Groups window.

5. When prompted, enter your password and click the Unlock button.

6. On the left side of the window, under the list of accounts, click Login Options.

7. In the section on the right, check the box next to Show fast user switching menu as to enable fast switching, and then choose how you'd like names to appear.

8. You should now see the current account's name in the upper-right corner of the Apple menu bar.

How to utilize fast switching

1. Click the account name in the upper-right corner of the screen. In this case, it would be "Computer Hope."

2. Select an account from the drop-down menu.

3. Enter the account password to change users.