How to use a standard account for everyday work on your Mac

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User AccessMedium priority

About 10 minutes to complete

Do your daily work in a standard account rather than an administrator account, so a bad click cannot make deep changes to your system.

Step-by-step guide

Go to System Settings, then Users & Groups.
Add a new account and set it to Standard for everyday use.
Keep your existing admin account only for when you genuinely need it.
When something needs admin rights, macOS will ask for the admin name and password.

4 steps

Why this matters

If malware runs while you are logged in as an administrator, it inherits those powers. A standard account limits what any software can change without your password.

How to confirm it worked

The setting is saved and active on your device
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