How to Restore a Deleted Account on a Mac
by Deanna KochAs with most everything Mac-related, restoring a deleted user account is easy. There are a few different ways to delete a user account, and unfortunately, not every way allows for an "undo." Here's how to restore an account that has been deleted via the System Preferences.
Restoring a Deleted Account
Step 1
Open the Accounts pane of the System Preferences.
Step 2
Click the + sign under the list of user accounts. (Authenticate with the administrator password if asked to.)
Step 3
Fill in the name, short name and password you want associated with this account. Click "Create Account" and close the System Preferences window.
Step 4
Open the "Deleted Users" folder found inside the "Users" folder within the hard drive.
Step 5
Double-click the disk image associated with the deleted account you want restored.
The deleted account will show up on your desktop as a disk image. Copy the folder structure in its entirety to the newly created account inside the "Users" folder.
Items you will need
- Administrator password
- OS 10.4+
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