How to Restore a Deleted Account on a Mac

by Deanna Koch

As 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.