Unable To Delete Mac User Account In macOS Ventura? (Fix?)

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iPhone Tricks > News

Posted in News by Tyrone on November 13, 2022

Delete Mac account not working in macOS Ventura.

Are you unable to delete Mac user account in macOS Ventura. You click Delete Account and the Users & Groups screen in System Settings turns blank? Removal not working even if you’re signed in as admin? You’re not alone!

Unable To Delete Mac User Account?

This issue has been reported by Levi:

“Delete user account doesn’t seem to work. Anyone else having this issue?”

We couldn’t replicate the problem, but have found a similar complaint on Reddit:

“Can’t delete users in Ventura 13 or 13.0.1”

How To Fix Delete Mac Account Not Working?

You can try the following troubleshooting options:

1. Restart Mac

  • Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of the screen and go for Restart.
  • A reboot requires you to sign in again. Make sure that you’re using the admin account.
  • Return to System Settings -> Users & Groups and try to delete the account again.

    • Fact: After you tap Delete Account the account might still show up in Users & Groups. This might be a System Settings glitch. Try to quit System Settings and re-open. Is the deleted account still showing up?

2. Delete Mac Account From Terminal

If the above tip won’t help you’re left with the extreme option to remove account using Terminal. Be very careful when applying this workaround:
delete mac account from terminal

  • 1. Open Terminal app using Spotlight Search.
  • 2. Copy/paste the following command (instead of USER_ACCOUNT type the actual name of the Mac account that you want to delete) and hit Return key to run the command:
    sudo /usr/bin/dscl . -delete /Users/USER_ACCOUNT

    • Tip: Mac account names are all written with small letters. No Caps. Check the screenshot!

  • 3. Type the account password of the admin user account and hit Return key.
  • 4. Terminal asks for permission to be able to administer your computer. Click OK to allow.

    “‘Terminal’ would like to administer your computer. Administration can include modifying passwords, networking, and system settings.”

    • delete mac account in terminal ventura
    Important: That’s it! The user account has been deleted. However, the change will only reflect in System Settings if you quit the app and re-open. Does this help?

Have you managed to delete user account on Mac running macOS Ventura? Do you have a better solution or other problems to report? Share your feedback in the comments.

Related: For more macOS Ventura bugs and available workarounds please check our extended review.


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