Enable the root account and reset its password on Mac OS X

Written by Sebastien Lambot on . Posted in Mac

When you work on a Mac, a software installation or the execution of a command may require « root » privileges. As Mac OS X is based on Unix layer, this user does exist despite being hidden. Here’s how to activate and assign a password to root user.
First of all, go to « System Preferences »:

Capture d’écran 2013-05-06 à 11.39.01

Click on « User and Groups », then on the lock to allow modifications:

Capture d’écran 2013-05-06 à 11.39.43

In the « Options » menu, click on « Join… » or « Edit… » then « Open directory utility »:

Capture d’écran 2013-05-06 à 11.40.09

Click on the lock to allow modifications:

Capture d’écran 2013-05-06 à 11.40.42

In the Edit menu, click on « Enable root user »:

Capture d’écran 2013-05-06 à 11.40.53

Assign a password to the root user:

Capture d’écran 2013-05-06 à 11.41.11

When done, check that the password is correct by using the su command in a console:

Capture d’écran 2013-05-06 à 11.41.54

Trackback from your site.

Leave a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.