#ENABLE ROOT USER MAC OS X MOUNTAIN LION HOW TO#

(Yes, he also has an external Time Machine disk, but that is no substitute for cheap, easily managed, self-contained backups to keep off-site.)

He just right clicks and chooses the 'burn' item to commit his entire home folder to DVD-R that he can file away in his safe deposit box. After logging out of his normal user, he logs in as root where he has a 'burn folder' on the root desktop that contains an alias to his home folder. One of my reasons for enabling root is to allow my father, who lives out-of-state and has difficulty with complicated computer tasks, an easy method to back up his home folder. Only enable it if you are aware of the risks and know what you are doing. Warning: Enabling the root account can leave your Mac vulnerable to security threats. That's it! Make sure to re-lock the application by clicking the padlock icon.

Choose Edit » Change Root Password, and choose a password for the root user.

Unlock the application by clicking the padlock icon and entering your Administrator login.

Open Directory Utility in its new home, which is /System/Library/CoreServices.

#ENABLE ROOT USER MAC OS X MOUNTAIN LION HOW TO#

Here's how to enable root in Snow Leopard: Accessing the root account is disabled by default in Snow Leopard and the Directory Utility application is not available in the Utilities folder any more.

Enable root user mac os x mountain lion