Easy Mac OS X Lion - Kate Binder [53]
Click Log Out in the confirmation dialog box. All the applications quit, along with the Finder, and you’re returned to the Login dialog box.
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Tip: Skipping the Login
Click Login Options at the bottom of the Accounts preferences panel in System Preferences; then choose a user from the Automatically log in pop-up menu.
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Tip: Bring ‘Em Back
When you log out, your Mac asks if you want to open the same windows the next time you log in. Keep this box checked if you want to pick up exactly where you’re leaving off, with all the same programs running and windows open.
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Switching Users Without Logging Out
When you share a computer, it may seem as though someone else is always coming along and wanting to jump on for a minute. If you had to log out (thereby quitting all your apps) every time another user needed access to your Mac, this could be a major hassle. Fortunately, you don’t! That’s what Fast User Switching is all about.
Choose Apple menu, System Preferences.
Click Users & Groups.
Click Login Options.
Click the Show fast user switching menu as box and choose an option from the pop-up menu.
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Note: Got Your Keys?
If your Users & Groups preferences are locked, you’ll need to click the padlock button and enter your user name and password before you can change the Login Options settings.
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Tip: I Can Only Do One Thing at a Time
Your Mac can actually do a lot more than one thing at a time, but if you start to see it bogging down, check to see if another user is still logged in and running one of the programs you’re using. Quit that program or log the user out to speed things up.
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Resetting Your Password
Because you need a password to access files on your Mac, be sure to choose a password you can’t forget, and take advantage of the Hint feature to provide yourself with a memory-jogging phrase when you need it. If the worst does happen and you just can’t figure out your password, here’s how to remedy the situation.
If you just want to change your password, choose Apple menu, System Preferences.
Click Users & Groups to see the account’s preferences.
Click your name in the list of users and then click Change Password.
Enter your old password and the new password and click Change Password.
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Caution: Don’t Make It Too Easy
This might seem obvious, but if you enter a hint for your password, don’t make the hint too obvious. Even if you’re tempted to just use the password itself for the hint, don’t!
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If you’ve forgotten your password, start up the Mac and click your name in the Login window.
Click the question mark at the end of the Password field to see a password hint.
To reset the password if you still don’t remember it, click the arrow in the password hint box.
Enter your Apple ID and password and click Reset Password.
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Note: A Little Help from a Friend
If you forget your password and can’t log in or access your home folder (when you’re using FileVault), an admin user can change the password for you.
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Tip: Give Me a Hint
You did set a password hint when you created your password, didn’t you? Make the hint something that is meaningful only to you, but make sure it’s not too obscure for you to figure it out. If you don’t have a password hint now, go to the Users & Groups pane of System Preferences and create one.
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Sharing Files with Other Users
Some files are meant to be read and even modified by multiple users—a family calendar or a committee report in progress, for example. You can share these files in two designated places, with different results. And you can send copies of your files to other users via their Drop Box folders.
Choose Apple menu, System Preferences.
To enable network users to access the Public folder in your home folder, click Sharing.
In the Services list, check the box labeled File Sharing to share files with other Mac users on your network.
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