Fortunately, the Mac OS makes accommodations for those people who wish to share files with others using the same computer. One of them is the Public folder found in each user’s account.
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A few weeks ago here on TMO, I posted an article called How to Locate & Manage Your 'Stuff' in OS X. In that article, I glossed over a special User Folder called Shared. The time has come to take a closer look.
You may be thinking that knowing about the Shared Folder is important only if you have more than one user/logon account on your Mac. If you only use your one user account, read-on, because you'll see why it you might want to create one or two other logon accounts on your machine.
Experience your favorite iPad apps now on your Mac. With Mac Catalyst, developers can easily create Mac apps from the iPad apps you already know and love. They run natively alongside your existing Mac apps so you can drag and drop content between them. They take full advantage of the larger screen and powerful architecture of your Mac. Apple already provides a way to share apps between family members in Family Sharing. The feature lets you invite anyone in your family, up to a maximum of six people, into a shared account that.
Let me approach the 'why' by relating to you how I use multiple user accounts on my own Mac. Hopefully, this will inspire you to think of ways this can be useful in your workflow.
The Users & Groups System Settings panel is where User Accounts are created and managed.
On your Mac, choose Apple menu System Preferences, then click Users & Groups. Open Users & Groups preferences for me. Click the lock icon to unlock it. Enter an administrator name and password. Click the Add button below the list of users. Click the New Account pop-up menu, then choose a type of user. A Group account is a special account that can be used by a subset of users who already have an account set up on the Mac—Dad, Mom, and Jackie, for example, but not the toddling twins, Lex and Jason.
First, of course, I have my regular every-day working user account. Additionally, I have an account with Administrator privileges that I logon to strictly for troubleshooting purposes. Of course, since I run a lean, clean and mean machine, I rarely find myself shooting any trouble! But, if I need to, I can do so easily with this additional user account.
For example, there may be something odd happening in my working account – perhaps with a certain errant System Preferences setting, or a user font, or even an attached printer or other peripherals. With a 'clean' user account that has the default System Preferences configured, I am better able to note how something should behave. Troubleshooting personal computer problems is all about 'process of elimination.' Having this extra user account aids in this approach.
I teach several courses in technology, digital photography and horror cinema at local higher-education schools. For each class, which involves special configurations, demos, and Keynote presentations, I have a separate user account.
Overkill? Perhaps. But, it really makes my work simple, safe and organized.
On my MacBook Pro, I also have a user account for my wife to use in the event it's needed. She has her own Mac mini in our home office, so when we travel, being able to have her own logon on my MacBook Pro is important. If I had children, they might have their own user accounts as well. My two goldfish have expressed a desire to have their own logons, but I feel strangely reluctant to accommodate them on this one request.
Finally, I keep a user account with Administrator privileges (configured with a different password, of course) specifically for use by Apple Genii or other service providers. I use this just in case I have to take the machine in for service – keeping my other accounts out-of-sight-out-of-mind. Yes, I know that depending on certain settings, they may be able to circumvent this, but I am not overly concerned about it, and I maintain a strict backup regimen. This just makes things easier for them and for me.
OK, so hopefully, you get the idea. If you are not now using multiple user accounts, hopefully I've given you some food for thought. If you take anything away from this article, it should be the value of the additional 'clean' user accounts for troubleshooting and/or for use by the Apple Genius Bar.
At this point, you may be asking, 'What's the best way to share files between these user accounts?' I'm glad you asked, because you may find many good reasons to maintain separate accounts for various uses.
In my own teaching scenario described above, I utilize my main working account to prep for my Keynote presentations, Pages-based class handouts, and demo image files. Once I have all class materials ready, I make use of the Shared Users Folder to easily copy the files to the corresponding class user account. When I get to class, I log onto the User Account for that class and present the students with a clean desktop and perhaps even a custom desktop background.
The User Folder is located at the root level of the system drive and contains all User Account Home Folders plus the Shared Folder.
In my article referenced back in the first paragraph, I talked about the Users Folder located at the root directory of your Mac's system drive. This folder contains all the data created by each of the Mac's logon accounts – whether just your one logon account or a hundred accounts on the machine. The Users Folder contains a Home Folder for each account, identified by account name. Your Home Folder is additionally identified by an icon of a house. You will also find the Shared Folder within the Users Folder.
Since, by default, each user's Home Folder is inaccessible by any other account, the Shared Folder is there for all the local user accounts to use freely when files need to be shared. Remember that the Shared Folder is for intra-account sharing on the one Mac. It is not intended for sharing files between machines – and people – on a network, as there are better mechanisms and methods for that type of activity.
I am constantly exploiting the Shared Folder, finding it enormously useful in my work. As I create my presentations and handouts, I stick copies of them into the Shared Folder. I usually organize the Shared Folder by creating additional folders – one for each user account. Any files commonly needed by all user accounts are placed at the root of the Shared Folder.
To streamline my workflow, I create an alias of the Shared Folder in the Favorites section of the Finder window's sidebar. You do this by first selecting GO > COMPUTER in Finder, then going into the System drive (typically named 'Macintosh HD'), and finally into the Users Folder. Locate the Shared Folder, and drag it's icon to the Finder window's sidebar anywhere within the Favorites section at the top. This makes an alias to the Shared Folder easily accessible from anywhere – even in standard open/close file dialog boxes.
Drag the Shared Folder into the Finder window sidebar to create an alias there.
By the way, you can also place an alias of the Shared Folder on your Dock by dragging it's icon just to the left of the trash can. External hard drive repair software for mac. (Now remember, if you've had one-too-many, your lack of accuracy here may be detrimental to your happiness).
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Without going into technical detail in this article, you need to understand that, no matter which user account you are logged in as, files and folders you create while in that account are owned by you, i.e.; by that account. This is all about the concept of file permissions, which governs who can open, modify, delete, or even see your files.
Because the Shared Folder can be potentially used by every user account, this folder can contain any number of files and folders with differing ownership and therefore, differing permissions.
There are a couple of important implications regarding file ownership and permissions:
If a file is 'owned' by another user account, you and others are typically not allowed to make changes to or delete the file. By the Shared Folder's very nature, you are allowed to open and use files created by other accounts. When you open a file directly from within the Shared Folder, and it's owned by another account, you will be directed to duplicate the file first, or you may be asked to authenticate. As soon as the file is duplicated, you now become the owner of that duplicated file. If you are asked to authenticate, and you do so successfully, the ownership of that original file is now assigned to you.
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If you are the owner of a file in the Shared Folder, and you drag it out and onto your desktop, the file is MOVED out of the Shared Folder.
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If you drag a file that is owned by another user account from the Shared Folder to your desktop or another location within your own Home Folder, a COPY of the file is made, and the original is kept intact. In general, I prefer this method for sharing a file between user accounts, as leaving the original file as-is in the Shared Folder assures the retrieval of an original copy if the need arises.
This GET INFO panel for a selected Keynote file shows its Sharing and Permissions settings.
The best way to learn all this is to experiment with some throw-away files belonging to the various user accounts on your Mac. While logged into the different account, drag the files in and out, attempt to edit and delete them. Do a Get Info on the files (via FILE > GET INFO in Finder), and look at the Sharing & Permissions section at the very bottom. But, be careful! Don't get too cocky and go around changing permissions on things outside the Shared Folder without a better understanding. There is rarely any reason to do so.
In conclusion, multiple secure user accounts feature in OS X is undoubtedly a powerful tool for enhancing security and organization. Fujitsu scansnap software mac download. File sharing between single machine user accounts via the Shared Folder makes secure collaboration a snap.
Have you ever purchased an expensive app on your iPhone and wondered if you could share it with your family or a select group of friends? AppleInsider shows you how to see if you can, and how to do it. Mac mini home theater software.
Let's say you purchased a game on your iPhone, and you want to download that same app to your kids' Apple devices. You can sign into all of their devices with your own Apple ID, but this presents a number of security and logistical issues.
Apple already provides a way to share apps between family members in Family Sharing. The feature lets you invite anyone in your family, up to a maximum of six people, into a shared account that includes all of your App Store purchases and more, so long as the app supports Family sharing.
Considering that some apps can get pretty expensive, Family Sharing is a very appealing proposition.
To enable Family Sharing, go to Settings, tap on your name, tap Set Up Family Sharing, and tap Get Started.
You can now choose the first feature you'd like to share with your family.
For this video, we'll choose iTunes & App Store Purchases. You can enable the rest of the features later.
Confirm your account and the shared payment method. Don't worry, your family members won't be able to purchase anything without your permission.
Now Tap Invite Family Members. A new message with an invitation will be created, and you can instantly invite multiple people.
After sending the invitation, the recipient simply needs to tap on it, and tap Join Family.
They'll now have the option of sharing their own personal purchases with the rest of the family. Now they can head into the Family Sharing settings, and see the Organizer, and what features are being shared.
They can also navigate to the app store and search an app that other family members have already purchased. When they reach the app's page, it will show that they need to purchase it. Simply back out of the app, and tap on the user profile.
You'll instantly see other family members under the Family Purchases section. Just tap on a member, and you'll see the list of purchased apps that are shared. Simply tap the download from iCloud button. https://grsupernal.weebly.com/internet-tracking-software-for-mac.html. We've now downloaded and are playing the game that was previously purchased by the family member.
Since the family member we invited decided to share their own personal purchases, the family organizer can now go in and download any app that the new family member purchased in the past.
This process is exactly the same for iTunes and iBooks purchases.
The organizer can now go back to the Family Sharing settings, tap on any family member, and either remove them from the family, or confirm that they are a Parent or Guardian.
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This will allow they to approve Ask to Buy requests from children.
Back in the Family Sharing settings, you can share other features like Apple Music, iCloud Storage, and Location.
If you tap on Purchase Sharing, you can disable Share My Purchases. This means that the other family members can still share their own purchases, but they won't have access to yours.
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You can also view the shared payment method, or Stop Family Purchase Sharing completely.
You can now add more Family Members, with the option of inviting via iMessage, or inviting in Person, which allows you to invite by family member's name, email address, or Game Center nickname.
Another possibility is to create an account for a child, which will require permission from a parent or guardian to make purchases. You'll simply get a notification when your child asks for permission to buy an app, and you'll have the option to accept or deny the request, straight from your phone.
If you're the organizer, you can tap on your own name, and either change the Family Sharing account settings, or stop family sharing completely.
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