How to make me administrator of my own Mac

I have an old IMac and I'm the only user. Apparently I'm not an administrator however and am having problems downloading a new program. How can I check whether or not I'm really not an administrator and if not, how can I can settings to allow my to modify my computer?

Posted on Dec 2, 2025 9:00 AM

Reply
5 replies

Dec 2, 2025 1:08 PM in response to C Bower

C Bower wrote:
I have an old IMac and I'm the only user. Apparently I'm not an administrator however and am having problems downloading a new program. How can I check whether or not I'm really not an administrator and if not, how can I can settings to allow my to modify my computer?

Open System Preferences > Users and Groups. Under Current User it should indicate your username and beneath that it should say "Admin." If there is only 1 user account it should be an admin account; if it isn't an admin account there is a problem.


Before going further, exactly what model iMac do you have and what version of macOS is running on it?

Dec 2, 2025 9:51 AM in response to C Bower

What year model iMac and what macOS version is it running..?

see > Identify your iMac model - Apple Support


What new program are you trying to download and install on this iMac...?


To check your user account and/or add another user account.

go to > Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac - Apple Support

Then at the top, select the macOS version that your iMac is currently running.

How to make me administrator of my own Mac

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.