Transferring a Macintosh, iMac, Mac Mini, Macbook to a new user

Transferring a Macintosh computer to a new user

Procedure can also be used to add additional users.

When a user leaves Mass General Brigham, or decides to hand over a Macbook, Mac Mini, iMac, or any other Macintosh computer the computer will need a new Administrator account created for the new user.

If the user password is not known, and the computer is not listed in PEAS, it is possible that the computer was registered using a previous user's Apple ID. In that case you may have to obtain the user's Apple ID account and password info or have the user log in before using the "known password procedure".

If you cannot obtain a user password or a recovery key you may be able to erase the computer's drive.

Please note: Office 365, Dropbox and OneDrive and other data, or Applications that require an active MGB user ID and password will be terminated when the user's MGB account is deactivated. Acquiring a new computer or changing computers does not deactivate these accounts.

macOS 13 Ventura and macOS 14 Sonoma

This procedure is valid for both Intel and Apple Silicon computers.

When a user leaves Mass General Brigham, or decides to hand over a Macbook, Mac Mini, iMac, or any other Macintosh computer the computer will need a new Administrator account* created for the new user.

1. If the user's computer password is known:

• Log in using a known Administrator Account.
• If the previous user has data that needs to be saved they should log in and transfer the data to a secure location on the Cloud, external drive, or on an MGB SFA.
• Under the Apple menu Open the System Settings and find the Users and Groups.
• For macOS 13, select the Add Account button to add a new user (you may be asked to enter your password)
• For macOS 14, select the Add User button to add a new user (you may be asked to enter your password)
• Select ADMINISTRATOR in the new account drop down menu.
• create a new user and password. You must name this account using the new user's MGB User ID. (You may select a simple password for now and have the new user change it later)
• hit Create User
• Close System Settings.
• Log out of the existing account, or restart the Mac.
• Log in to the new account.

2. If the password is not known:

Call the MGB Service Center or open a self service ticket requesting the computer's recovery key. Provide the Service Center with the asset tag number or serial number of the computer. If the computer is registered with PEAS, and is or was encrypted by PEAS, the recovery key will allow you access to the current user.

After receiving the recovery key follow steps outlined above.

1. Shut down your MacBook M series
2. Press and hold the power button or Touch ID until the screen says "Loading startup options".
3. Choose Options, then click Continue.
4. If you're prompted for an admin password, choose "Forgot all passwords?". If you're prompted to authenticate with your Apple ID, do so to continue.
5. You should now see a window with four options: Restore from Time Machine, Install macOS, Safari, Disk Utility. Don't choose any of these; instead, go to the menu bar at the top of the screen and click on Utilities. Then, choose Terminal.
6. Type "resetpassword" without the quotes and hit Enter (Return).
7. If FileVault is disabled, you should be able to reset your password without issue.

   If FileVault is on

   After clicking "Forgot all passwords?", if you're asked for your FileVault recovery key:

   1. Enter your FileVault recovery key. You received it when you turned on FileVault and chose to create a recovery key instead of allowing your iCloud account (Apple ID) to unlock your disk.

   2. When prompted to reset your password, click Reset Password.

   3. Select a user to reset the password for.

   4. After successfully authenticating, click Exit.

   5. Choose Apple menu  > Restart, then log in with your new password. Password reset is now complete. You don't need to take additional steps.

3. Deleting old user account(s):

• Log in as the new user
• Open System Settings and open the Users and Groups control panel
• Unlock the control panel
• Click on the Info icon to select the user to be deleted and click the Delete Account button on the lower left.

Decide what to do with the user: Note that keeping a copy of the user will consume hard disk space. We suggest the user move all their data off to a secure storage area, and deleting the home folder.

NOTE: All user accounts on Mac systems must now use the MGB user ID. The computer user's account name is used to provide services like secure printing.