Mac OS X 10.4 Help
Changing the way users log in
You can set up your computer to ask for a password when users log in, and you can set up automatic login, which automatically logs in a specified user each time the computer starts up.
If you require users to log in using passwords, you can choose what they see when they log in. The login window can show a list of users with a picture next to each name and a space to type their password, or it can require users to type both their user name and password.
- Open System Preferences and click Accounts.
- If some settings are dimmed, click the lock icon and type an administrator name and password.
- Click Login Options.
- Select the way you want users to log in (a list of users or a dialog asking for their name and password).
- Select "Automatically log in as" if you want the computer to log one user in automatically each time it starts up. Then choose the user from the pop-up menu and enter the user's password when prompted.
If you turn automatic login on for yourself, the computer opens your account when it starts up. If you log out, other users see a login window to log into their user accounts.
IMPORTANT: Be very careful when setting up automatic login. If you turn on automatic login for yourself, another user can restart the computer and have instant access to your user account when the computer starts up again.