Caution: Do not rename a user's home folder

Jul 20, '07 07:30:06AM

Contributed by: vonkas

I didn't realise this was possible, but it happened to a friend. She must have inadvertently clicked the trackpad while typing on her MacBook, and overtyped the home folder name -- which is indeed possible, without so much as a warning!

On the next reboot, she had a brand new user account, with all her stuff apparently gone! I helped her to put things back by simply renaming the new user folder (which appeared in her correct short user name) to '123,' then renaming the 'good' folder with her short user name and re-logging in. All was good again!

But what a bummer that this is possible! I wonder how many people had this happen and had to give up living....

[robg adds: This bug (feature?) has existed in OS X for as long as I can remember, so I was surprised to find we've never run a hint about it before. You can indeed really ruin your day by renaming your user's home folder then restarting. The fix shown here is the one I've used with friends in the past, and it seems to work with no ill effects. If you ever want to change your short user name on purpose, Apple provides a solution -- at 40 steps, this is not something to undertake lightly. A much better solution, in my opinion, is ChangeShortName, a free program by Dan Frakes and James Bucanek. Full disclosure: I work with Dan Frakes at Macworld.]

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