Is there a way to merge two users into one?

[Harry Tainte]

I have what seems to be an unusual question, probably could use a little help.

I upgraded from an M1 MBP in January to a M3 MBP. I wanted to simply drag everything over from either the old MBP, Time Machine, or a different external SSD, but it seemed to not be doing what I wanted, so I capitulated and resorted to Migration Assistant (didn't want to in case it brought over lurking gremlins).

It took a couple months for this problem to emerge, but I eventually noticed that now I have two users: 'me' (apparently the user from the older MBP) and 'me_1' (apparently the user created for the new MBP). I don't recall the migration process asking me to create a new user, or ever creating a new user, and I certainly did not want two of 'me'. I also would not have created a user with the suffix '_1', so the OS must have done that on its own. (I'm using 'me' here as a stand-in for the actual account name, for simplicity and privacy)

I finally noticed that certain things from Logic Pro were 'missing', and certain books I'd purchased for 'Books' were missing when I log in as 'me_1'. Since they have the same pw as well as the same shortcut name, I did not know there were two users representing me. I eventually discovered that just before I logged into the computer (on the log-in screen), there would be an avatar icon of 'me_1', waiting for a pw or touch ID, and if I waited just a bit longer, a second, smaller avatar icon of 'me' floated out from behind the first avatar icon!

This is problematic. I have to log out and back in as the other user to get to certain things, my SSD is now twice as full as it should be (many of the things are duplicated for two users), and my Time Machine BU is twice the size it should be. It's kind of a nightmare.

So, how do I merge those two versions of 'me' into a single user? A split personality is not quite what it's cracked up to be.

Thx in advance,

Tom 😇

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

How do I merge two user accounts into one? - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

 

[Fishrrman]

This is what happens when one does not "migrate properly" at the very beginning of new Mac ownership.

The OP is now in "permissions hell".

It's going to take considerable work to resolve this.

The "solution" posted at Apple is going in the right direction, but it leaves something out.
One has to do this and (in the process) take steps to overcome the permissions issue.

OP, some suggestions:
(print out this reply and keep it for reference)

1. choose WHICH ONE of the "two accounts" you wish to keep as "your own". We'll call this the "preferred" account.

2. get an external USB drive. Actually, you might even use a USB flash drive for this, if it's large enough.

3. log out of your "preferred" account and log into "the other" account for now.

4. get paper and pencil and MAKE A WRITTEN LIST of those things from "the other" account that you wish to "migrate into" the "kept" account.
You MUST do this, or you may end up leaving out things or going around in circles.

5. you need to locate the listed items, and copy them from the internal drive to the external drive. It's not particularly important how they're organized on the external drive. You just have to "have them there" so you can "copy them back" later on.

6. once everything is copied over, LOG OUT of "the other" account, and LOG INTO your "preferred" account.

7. now look in the finder at the icon for the external drive. Click ONE TIME on the drive icon to select it, then bring up the get info box for it (type command-i).

8. at the bottom of get info, click the lock and enter your password (for the preferred account).

9. put a checkmark into "ignore ownership on this volume" (sharing and permissions).

10. close get info.

NOW... you can copy items from the external drive to [wherever you want them to go] your preferred account -- and whatever you copy will "come under the ownership" of your preferred account.

You need to do this with EACH INDIVIDUAL ITEM you are "moving" from the old account to the preferred one. Hence, this is why you need a written record to which you can refer.

Once you are done with the "manual migration", I recommend that you go to the users and groups settings pane and DELETE the old, unwanted account. You don't want that there any more!

It MIGHT be necessary to reinstall some apps. Can't answer that. But you have to do, what you have to do.

And... NEXT TIME you get a new Mac... migrate properly from the moment you first boot it!

Good luck...