macOS Sierra Home Folder Capitalization

[stark93]

I did a clean install of macOS Sierra. When trying to name my home folder during setup, it will not allow me to capitalize the first letter of my name. With prior versions of OS X, I was able to capitalize the first letter of the home folder's name.

Anyone else experience this or know a work around? It's driving my OCD crazy.

 

[KALLT]

You can rename your home directory and username.

https://support.apple.com/HT201548

 

[stark93]

You can rename your home directory and username.

https://support.apple.com/HT201548

That doesn't work

 

[KALLT]

What do you mean with ’that doesn’t work’?

 

[stark93]

What do you mean with ’that doesn’t work’?

... That https://support.apple.com/HT201548 does not work.

Attached is the final result of following that guide

 

[KALLT]

You are still not specific. Where did it go wrong? Have you renamed the home directory?

 

[stark93]

You are still not specific. Where did it go wrong? Have you renamed the home directory?

Yeah I capitalized the "A"

 

[insomniac86]

So I just did a clean install and noticed this too and it pissed me off (yeah I'm a fuss pot)

Since I had only setup a brand new user with nothing configured (apart from iCloud).

I resolved it by doing the following:

1. Create a new Admin user (temp)

2. Delete my first account

3. Create my account again with the desired name (It allowed me to use a capital)

4. Logged in with my new account and deleted the temp account.

All is happy days

 

[KALLT]

See step 2. You need to rename the directory itself too!

 

[insomniac86]

Oh it looks like it only affects Aaron's!

LOL
[doublepost=1474536941][/doublepost]

See step 2. You need to rename the directory itself too!

If thats in reply to my post, I was asked to purge the Home Dir when removing the user. So that wasn't an issue.

The reason I did my method over editing the user, back in previous versions of OSX I used to find it screwed with the Back to Mac, as the Apple ID field would malfunction after an edit. Also once you edited a user, it would always show up as a permission fault when running the old permissions checks. Just habit though.

 

[KALLT]

If thats in reply to my post, I was asked to purge the Home Dir when removing the user. So that wasn't an issue.

It wasn’t directed at you. He forgot to rename the home directory itself. He only edited the user record.

 

[stark93]

So I just did a clean install and noticed this too and it pissed me off (yeah I'm a fuss pot)

Since I had only setup a brand new user with nothing configured (apart from iCloud).

I resolved it by doing the following:

1. Create a new Admin user (temp)

2. Delete my first account

3. Create my account again with the desired name (It allowed me to use a capital)

4. Logged in with my new account and deleted the temp account.

All is happy days

Ah! It worked!! Thank you!

 

[KALLT]

Ah! It worked!! Thank you!

Did you do both now?

 

[stark93]

Did you do both now?

No, I just created a new account. Like in the picture I posted before, I changed the user record AND the home directory and it still did not work.

 

[KALLT]

No, I just created a new account. Like in the picture I posted before, I changed the user record AND the home directory and it still did not work.

You did log out, right? The instructions I linked to also required you to use a second account to do this.

 

[Skydoor Blue]

No, I just created a new account. Like in the picture I posted before, I changed the user record AND the home directory and it still did not work.

Just as a note, simply renaming things actually worked for me. I didn't need to create a new account.

First I changed the details in for my account to capitalized versions (System Preferences > Users and Groups > User Name > right-click for Advanced options). Rebooted, then renamed my home folder via Finder. Everything works fine, there are no apparent extra folders etc. etc.

When I first installed the macOS GM candidate I thought "I sure hope they change this in the release version", but they didn't. The work-arounds are there though. I suppose it is an issue only for new computer buyers and clean installers.

 

[insomniac86]

Just as a note, simply renaming things actually worked for me. I didn't need to create a new account.

First I changed the details in for my account to capitalized versions (System Preferences > Users and Groups > User Name > right-click for Advanced options). Rebooted, then renamed my home folder via Finder. Everything works fine, there are no apparent extra folders etc. etc.

When I first installed the macOS GM candidate I thought "I sure hope they change this in the release version", but they didn't. The work-arounds are there though. I suppose it is an issue only for new computer buyers and clean installers.

Yeah it confuses me on why they did this.

 

[Machismo]

So I just did a clean install and noticed this too and it pissed me off (yeah I'm a fuss pot)

Since I had only setup a brand new user with nothing configured (apart from iCloud).

I resolved it by doing the following:

1. Create a new Admin user (temp)

2. Delete my first account

3. Create my account again with the desired name (It allowed me to use a capital)

4. Logged in with my new account and deleted the temp account.

All is happy days

Thanks for that ! I thought I might be the only fuss pot around. It really pissed me off that I couldn't have the first alphabet of my Home folder in uppercase, so I reverted to El Capitan.

Apple Support via Twitter couldn't help me either. This was their reply, "Because the account name (short name) is used to create a user's home folder (also known as home directory), the account name and home folder name must match."

Will try your tip when 10.12.1 is out.

@Skydoor Blue: Please keep us posted if you have any issues with your method.

Thanks again.

 

[KALLT]

Skydoor’s solution probably worked because the file system is still case-insensitive. As long as you only change the capitalisation, I suppose that it is acceptable. Don’t do this to change the name to something else though, programs may have a lock on certain files in the home directory. Also don’t do this if your file system is case-sensitive. You should log out instead and perform the change from another account.

Yeah it confuses me on why they did this.

It may have something to do with Apple File System. So far, that system is case-sensitive, whereas HFS+ is case-insensitive by default. Apple has not disclosed whether they will keep this as the default in the future. A lowercase username is simply conventional on Unix systems, especially on file systems that are case-sensitive.

 

[insomniac86]

Skydoor’s solution probably worked because the file system is still case-insensitive. As long as you only change the capitalisation, I suppose that it is acceptable. Don’t do this to change the name to something else though, programs may have a lock on certain files in the home directory. Also don’t do this if your file system is case-sensitive. You should log out instead and perform the change from another account.



It may have something to do with Apple File System. So far, that system is case-sensitive, whereas HFS+ is case-insensitive by default. Apple has not disclosed whether they will keep this as the default in the future. A lowercase username is simply conventional on Unix systems, especially on file systems that are case-sensitive.

Yeah I was thinking it might have been due to APFS. However you can use APFS as your boot drive (ATM), so not sure why they would have coded in this behaviour. Anyway, easily worked around.

 

[Gudi]

Apple Support via Twitter couldn't help me either. This was their reply, "Because the account name (short name) is used to create a user's home folder (also known as home directory), the account name and home folder name must match."

They're not wrong though. Remember, underneath it all you're running a UNIX system and your user ID is not supposed to be case-sensitive.

 

[chs3578]

So I just did a clean install and noticed this too and it pissed me off (yeah I'm a fuss pot)

Since I had only setup a brand new user with nothing configured (apart from iCloud).

I resolved it by doing the following:

1. Create a new Admin user (temp)

2. Delete my first account

3. Create my account again with the desired name (It allowed me to use a capital)

4. Logged in with my new account and deleted the temp account.

All is happy days

THANK YOU! I LITERALLY CREATED AN ACCOUNT JUST TO THANK YOU.

My OCD was driving me insane to the point where I reinstalled macOS THREE TIMES trying to get it to capitalize. I was, absolutely no joke, considering selling my Mac and buying a Windows (I HATE windows). It was unbearable to the point where I could barely use my computer because I cringed so hard at the lowercase. THANK YOU AGAIN! You saved me life

 

[insomniac86]

THANK YOU! I LITERALLY CREATED AN ACCOUNT JUST TO THANK YOU.

My OCD was driving me insane to the point where I reinstalled macOS THREE TIMES trying to get it to capitalize. I was, absolutely no joke, considering selling my Mac and buying a Windows (I HATE windows). It was unbearable to the point where I could barely use my computer because I cringed so hard at the lowercase. THANK YOU AGAIN! You saved me life

No worries! Glad I could help

 

[shevpro]

No worries! Glad I could help

You legend, just got the new MBP and the stupid lowercase moron made me reinstall the OS because I thought I'd made a typo, who the hell wants a 'home' folder urggghh

 

[insomniac86]

You legend, just got the new MBP and the stupid lowercase moron made me reinstall the OS because I thought I'd made a typo, who the hell wants a 'home' folder urggghh

Bloody Apple, that's my only response. lol