Multiple Users and Permissions

[circatee]

Coming from Windows, one has to change their mindset and learn new things when it come to Mac.

With that, I have an iMac, with two user accounts. Both are Admins on the iMac.

When I'm logged in, I sometimes need to review Documents, Photos, etc. of the other Admin account on this iMac. Typically when I open the Users\~username\Pictures directory, there is a RED minus sign on it. I then have to go into Get Info \ Sharing Permissions, and add myself, with Read\Write.

Is this a standard thing on Macs? Rather different on Windows, hence the question. Also, if I apply the permissions for that folder it should remain, even if I restart of shut the iMac down, right?

Thanks in advance

 

[1024724]

It's normal if you're trying to access User account A while logged in as User account B. If you want to share folders between multiple User accounts you will need to create/save to a "shared" folder.

Surprised this is not a standard behavior on Windows.

 

[richard2]

Is this a standard thing on Macs? Rather different on Windows, hence the question.

Why would you expect one user to have full access to all of another user's files by default?

Also, if I apply the permissions for that folder it should remain, even if I restart of shut the iMac down, right?

Yes; however, a far better solution would be to store the files you wish to share in the folder /Users/Shared.

 

[circatee]

Why would you expect one user to have full access to all of another user's files by default?

- Mainly because both users are Admins. After all, my entire life I've been a Windows user. On Windows, if you're an Admin, you have access to EVERYTHING. Hence the mental thought...

Yes; however, a far better solution would be to store the files you wish to share in the folder /Users/Shared.

 

[leman]

If you want to have access to each other files, add both accounts to the same group and make a sticky ACL on user folders that would allow the group access.

 

[NoBoMac]

Ditto the various options provided.

Not so much a Mac thing, but more a *nix thing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_security (read the first section and filesystem section for this particular issue).

Admin accounts can be thought as "super-user lite" accounts (can do a lot, but does not have all the powers).

And personally, I have two accounts, one admin, one non, and I use the non-admin account 99.9% of the time. Only use admin when... need to admin. Unlike old Windows environments (or more likely, poorly written Windows programs) one does not need admin rights for programs to work correctly (though guessing there is the odd program out there in OS X world, again poorly written if needing that level of privilege to work correctly). I do the same on my Windows 10 VM, and things "just work" there too.