Can I Do This - Multiple User Accounts, Same Apple Account?

I'm wondering if I can do this - I just got a new pc for my wife and kids, each of whom have an ipod. They have been sharing a username and Apple.com account (the xxxx@yyyy id) on the old pc, each synching their ipods with no problems.
On the new PC, which is Vista64 based, they will have their own user account. Can they still use the same Apple account, and share the same songs/Itunes library or will there be problems?
If problems, any suggestions for my setup?
Thanks in advance.

That shouldn't be a problem at all, Bruce. Have a look at this article in the Apple Knowledge Base for the general strategy and post back for any further details you may need.

Similar Messages

Can you set up multiple user accounts on one laptop?

can you set up multiple user accounts on one laptop?

Of course.
And instructions can depend on which OS X is installed.
For v10.7 Lion > OS X Lion: Create a new user account
For v10.8 Mountain Lion > OS X Mountain Lion: Create a new user account
When you post for help, please state which OS X is installed.
If you aren't sure, click About this Mac from your Apple menu 

How can i set up multiple user accounts for my new ipad mini?

How can i set up multiple user accounts for my new ipad mini?

The iPad mini is basically a one user device. There are no Accounts. You can set up restrictions so that only you can do certain things.

Can ipad mini have multiple user accounts

can ipad mini have multiple user accounts?

No, iPads are basically single-user devices, it can only have one set of content on it

How Can I Login To Multiple User Accounts Simultaneously

I am using an Intel iMac (2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo) with 1GB of memory and 10.4.11. I have Fast User Switching enabled. I restart the Mac every morning. Then I login to a second user account. While at work, I access these accounts via VNC.
Sometimes I forget to login to the second user account. I do it from work via VNC, which sometimes causes complications.
Does OSX support simultaneous multiple user account login? If not, is there a work-around solution such as an AppleScript? This would provide a time savings to me, as well as a convenience if I forgot to login to the second user account before leaving home.
Thank you.
Kurt R. Todoroff

Seems to me, in another discussion, the simple Fast User Switching does not
do much really fast or automatically; there are a few faster steps than having
to log into each and every account change (even when FUS is enabled) so
this later development sounds a little more automatic, esp over a distance.
Is there a third party app or valid script that an do the multiple logins automatic
after the first-run; so passwords need not be re-entered, and the screen can just
switch over "fast" to another open account window, ready to go to work in there?
{And not just a keyboard shortcut to save a few little steps, overall.}
Whichever way the road turns...
Good luck & happy computing!
{edited}

Synchronizing multiple user accounts on the same computer

We bought a .mac family pack. Synchronizing 3 computers works great. But we cannot synchronize our 5 family member's multiple user accounts on the brand new iMac G5. Can it be true that synchronizing does not work between different user accounts on the same computer? To be able to do this was the prime motivator to buy a .mac family pack. Please someone tell us that we are doing something wrong!?
Cheers, Leo
PowerBook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.3) iMacG5 and G3

Leo,
I seem to be having better luck with what I think you are trying to do. Let me describe my situation.
I have accounts for my wife and I and each of our children on each of our several Macs.
For my wife's accounts (on each of the Macs) and my account (on each of the Macs) I enabled syncing via the preference pane. I did not sync the mail accounts (she has different e-mail accounts) but we did sync the addresses, bookmarks and such. We did not sync the calendars since we each "subscribe" to each others calendar.
On each machine and across the machines our "sync'd" information appears properly synchronized.
Now, here is one difference, I do NOT have a family pack. I only have my single .Mac account and I use that one account as the .Mac account for my wife and I. Now that I think about it, that would seem to be the big difference.
Might I suggest that you go into your wife's account and change her .Mac information to be YOUR information and see if it synchorizes.
Regards,
Tom

File sharing across multiple user accounts on the same machine

Hello,
I try to figure out how multiple users (my wife and I) on the same mac can have equal access to files on the local drive without granting that access to all users on that machine or even the rest of the world.
My research sofar hasn't come up with a satisfying solution. Here are the solutions that I am looking at:
1. Enable a permission system that ensures access to both users in all cases (file/directory creation, copy and move).
I only found a suitable solution for creating and copying files/directories but not for moving them.
See the following articles for reference:
https://discussions.apple.com/message/20787617#20787617 Setting up a shared structure that works e.g. for iPhoto Library but not for moving files to and from
https://discussions.apple.com/message/4005647#4005647 Helpful information on POSIX Permissions, ACL's an Permission inheritance
This would be my first choice if I can get around the problem of moving files...
2. Disk Image
Create a disk image which ignores persmissions and set permissions for the file that contains the image instead.
Read this article to get further details: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1198
This solution will work but has a few disadvatages:
There's no mutual access from multiple user accounts since an image may only be mounted by one user at a time.
One has to create a startup script that mounts the image upon login which would create a first come first serve for access to the image content.
3. Using a file sharing protocol (e.g. afp or smb) locally.
The idea behind it is to have a server providing the files mutually to multiple users one the same machine. At them moment this seems to be the most promising approach to me.
Unfortunately I can get acces from another machine but not from the same machine. Has anyone ever tried to access the file sharing (afp or smb) from the same machine on which the server is located?
Has anyone got some helpful hints for me?
Thanks in advance.

Sorry, but you didn't specify details, and it was worth checking whether or not you had overlooked this approach.
The problem you're having (as I suppose you already know) is that any new disk item inherits the permissions of the folder it is originally created in in. These permissions (sensibly enough) need owner or administrator permission to change once they've been established; that will happen when you copy a file to a new location (because that's essentially creating a new file) but not when you move it. any of the following would work:
changing the permissions on newly created files for both users so that they all explicitly give r/w access to a particular group.
writing a droplet that would change the permissions of files dropped on it and move them programmatically to the shared folder
set up a folder action or launchd job that would watch the shared folder and automatically convert permissions on files placed in it.
The last would be the approach I would take, but... which appeals to you?

HT1206 Lots of info about one user using multiple computers. What about multiple users with separate Apple IDs using same computer? Having problems getting my wifes new iPhone talking to her apple account on the computer we share (2 users)

Lots of info about one user using multiple computers. What about multiple users with separate Apple IDs using same computer? Having problems getting my wifes new iPhone talking to her apple account on the computer we share (2 users)

You need to create a user account for your wife (or yourself depending on who has the current user account). When syncing, each of you should sign in as a separate user, login to iTunes and then sync. I had this problem when my sister got an iPhone. When we did her initial sync, everything on my iPhone showed up on hers. Apple gave me this solution.

TS5223 can I have multiple users use one apple account?

can I have multiple users use one apple account?

I interpreted his post to mean that he meant multiple human users, not multiple devices. Hopefully, he'll clarify.

Sharing an iTunes Library across multiple user account and a network.

Sharing an iTunes Music Library across multiple user accounts.
Hello Everybody!
Firstly, this was designed to be run in Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. It will not work with earlier versions of Mac OS X! Sorry.
Here's a handy tip for keeping your hard drive neat and tidy, it also saves space, what in effect will be done is an iTunes music library will be shared amongst multiple users on the same machine. There are advantages and disadvantages to using this method.
• Firstly I think it might be worthwhile to state the advantages and disadvantages to using this approach.
The advantages include:
- Space will be saved, as no duplicate files will occur.
- The administrator will be able to have complete control over the content of the iTunes library, this may be useful for restricting the content of the Library; particularly for example if computer is being used at and education institution, business or any other sort of institution where things such as explicit content would be less favorable.
- The machine will not be slowed by the fact that every user has lots of files.
The disadvantages to this system include.
- The fact that the account storing the music will have to be logged in, and iTunes will have to be active in that account.
- If the account housing the music is not active then nobody can use the iTunes library.
- There is a certain degree of risk present when an administrator account must be continually active.
- Fast User Switching must be enabled.
Overview:
A central account controls all music on the machine/network, this is achieved by storing iTunes files in a public location as opposed to in the user's directory. In effect the system will give all users across the machine/network access to the same music/files without the possibility of files 'doubling up' because two different users like the same types of music. This approach saves valuable disk space in this regard and may therefore prove to be useful in some situations.
This is a hearty process to undertake, so only follow this tutorial if you're willing to go all the way to the end of it.
Process:
Step 1:
Firstly, we need to organize the host library, I tidied mine up, removing excess playlists, random files, things like that. this will make thing a bit easier in the later stages of this process.
Once the library is tidied up, move the entire "iTunes" folder from your Home directory to the "//localhost" directory (The Macintosh HD) and ensure that files are on the same level as the "Applications", "Users", "Library" and "System" directories; this will ensure that the files in the library are available to all users on the machine (this also works for networks)
Optionally you can set the ownership of the folder to the 'administrator' account (the user who will be hosting the library.), you may also like to set the permissions of 'you can' to "Read & Write" (assuming that you are doing this through the user who will host the library); secondly you should set the "Owner" to the administrator who will be hosting the library and set their "access" to "Read & Write" (this will ensure that the administrator has full access to the folder). The final part of this step involves setting access for the "Others" tab to "Read Only" this will ensure that the other users can view but not modify the contents on the folder.
Overview:
So far we have done the following steps:
1. Organized the host library.
2. Placed the iTunes directory into a 'public' directory so that other users may use it. (this step is essential if you plan on sharing the library across multiple accounts on the same machine. NOTE: this step is only necessary if you are wanting to share you library across multiple accounts on the same machine, if you simply want to share the music across a network, use the iTunes sharing facility.
3. set ownership and permissions for the iTunes music folder.
Step 2:
Currently the administrator is the only user who can use this library, however we will address this soon. In this step we will enable iTunes music sharing in the administrator's account, this will enable other users to access the files in the library.
If you are not logged in as the administrator, do so; secondly, open iTunes and select "Preferences" from the "iTunes" menu, now click the "Sharing" tab, if "share my library on my local network" is not checked, the radio buttons below this will now become active, you may choose to share the entire libraries contents, or share only selected content.
Sharing only selected content may be useful if their is explicit content in the library and minors use the network or machine that the library is connected to.
If you have selected "share entire library" go to Step 3, if you have selected share "share selected playlists" read on.
After clicking "share selected playlists" you must then select the playlists that you intend to share across your accounts and network. Once you have finished selecting the playlists, click "OK" to save the settings.
Overview:
In this step we:
1. Enabled iTunes sharing in the administrator's account, now, users on the local network may access the iTunes library, however, users on the same machine may not.
Step 3:
Now we will enable users on the same machine to access the library on the machine. This is achieved by logging in as each user, opening iTunes, opening iTunes preferences, and clicking "look for shared music". now all users on the machine may also access the library that the administrator controls.
This in effect will mean that the user will not need to use their user library, it will be provided to them via a pseudo network connection.
As a secondary measure, I have chosen to write a generic login script that will move any content from the user's "Music/iTunes/iTunes Music" directory to the trash and then empties the user's trash.
This is done through the use of an Automator Application: this application does the following actions.
1. Uses the "Finder" action "Get Specified Finder Items"
1a. The user's "~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music" folder
2. Uses the "Finder" action "Get Folder Contents"
3. Uses the "Finder" action "Move to Trash"
4. Uses the "Automator" action "Run AppleScript"
4a. with the following:
on run {input, parameters}
tell application "Finder"
empty trash
end tell
return input
end run
IMPORTANT: Once the script is adapted to the user account it must be set as a login item. in order to keep the script out of the way i have placed it in the user's "Library" directory, in "Application Support" under "iTunes".
Overview:
Here we:
1. Enabled iTunes sharing in the user accounts on the host machine, in effect allowing all users of the machine to view a single iTunes library.
2. (Optional) I have created a login application that will remove any content that has been added to user iTunes libraries, this in effect stops other users of the machine from adding music and files to iTunes.
Step 4:
If it is not already enabled, open system preferences and enable Fast User Switching in Accounts Options.
Summary:
We have shared a single iTunes library across multiple user account, while still allowing for network sharing. This method is designed to save space on machines, particularly those with smaller hard drives.
I hope that this hint proves to be helpful and I hope everybody will give me feedback on my process.
regards,
Pete.
iBook G4; 60GB Hard Drive, 512MB RAM, Airport Extreme Mac OS X (10.4.6) iWork & iLife '06, Adobe CS2, Final Cut Pro. Anything and Everything!!!

how to share music between different accounts on a single computer

How can I have multiple users on one apple id?

How can I have multiple users on one apple ID?
ie: I have my apple ID with my own credit, how can I set up credit for my son under the same apple ID, so that he can still access the same apps I've already downloaded and paid for?

I've been trying to figure out a clean way to do this too. I think you may need more than one Apple ID – one that is shared and used to purchase "sharable" items and then "individual" Apple IDs for you and your son. That's the idea that I'm pursuing for the moment.
It seems that there must be a way to do this, App Store purchases for the Mac are licensed across multiple machines. iPhone app purchases have "all your devices" licensing. Makes me think that Apple has a process in mind for sharing an account (or associating a device with multiple accounts).
Other things I've learned:
- Apparently you can't merge Apple ID accounts. I asked about this once at an Apple Store and was told that there was no way to do it.
- If you share an Apple ID the Messages app behaves in a somewhat surprising manner. It must use your Apple ID to decide where messages should be sent because all users get all messages. This can make it very hard to organize a surprise party :-)

Multiple users on same PC

Hi:
(XP, itunes 7.1)
We have an ipod, a nano & a shuffle all sharing the same PC.
How can I create separate music folders for each user? They want to access only their music & not the other persons.
Currently, every time one of them plugs in their device it deletes all their music on their player. Very Frustrating!
We have the most recent itunes (ver 7 or 7.1 - whatever). OS is XP. I really do not want to set up user accounts so I hope this is not The only way to do this.
I've already tried holding shift while opening the program.. that does absolutely NOTHING. I've already tried creating more libraries. itunes goes through the motions but in the end.. does Not set up another Library.
This SO difficult & un-user friendly! I just can't understand why we can't use an instance of IE folder view to drag & drop music from harddrive to ipod.

When the iPods belong to different people, there are basically three ways of using multiple iPods on a computer and these involve:
a) Sharing a single iTunes library
b) Creating Multiple Libraries in a single user account
c) Creating multiple user accounts.
Note: When you are sharing an iTunes library, you don't have to set each iPod to update in the same manner, you can mix and match from the options below as each iPod has it's own update settings
Sharing a Library and/or User Account
If you want to share the one library, you can set either or all of the iPods so that they only get updated with only certain playlists (you can update from more than one if you wish): iPod - Syncing Music
Choosing the update option "Sync Music - Selected playlists" allows you to create a playlist specifically for the iPod and drag the tracks you want into it. If you tire of the list and want to change it, you just add or remove the songs you don't want. The ones you take out out remain in the library to be used some other time if you choose. You can read more about playlists at these links:
iTunes: Creating playlists of your favorite songs
How to create a Smart Playlist with iTunes
Or you can choose to update any or all of the iPods manually and just drag whatever content you want to them: Managing content manually on iPod
Loading the iPod shuffle differs slightly but it can still be used with the others, for details have a look at this page: Adding songs to iPod shuffle - Windows
Multiple Libraries
It's also possible to have multiple libraries in a single account. To create or access a second (or more) library, hold down the Option key (or Shift key in Windows) when launching iTunes 7. In the resulting dialogue you will get the option to create a new library or navigate to the other Library.
Note: You can only have one Library open at a time and iTunes will default to the last library opened if you don't use the keyboard command to choose one. This can prove tricky when using multiple iPods, if you don't use the keyboard command you can risk syncing to the wrong library: Using multiple iTunes libraries -Windows
Separate User Accounts
Another option is to create a separate User account for each person on your PC or Mac. Different accounts by definition would give you completely separate libraries. Each account has it's own iTunes folder, Library and iTunes Music folder and you load it with CDs etc just as you did with your original one. The iPod can be set to update however the owner chooses, sync all, manual or sync specific playlists
I don't use Windows so I can't give you a step by step on that one, however I can point you to another web page which should help you out. You can read about Windows user accounts here:
Using Windows XP User Accounts

Streaming from multiple user accounts......problem

With my initial set up I had no problem. I have a large iTunes Library. 48k songs. Over 270 GB of files. I synced a few photos and some music for the AppleTV slide shows but everything else I was going to stream. Streaming is working wonderfully from MY user account but if I try and stream a similar sized library from another user account on the same computer it is "NO JOY". I get the "loading library" dialog with the little circle of dashes going round and round but it eventually gives up and does not load. I have tried this with iTunes running on my user account and with iTunes turned off on my user account and either way the library from the other user account will NOT load. I am at a loss here. The set up for the second user went smoothly. I clicked add a library and got a key code on my TV screen. AppleTV showed up in the devices column in iTunes of the second user account and accepted the key code but like I said earlier the library will just not load for streaming. Streaming from my first user account is still working well. I have not found any discussion topics dealing with streaming from multiple user accounts. Hopefully someone who is doing this will chime in and help me out if possible.

The only way I have been able to get this to work is to quit the iTunes that I am currently streaming from. Switch (on the computer) users to the library I want to stream from. Start iTunes on that user. If I follow this I can get AppleTV to load the library of the second user. If I do NOT quit iTunes from the first user it will not load the second user's library. If I have iTunes from the second user running at the same time I quit the first user's iTunes it will NOT load the second users library. I guess it is a bug and will need to be fixed with the next software release. I would like to be able to switch among user libraries at will and independent of which user is currently using the computer.

Create multiple user accounts

How could I create multiple user accounts?...
We have about 2000 students register every year and each of them will be given a user account

I managed to create many users using the command
imadmin -D serviceadmin n xxx.com -w password -i <inputfile>....
the content of the input file
l KA1000
F new
L user1
W secret
l KA1001
F new
L user2
W secret
so I have created 2 user accounts [email protected] and [email protected]....
I have one more question to ask..how can I create new accounts which have different login id and email address using the input file....for examples for login id KA1000 the email address would be [email protected].
I've tried this using ldapadd and it worked, so I would like to know wether imadmin command will work the same.....

Is there any information about using iCloud on a Mac with multiple user accounts (Mountain Lion)

When upgrading to Mountain Lion, you are asked to sign in using your iCloud ID. I don't understand how to set up the proper synching of "stuff" if your Mac has multiple user accounts, and they each have their own iCloud ID.
The whole issue of supporting multiple users on a Mac and making everything easy to understand with regard to iTunes and iCloud is, in my opinion, currently in a state of disaster. Apple needs to address this. They have conveniently made it a non-issue on iPads by not allowing multiple users. I can tell you that as one of the resident iOS and Apple experts in my office, most of the questions I get from others (not work-related) are on this topic. It needs to be easier to understand and accomplish.
Thanks in advance for any information you have on this subject.

CS7981 wrote:
is "Is there any benefit to using my Airport Express with my wireless router
no.

Can I Do This - Multiple User Accounts, Same Apple Account?

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