Are there known issues with apple user accounts

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Level 1

25 points

Are there known issues with apple user accounts

I have a problem with a sluggish Magic Mouse;

The issue? my trackpad is fine always under any conditions - my Magic Mouse with any browser - Firefox, Safari, Chrome does not smooth scroll - go to apple.com - flick down / up - it almost moved as if there are pages. On a trackpad - smooth as silk.

My partner has a problem with MSOffice Apps hanging - not been able to use office for a couple of weeks.

In both cases - in clouding safe mode, reinstalling software, running a variety of terminal routines - NOTHING worked in either case.

BUT - when I logged into the same computer with a different account - all was fine.

IN BOTH CASES.

ie ...

Problem 1 - MSoft Office crashes and hangs with user A - but not another user/guest

Problem 2 - a stuttering mouse on any browser if going through Bluetooth with user B - but not another user/guest

Is this a known issue that someone is working on - corrupt user accounts? Somehow?

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 26.1

Posted on Oct 19, 2025 2:45 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

jeffreythefrog

Level 6

13,968 points

Oct 19, 2025 3:11 PM in response to fractal$

I would have to agree. there must be something in your user account causing an issue if all works correct in a new account.

i'm thinking you should download and run the free version of EtreCheck so we can see if you have some software installed that is causing your issue. make sure you give "full disk access" to etrecheck. Learn how to use it by reading Using EtreCheck. if you need help interpreting the report, you can see how to post the report here by reading How to use the Add Text Feature When Posting Large Amounts of Text, i.e. an Etrecheck Report. and it automatically obscures sensitive things (like serial numbers) so you don't have to worry about sharing the report here.

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Answer 2

Oct 19, 2025 2:58 PM in response to fractal$

If creating a new user account ‘fixes’ the issue, then the issue is specific to the account and most likely due to some quirk of that account. No one at Apple is ‘working on it’ because there’s no reproducible error.

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Answer 3

Barney-15E

Level 10

121,952 points

Oct 19, 2025 7:47 PM in response to fractal$

Are there known issues with apple user accounts?

There are random unknown issues with user accounts that are difficult to resolve.

Reinstalling the OS is fruitless since it cannot be modified.

Reinstalling apps usually won't do anything because the configuration files are not overwritten. There are various places where they might be located, but in the case of Office, they have sandboxed the apps and there are Containers and Group Containers, deleting of which might prove fruitful.

What other Bluetooth devices do you have connected to that user?

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Answer 4

Oct 19, 2025 6:55 PM in response to fractal$

I asked if the problem was only with the Microsoft apps.

Please download and run (free) EtreCheck, and share the results to the clipboard. Then open a new reply here, and press the Additional Text button that looks like a printed page, and paste and post the hardware and software configuration report here. From that, we can get a little more detail about what is installed and what is running here.

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Answer 5

fractal$ Author

Level 1

25 points

Nov 21, 2025 7:30 PM in response to fractal$

Hello all - well - my problem is finally fixed - and I was so excited that I wrote about it here. Bottom line - I used ChatGPT who bottomed it out in around 10 minutes. In the post I also included the terminal commands - because yes - it was that deep that finally fixed me.

Unconvinced that what I had is related to anything else reported here - but since I had been posting, asking for help - and getting help - thank you - it seemed right to offer a solution which might not work for you - but also an approach - that might.

// @MrHoffman as you MIGHT read in the post - I did install Etre - but I just never managed to find time to run it - but thank you for persevering with me.

On the other issue I had - where MSoft products were crashing on another machine - the fix in the end was setting up a second account - and that is where we now log on - couple of futzes around reconnecting mail - but all the docs used sit in iCloud - so that all just synced up. Best guess - corrupt user profile - sometimes a pragmatism works out - which is very UNLIKE me - because it still gets to be - but why - but life I decided on this one - was too short :-)

Thank you all.

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Answer 6

Oct 25, 2025 7:09 AM in response to fractal$

EtreCheck data for both computers, please?

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Answer 7

fractal$ Author

Level 1

25 points

Oct 24, 2025 11:53 PM in response to MrHoffman

the two problems on two different machines are

1) trackpad and bluetooth mouse work fine and identical behaviour on all parts of the Mac - EXCEPT when it comes to a browser - any browser ... safari, chrome and Firefox all have the same issue - on a long tall page to scroll - say on apple - with track pad - smooth as silk - with safari and others - it is almost as if you are paging down - maybe ten swipes to get to the bottom of the apple page.

2) the other machine has the Microsoft issue as in the Microsoft apps - excel, word and powerpoint all pretty much crash under one account - won't start up at all - but just tonight set up a totally different profile using same software - and all worlks fine - so certainly points to use profile corruption.

I have set up a second account on the mouse problem machine - and will check that when I next get close to the bluetooth mouse.

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Answer 8

fractal$ Author

Level 1

25 points

Oct 19, 2025 6:45 PM in response to MrHoffman

To be clear - the sluggishness is a bluetooth mouse on one machine - the Microsoft apps are a different problem on a different machine

Magic Mouse Demo

Beginning as you scroll down and notice it scrolls and stopped - take me about 10 mouse swipes to get to scroll to bottom - at the end when I just spins back to the top is a single flick on the track pad.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/n8AXKub_D-Y

The other machine is that MSOffice Apps just hang - even under safe mode - but under a different use on the same machine - they just work

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Answer 9

fractal$ Author

Level 1

25 points

Oct 19, 2025 3:12 PM in response to neuroanatomist

BUT - tow computers, two users, two totally different problems - both reducing to an issue of a corrupt user account - coincidence - or something more fundamental?

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Answer 10

Oct 19, 2025 4:37 PM in response to fractal$

Have any apps other than the Microsoft apps had this issue with sluggishness?

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Answer 11

fractal$ Author

Level 1

25 points

Oct 24, 2025 11:47 PM in response to MrHoffman

@mrhoffman - I will be back and thank you for this - I need access to my partner machine to sort this side out for her - hence the delay - bit back on it this weekend.

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