Should I create two macbook users for school and personal use?

Glad I could help! Here's what the overall process looks like (more detailed steps coming soon):

1. Turn on FileVault.
2. Download the macOS installer.
3. Create a new APFS volume to host the "school" environment, where a fresh copy of macOS will be installed.
4. Install macOS onto the new APFS volume.
5. Once macOS is installed, set up the new system for school use.
6. If desired, turn on FileVault for the school system.

Here's some useful info and caveats that can help as well:

• You need to restart your Mac to switch between your personal and school systems. This is because only one macOS system can run at a time. To switch between your systems, follow the steps for "Change your startup disk once" in this article: Change your Mac startup disk - Apple Support (CA)

• Your Mac has a "default startup disk" (default system) that it will always start up from (when you restart normally). To set either your personal system or school system as the default startup disk, complete the "Change your startup disk once" steps above, but hold down the Control key as you choose which system to use. Or, if you don't mind having both systems unlocked (and seeing each other) for a few seconds, you can also set the default startup disk in System Preferences -> Startup Disk.

• You'll need to install macOS updates twice. Because of the isolated nature of your setup, Mac updates only apply to the currently running system. You'll need to install any available updates for both your personal system and your school system. When the update is complete, the current running system will be set as the default startup disk.

• Deleting either the school or personal system is easy. Once you've completed school, or if you decide to drop out (college/university), just start up in your personal system, open Disk Utility, and delete the school volumes. Your personal system will remain perfectly intact. Technically, you could also delete the personal system while running from the school system if you really wanted to (probably not a good idea though - you'd lose your personal content then).

• You might want to add a "transfer" volume so that you can move or copy content between your personal and school systems. To do this, open Disk Utility (in Applications -> Utilities), and add another APFS volume. Name it "Transfer" or something similar, and choose just regular APFS for the format. That way, the transfer volume can easily be accessed by either system in the Finder.

• Your systems (personal/school environments) are only as secure and private as you make them. Don't sign in to any school accounts or install school software on your personal system, and don't sign in to any personal accounts on your school system. It may be annoying at first, but it's well worth it if very strong security and privacy are needed. For instance, if your school later decides that all devices must have surveillance (or exam-proctoring) software installed on them, just install such software onto your school system, and your personal system (and its data) will remain safe.

Hopefully the above helps. Let me know if you have any additional questions!

Hi there vaili,

We can provide some guidance. It's ultimately up to you to decide whether or not to create more than one user account on your Mac to keep your personal and school-related content and data separated. With that said, typically, a managed Apple ID affects device settings and isn't necessarily user-specific. Keeping that in mind, we'd suggest reaching out to your school to see what exactly the managed Apple ID will control on your Mac.

This link provides more information: About Managed Apple IDs for education - Apple Support

Take care.

Here's how to set up a second copy of macOS, and what you should keep in mind. These steps assume that you're running on the latest version of macOS, currently macOS Monterey 12.5.1. Check the tips and caveats at the end before you start, to confirm whether you really want to do this.

Do NOT do this on a school-issued Mac. If your school provides you with a Mac, they may have registered it with Apple Business Manager, and that could threaten the privacy of your personal environment. Also, it's their equipment.

Before you start, treat your current environment (on your Mac) as your personal, non-school system. Avoid installing school software in this area. The second macOS system that you'll create will become your school environment.

Make sure you have enough disk space as well. You can check this by opening Disk Utility, located in Applications -> Utilities. Ideally, you want at least 50 GB of free space for this.

Also, for security, you should enable FileVault on your personal system. This encrypts (scrambles) the data on it in such a way that your personal login password is required in order to unlock (unscramble) and use it. To set up FileVault, go to System Preferences -> Security and Privacy -> FileVault. Unlock the lock in the bottom left corner, and click "Turn On FileVault".

IMPORTANT: If you choose NOT to store the recovery key in iCloud, make sure that you write down the FileVault recovery key shown during setup, and store it in a safe place. Make multiple copies of it to be safe. Without the recovery key, it is impossible to recover your data if you forget your password.

Now, to create the second macOS system, follow these steps:

First, download the macOS installer. You'll need a strong Internet connection for this - the full installer is currently over 12 GB large! To get the installer, follow these steps:

1. Open Terminal, located in Applications -> Utilities.
2. Type this command and hit Enter (Return): softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer
3. Wait for the installer to fully download. Depending on your Internet speeds, this could take several hours. Terminal will show the download as "installing", with a percentage. Once that reaches 100%, the download is complete.

While the macOS installer is downloading, create a new Apple File System (APFS) volume for the new school system:

1. Open Disk Utility, located in Applications -> Utilities.
2. In Disk Utility, select View -> Show All Devices.
3. Select the APFS Container that appears.
4. Click the (+) button to add a new APFS volume. Give the new volume a name (such as "School"), and choose APFS as the format. Don't choose the encrypted or case-sensitive options. Click Add to add the new volume.
5. When finished, quit Disk Utility.

Once the macOS installer is fully downloaded, open it. It should be in the Applications folder, named something similar to "Install macOS Monterey". Make sure to choose your new school volume as the target for the installation. Then, let the installer run and do its thing. Also, if you're prompted to copy a user to the new volume, choose not to do so.

If successful, your Mac should eventually start up to a "Hello" screen, handwritten in multiple languages. This is the Setup Assistant that you'd normally see when your Mac is factory reset, but it's appearing here because you're setting up a new fresh copy of macOS (the school system).

At this point, complete the Setup Assistant and its various prompts. Do NOT sign in with your Apple ID or provide any personal info. When setting up the first user account on the school system, it's ok to use your real name, but choose a different profile picture and a different login password than usual. This will help you easily distinguish between your personal system and your school system. For the rest of the settings, choose whatever you want. If you already have Find My Mac enabled, I recommend enabling Location Services as well so that you can track your Mac if needed.

Once the Setup Assistant is completed, you should arrive at the desktop. You might see a prompt asking you to unlock "Macintosh HD - Data" or "Data". Ignore and dismiss this prompt - your Mac is asking you to unlock your personal system so that your school system can access it, and you don't want to do that.

At this point, visit System Preferences and customize as desired. I recommend setting a different desktop background than your personal one to help remind that you're inside your school environment, not your personal one. Install any school apps that you need.

Finally, if you want to prevent your personal system from accessing your school system, enable FileVault again in System Preferences -> Security and Privacy -> FileVault.

Congrats! At this point you have a working dual-boot system. See my other reply for some tips and caveats on how this all works.

Hi vaili,

If you want to isolate school content from personal content on your Mac, you're likely better off dual-booting. Most people don't do this, but it's the most secure way to isolate different types of content. Before I explain what dual-booting is, I should probably first explain what you would and wouldn't gain by simply creating a new user account.

User accounts can be used to isolate files and personal settings from other users, but usually not apps. By default, most apps try to install themselves system-wide, which means that all user accounts can access and use them. Also, if your school asks you to install any profiles or connect to a mobile device management (MDM) solution, that will apply across all user accounts as well, and thus invade your personal space.

All of the stuff I mentioned above is contained within the running macOS system. The solution I'm proposing is... what if you just make a SECOND macOS system on your Mac? One for personal use, and one for school use?

With this setup (commonly referred to as "dual-booting"), any data, apps, or profiles you install into the school system is truly isolated to that system. Your personal macOS system won't use (or be affected by) the school data at all, and vice versa. Plus, you can enable FileVault on your personal macOS system to ensure that your school system doesn't see any of your personal data and apps.

Let me know if you're interested and I can post the steps for creating the dual-boot system described above.

I wouldn't, but my goals may not be the same as yours.

Two accounts for the same person would be an unnecessary complication for me.