Privileges provides a quick and easy way to get administrator rights when needed on university-owned Macs for faculty and staff. When you do need admin rights, you can get them immediately by clicking on the Privileges icon in your Dock.

If you do not see the Privileges icon in your Dock, you can find the application in your Applications / Utilities folder on the Macintosh HD. Steps to put the Privileges icon in your Dock can be found by following the frequently asked questions link below.

Working as a standard user instead of an administrator adds another layer of security to your Mac and is considered a security best practice.

Click here for some frequently asked questions about Privileges.

Using Privileges


If you are a standard user and want admin rights:

  1. Launch Privileges.
  2. Click the Request Privileges button.
  3. The Privileges dock icon should change to look like a yellow unlocked padlock.
  4. A Privileges have been changed successfully message should appear.

5. The logged-in account should now have admin rights.

If you are a admin user and want to remove admin rights:

  1. Launch Privileges.
  2. Click the Remove Privileges button.
  3. The Privileges dock icon should change to look like a green locked padlock.
  4. A Privileges have been changed successfully message should appear.


5. The logged-in account should now be a standard user account.