Chapter 16. Users and Groups

During installation of Xubuntu, a single user and password is created. However, any modern operating system permits multiple users to operate the computer while preserving their own personal settings and files. On Xubuntu, each user has their own home directory in which files and settings are stored. Further, each user can be part of one or more groups, which define which parts of the system that user has access to.

To modify the users or groups on your system, you can use the Users And Groups application located in ApplicationsSystemUsers and Groups.

[Note]

You need administrative rights to use this application (see Administrative Tasks).

To add a new user,

  1. Click on the Add button.

  2. Enter your password if prompted to do so.

  3. In the Create New User window, type the name of the new user in the Name field.

  4. As you type in the Name field, the Short Name field generates a short name. You can select the short name that has been generated, input your own short name, or you can click on the downward pointing arrow to reveal other computer generated suggestions for the short name.

  5. Click OK.

  6. In the Change User Password window, enter your own password in the New password field and reenter the same password in the Confirmation field, or select the Generate random password option.

  7. Click OK.

[Note]

To give a new user administrative rights (see Administrative Tasks), click the Change button directly across from the Account type field. Enter your password if prompted to do so. Click on the Administrator option and click OK.

To add a new group, click on Manage Groups and click Add. Choose a name for the new group and, if you want, change the default value for the Group ID. If you try to allocate a Group ID that is already in use, the system will warn you.

You can add users to the newly created group by selecting the checkbox next to each user's name in the Group Members list. Removing a user from a group is as simple as adding one: unselect the checkbox next to a user's name. When you are ready, click OK and the new group with its associated users, if any were selected, will be created.

To edit the properties of a group, choose a group name and click on the Properties button within the Groups settings main window.

To remove a group from the system, click on Manage Groups button in the Users Settings window, select the group you want to delete and click Delete.