how to default location of 'Home' user directories

stevebythesea · 02-15-2013, 12:02 PM

Hi
I decided to change the default location of all my user files by following a thread that told me how to do this; I did this as I am running out of HD space, and wanted my extensive photo and music collection on an external HD.
To do the above, I changes the location in system preferences>users and groups, selected account, right click into advanced. Re-boot and my default location had changed, but as I had not copied files across first, my desktop was back to default settings.

Having proven that this works, I decided to undo changes, copy existing directories to new location, then redo above.

However, the right click into advanced settings no longer works, so I cannot undo!

Can someone please tell me how to restore my 'home' location back to my HD?

I am running 10.7.5 on an imac.

Thanks in advance.

ganbustein · 02-17-2013, 10:38 PM

Create a new admin user, and use that user repair the damage. You can delete the new admin user after you're done with it.

Instead of setting the home folder back, you could just copy your existing home folder to its new location, replacing the automatically created but nearly empty one that's there.

The safest way to do the copy and get permissions right is to do it in Terminal. Suppose your username is steve. While logged in as the admin user, type:

echo ~steve

The output should be the path to the new home folder. To do the copy, enter

sudo cp -a /Users/steve ~steve

(Be sure to substitute your correct username for steve in both places, if different.) You should then be able to log out and log back in as steve. Verify that!

It might have been easier (and might still be advisable) to move only your music and photos to the new drive, rather than moving your entire home folder. Both iTunes and iPhoto allow you to put your libraries pretty much wherever you want. Having your home directory on an external drive can be problematic if you ever try to log in when the drive is not mounted. While you can put your home folder wherever you want, you may find life easier if you keep it in the usual location.

02-15-2013, 12:02 PM	#1
stevebythesea Prospect Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 1	how to default location of 'Home' user directories Hi I decided to change the default location of all my user files by following a thread that told me how to do this; I did this as I am running out of HD space, and wanted my extensive photo and music collection on an external HD. To do the above, I changes the location in system preferences>users and groups, selected account, right click into advanced. Re-boot and my default location had changed, but as I had not copied files across first, my desktop was back to default settings. Having proven that this works, I decided to undo changes, copy existing directories to new location, then redo above. However, the right click into advanced settings no longer works, so I cannot undo! Can someone please tell me how to restore my 'home' location back to my HD? I am running 10.7.5 on an imac. Thanks in advance.

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02-17-2013, 10:38 PM	#2
ganbustein MVP Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Berkeley CA USA Posts: 1,010	Create a new admin user, and use that user repair the damage. You can delete the new admin user after you're done with it. Instead of setting the home folder back, you could just copy your existing home folder to its new location, replacing the automatically created but nearly empty one that's there. The safest way to do the copy and get permissions right is to do it in Terminal. Suppose your username is steve. While logged in as the admin user, type: echo ~steve The output should be the path to the new home folder. To do the copy, enter sudo cp -a /Users/steve ~steve (Be sure to substitute your correct username for steve in both places, if different.) You should then be able to log out and log back in as steve. Verify that! It might have been easier (and might still be advisable) to move only your music and photos to the new drive, rather than moving your entire home folder. Both iTunes and iPhoto allow you to put your libraries pretty much wherever you want. Having your home directory on an external drive can be problematic if you ever try to log in when the drive is not mounted. While you can put your home folder wherever you want, you may find life easier if you keep it in the usual location.