How to Add a User in Ubuntu?

If you use Ubuntu and want to add a user then this post is for you. Now if you read this blog usually, you'd be wondering what the heck is wrong with this guy!. I mean first he wrote about finding the Ubuntu version (actually that one is kinda hard to find with the Unity desktop :D) now adding a user, what is he, nuts!. Well here's the thing.

I use Dvorak layout for touch typing and I've been using it for a long time and never thought that I'd write about changing the keyboard layout in Ubuntu because I thought everyone knew it. But in fact after writing a post about it, it did receive a fare share of comments which resembles the importance.

So I thought of writing few posts here and there to help some of the newcomers to GNU/Linux (Ubuntu actually) to get along easily with this totally awesome OS :D.

Well, that should be enough for an explanation to my usual readers (oh way I don't have any :/) anyhow let me get back to the topic. Now as usual there are many ways that you can do this but I'll do it using two ways. I'll skip launching the application using the standard Classic menu in Gnome desktop since Unity desktop doesn't come with that menu.

Method - 1

*. Click on icon next to your current logged in user name in the notification area of Ubuntu desktop (should work in both Gnome and Unity) as in the below screenshot and from the menu, click on: "System Settings".

*. Now from the next window that you get from your left under "groups" choose: "system".

*. Now to your right side choose "Users and Groups".

This should bring you the GUI window which you can use to change/add new or existing users in your Ubuntu distribution as below.

But if you don't like to go through all that hassle, then just open a Terminal window and enter the below command.

users-admin

That should bring you the same window as above.

Now you can add users using this GUI quite easily. Although I wouldn't be going into much details but you can use this to do things like...

*. Add/Delete/Change Users and Groups.

*. Add a phone number/address,etc.

And change user privileges. But except in a Server environment, the most important one in my experience making a user the system administrator of your Ubuntu OS. Now the user account that you create while installing the OS is the default administrator, so most of the time you wouldn't need this.

But say that you have a geek friend or family member :) who likes to do advanced things (yikes) such as configuring a printer, installing applications, etc then he/she will need administrative privileges. In that case, with a freshly created user you can make him one of the system administrator of the system by clicking on the user and then use the "Advanced settings" button.

This should open a window similar to the below one and if you want to make the user one of the administrators of your OS, then click on the "User Privileges" tab and from that locate one that says "administrator the system" (usually the second from the list) and make sure to click on the box to add the check mark.

Also remember, unless you've manually enabled the "root" user in Ubuntu, which is disabled by default for security reasons, then at least one user has to be the system admin. This as mentioned before will be the user that you created while installing the system. So unless you have another admin, you won't be able to remove his administrative privileges.

By using this tab you can enable/disable users from doing things such as ...

*. Using a modem, wireless networks and connecting to internet.

*. Disable network access.

*. Disable CD/DVD drives access.

*. Disable the access to system logs. 

*. Send/receive faxes, etc are just a few to mention.

If you want to temporarily disable a choosen account (rather than deleting), change the home directory path, etc then click on the "advanced" tab and click on the "disable account" option or give the new home directory path. 

If you don't know other things like shell, user ID, etc then its better to leave them to their default values. And Good luck.