Running day to day tasks as a Standard user, instead of an Administration user, in Macintosh OS X provides some protection for your system against viruses, malware and corruption. Your computer should have an Administrator account so you can install software and make changes to the system, but you should not have to log in to this account for daily activities.

1. Double-click the System Preferences icon. System Preferences is located in the Applications folder on your hard drive and can also be accessed through the Dock. The System Preferences window will open.
       
2. Under System, click the Accounts icon. The Accounts window will open and a list of accounts on the system will appear.
   
3. To make changes, you may need to click the lock icon and enter your Administration username and password.
4. Click the plus sign in the lower left hand corner. A New Account window will open.
5. Make sure Standard is selected from the drop down menu in the New Account field.
6. Enter your name in the Full Name field, enter a username in the Account Name field, and type a password in the Password field. Re-enter the password in the Verify field and type a password hint in the Password Hint field (optional, but recommended).
7. Close the window. The new Standard user account has been created.