You are here

User Folder Doesn't Match MCAD Login Username

When you first received your laptop from the Help Desk, whether as a student receiving a MacBook to keep or as staff/faculty receiving a loaner, you were asked to set up a user account on that computer with the same name as your MCAD Login username. This becomes the name of your User Folder, also called your Home Folder. If this matches your MCAD username, your computer should be able to automatically connect to our print server and to your PaperCut account so that you are ready to print to campus printers with no additional steps.

However, if you set your computer account name to anything other than your MCAD Login username, your computer will need some extra help to talk to our printers. You cannot change your computer account name after your user folder has been created. Below are the steps you can take instead.

Install CLIENT-REQUIRED Printers

The simplest option is to reinstall the "client required" versions of the printers on your computer, along with the PaperCut client.

  • Open System Preferences > Printers & Scanners.
  • Select all pre-installed MCAD printers in the left sidebar and remove them by pressing the minus button in the lower left. You can select one and then press command + a to select all, or you can hold down command or shift and click to select multiple.
  • AFTER you've deleted the pre-installed printers, visit these Print Deploy instructions, and follow the steps to download and run the Print Deploy installer.
  • When you get to step 5 ("WHICH VERSION DO I CHOOSE?"), follow the first option: install ONLY the printers with the words CLIENT-REQUIRED in the name.
  • Download, install, and sign in to the PaperCut Client, also linked in step 5.
  • As noted, you'll want to put this app (labeled "PCClient") into your Applications folder and add it to your Login Items so that it reopens when you restart your computer (System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items > + > select PCClient).
  • Try printing a blank document to one of the newly installed printers. You will probably be asked to sign in with your MCAD login credentials; if you are, select "until I logout" to stay signed in for longer. You can check if your test print worked and cancel it by going to papercut.mcad.edu > Jobs Pending Release.
  • To print, the PCClient will need to be open. If it is, you'll see the PaperCut icon in your top menu bar. If you don't, you'll need to open it from the Applications folder. As always, you need to be on the MCAD wifi to print to our printers.
  • Email helpdesk@mcad.edu if you need help with this process.
Recreate Your Computer User Account

If you'd like to more permanently correct your computer account name rather than using the above workaround, there are two ways to do this.

You can make a full backup of your data and have your computer reimaged at the Help Desk, then enter your username correctly when setting the computer up again from scratch. This is a good option if your computer needs other troubleshooting or updates anyway.

Alternatively, you can make a new user account on your computer with your correct username. You can then move all your data from your current user account to a temporary location inside the Shared folder, then log in to the new user account and retrieve the data from within the Shared folder. (User accounts can't access other's user folders, but they can all access the Shared Folder.) This process can be tricky; we recommend making a full backup of your data before trying it. You can also contact us at helpdesk@mcad.edu for assistance.

KB Footer

Can't find what you need? Let us know how we can help!