Authenticate to a System Preference pane
Some panes in the System Preferences application in Mac OS X may prevent a logged-in user from making changes until an administrator-level username and password is entered. This is a security measure that locks "normal" level user accounts out of certain functions, creating a safer environment for sharing the computer.
To make changes, you will need to authenticate to the system. When authentication is necessary, you will see a small picture of a closed padlock in a circle. Click on this padlock button and you will be asked to enter a username and password. Any username and password combination for an administrator-level user account will work.
Section:
Keywords: applications, mac os x, security, system administration, troubleshooting
Question: How do I change locked System Preferences in Mac OS X?
FAQ item: true
Score: 500
