macos - How do I enable the root account in Mac OS X?

I know how to enable root account on Mac OS X Leopard, but not Snow Leopard or newer OS X versions. How can I do it?

Answer

The steps are covered in the article Enable root account in Snow Leopard and this Apple support page. Directory Utility is accessible through System Preferences on all versions of OS X since 10.6.

1. Go to System Preferences » Users & Groups, then click the padlock. Enter your password.


2. Click Login Options, then Join… in the right pane


3. In the new window, click Open Directory Utility…


4. From the Edit menu, select Enable Root User.


5. Select Change Root Password from the Edit menu and type in the new root password.


6. Click the padlock icon to lock the application again.