How to Add New Users to Ubuntu 20.04 | 18.04

This brief tutorial shows students and new users how to add new users to Ubuntu. This should also apply to other versions of Ubuntu and Linux systems as a whole.

Whether you’re a system administrator managing a server or a home user, adding new users to Ubuntu is something you might want to learn how.

By default after installing Ubuntu, the account created during the installation is the primary user of the systems. The root user account is disabled. No other user accounts are active.. so in order to provide unique access to users, you must create accounts for them.

There are many ways to create accounts on Ubuntu, but the easiest is using the methods below

To create an account on Ubuntu systems using the command line terminal, follow the guide below:

Option 1: Create Users via Terminal

The commands below allow you to create a new user account on a Ubuntu server or desktop.

For example, to add a new user to Ubuntu called octopus, run the commands below.

sudo adduser octopus

You’ll be prompted to create a new UNIX password for the account..

Adding user `octopus' ...
Adding new group `octopus' (1001) ...
Adding new user `octopus' (1001) with group `octopus' ...
Creating home directory `/home/octopus' ...
Copying files from `/etc/skel' ...
Enter new UNIX password:

After typing and confirming a new password for the account, you’ll get additional prompts to enter some details about the account, like the user Full Name and others.

passwd: password updated successfully
Changing the user information for octopus
Enter the new value, or press ENTER for the default
Full Name []: Octopus
Room Number []: 101
Work Phone []: 2192887223
Home Phone []: 2988444422
Other []:
Is the information correct? [Y/n]

If the information you entered is correct, type Y

Now that the user account is created, run the command below if you’d like to give the account root access or make the account an administrator.

Again, the default root account is disabled.. so if you’d like to give an account root access, you must add the account to the root user group.

sudo usermod -G sudo octopus

That’s how one creates an account on Ubuntu via the command line terminal.

Option 2: Create Users via Desktop GUI

If you are using a Ubuntu desktop computer, the same account can be created above using the steps below

Logon to the desktop and select the Menu at top right corner and select Settings

Then scroll down to Users as shown in the image below:

And select User. Then click Unlock at the top right to allow for you to edit or create new user accounts..

The Unlock button becomes Add Users.  To add new user, click Add Users and provide the user account details.

Then provide the user Full Name as well as the username and password.

When you’re done adding the account details, click Add as shown Above.

That’s it!

Conclusion:

This post showed you how to add new users to Ubuntu via the command line terminal or graphical user interface (GUI).

If you find any error above, please use the comment form below to report.

Thanks,

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