User accounts on librem5

Software PureOS
1

Hoi guys

I create a new user account in terminal on my librem5
How to activate this new user and delete purisme?
I am unable to do this in settings or anywhere else
Anybody has solution?

1 Like
2

My understanding is that there is no GUI for this, nor any easy shell command for this.

You should review: How to change username and also the Issue linked from that.

Notice the suggestion there that rather than using a new user account, you just rename the existing user - if your goal is simply that you don’t like having a default user (purism). Renaming an account on Linux is itself messy (involves changing in multiple places).

Either way though, I have two recommendations:

  1. First create a second account that allows ssh access in (and a running ssh server of course) and that account must have sudo access - so that you can easily get in to fix whatever you break. (Since you have already created a second account, that account could be the starting point for this step but you would now have to rename it if you are wedded to that account name for your GUI user account.)
  2. I would not recommend this exercise unless you are at least somewhat experienced with Linux - you should know your way around the various files that determine users, groups and passwords. With that caveat then set about renaming the purism account.
6 Likes
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Assumption: distinct user accounts is a basic security feature.

creating new users in a safe way draws the need to create assignment of groups and so forth.
in the Ubuntus I deal with I learned how to do it properly. By CLI with a collection of groups and other things. It needs experience by trial and error rather than knowledge. And still: Even then the GUI shows hiccups and strange dependencies fail,
because different templates are applied insufficiently. Identify them … good luck!

That’s the reason why at least debian based distros use the great “users-admin” wrapper for whatever complicated dependencies: Safe and efficient!
CLI is fine, no need for a GUI. This is not the point.

Is there something like “users-admin” for Librem5
or am I supposed to go on in the super user role
only a sudo away from a windows95 doom-kiddie?

SailfishOS (Jolla) meanwhile can use a personal user! I use SailfishOS as non-privileged user daily on the main phone.
And it has significant problems with genuine Sailfish (!) “apps” not following the concept …

It’s 2026 and Librem5 is a different class than Jolla / SailfishOS, right?
So:

Is there a safe solution to create personalized users on Librem5 ?

4

Ever since I heard a rumor that changing the username would make the modem not work, because modern technology is terrible, I settled on the premise of not bothering. But you’re totally correct about this. Maybe by replying here, I will be notified when someone shows up to say adding users is easy.

I know surely you can add them with debian standard tools but my concern is that there’s no login screen to choose them so it seems unlikely to me that you would get away from purism user. There’s probably a tutorial on these forums for how to add a user anyway, though, if you search around.