Deleting a user account is neat and clean with Mac OS X. This recipe describes the procedure and consequences of deleting a user.

To delete a user, click System Preferences, then Accounts and select the user to delete. Click on the minus sign under the Login Options button, authenticating as the administrator if needed.

When a user is deleted in this manner, the contents of the user's directories are stored in a disk image (/Users/Deleted Users/userid.dmg). This file can be deleted (by an administrator) or kept (just in case).