JKane wrote:
Apple does support this, it's a bug in their OS that they just introduced and has to do with SIP. I've submitted the proper bug reports to them. It was working fine in 15.0.
No, Apple does not officially support that custom configuration. I am not aware of any Apple articles or documentation describing such a setup....at least not for a very many years (I'm not certain it was ever officially supported). Just because you can configure the system that way does not mean that Apple actually supports it.
@steve626 is absolutely correct....the closest Apple comes to that feature is providing instructions for changing the name of the home user folder and the short user name. Nowhere in that article does Apple even suggest relocating the home folder....only renaming it.
Change the name of your macOS user account and home folder - Apple Support
And @steve626 has provided lots of forum posts showing previous issues. I recall this occurring multiple times with various macOS 12.x Monterey updates. That should have been a huge warning to people that relocating the home user folder may not be such a good idea.
Part of the problem is due to the increased security features within macOS. If you run a custom configuration, you are breaking some of these new security features, so some macOS features may no longer work or allowed to be activated such as Apple Wallet, and other such features which require a completely secure setup....deviating from some macOS defaults will cause things to break. These days, macOS is not very good with custom setups even when the options are available in the normal GUI settings (not even found under the "Advanced" category). Deviate from defaults these days, and you are on your own.
Plus for people paying attention, there are very clear signs that Apple is making their computers and macOS more & more like the iPad and iOS. Think about that very carefully.......how much can you really customize you iPad/iPhone & iOS? Like it or not, that is where Apple is headed, so if you don't like it, then you need to look elsewhere for another OS that allows you to customize the system the way you wish.
You can provide Apple with product feedback here for all the good it will do since I don't see them caring about this feature:
Product Feedback - Apple
What Apple does officially support is the relocation of some of the various Libraries within macOS such as Photos, Music/iTunes, Videos/Movies, etc. The only Library that is not supported for relocation is the Mail Library.
Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac - Apple Support
Change where your music files are stored on Mac - Apple Support
Move your iMovie for Mac library - Apple Support
