Ventura 13.3.1 Broke Fast User Switching Please Help

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Ventura 13.3.1 Broke Fast User Switching Please Help

Good afternoon,

I have recently encountered issues with a software update. We recently updated to 13.3.1 and then 13.3.1a the same day from an earlier version of Ventura, 13.1, but I am not sure. We are using a Mac Studio Ultra M1.

As soon as we updated, this caused fast user switching to stop working. When I try to fast user change, I click the icon in the top bar and select the user I would like to change to. The screen goes black for 8-10 seconds, and the original login screen appears like when you boot up.

Log in is different; previously, when we would fast change this same way, it would switch immediately to log in for that user only, not the main screen. Also, we have found that now it is logging out of the current user, whereas before, the user was not logged out. Switching back to the first user, everything starts as though there was no previous session.

Typically when using fast user change, it would keep a checkmark next to any other user that was logged in. Now there is only a checkmark next to the current user, building on my belief that it is currently logging out and not switching.

This is causing a vast workflow problem because multiple users use one machine. We can not access our shared data without fast switching and are looking to return to the previous version where this worked. While we want to go forward in software, we can only operate shared data currently with the fast user switching working. Is there any timeline for getting it operational?

Thanks for any ideas or help anyone has. Have a great day, and I hope this gets fixed soon.

Best,

Anthony

Mac Studio (2022)

Posted on May 4, 2023 11:47 AM

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Answer 1

May 5, 2023 11:06 AM in response to etresoft

Thank you for the quick reply and trying to help. I will try to explain our unique situation and how fast user switching was helping us. To keep things manageable, we have 3 users, users 1, 2, and 3.

We use a photo organization software called Mylio to access photos across multiple machines, Mac or Windows. We use this software because Photos can not have the media based on a NAS drive. Therefore, the host computer must be on and active for this software to work correctly. In this case, the host computer is one account on the studio and can only be one account. When fast switching was working, here is our workflow.

User 1 is the host. I would log in to this account and start the program. Then, it would open and create the sync. Once this is active, I could fast switch to user 2 and work on projects. This allows me to work on projects separately from user 1/3.

This was working great. When we fast-switch from user 1 to user 2, it would only bring up the login for user 2, not the main login for all users. Another thing is when I would switch to user 2 from user 1; user 1 would still have a checkmark by it. It would also allow the host software to sync in the background.

Currently, when I change users, the screen goes black and takes me to the original login. It seems like the previous user switched from is no longer active. When I switch back, it is not functioning how I left it and is like a new login.

Without this fast switching, users 2 and 3 cannot use the photo software because there is no sync from user 1.

Any thoughts? At this point, the only way to make it work is to have all users work on one account, which does not provide separate data spaces for users.

Thanks,

Anthony

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Answer 2

etresoft

Level 9

56,308 points

May 4, 2023 12:09 PM in response to MesmericDesigns

MesmericDesigns wrote:

Log in is different; previously, when we would fast change this same way, it would switch immediately to log in for that user only, not the main screen. Also, we have found that now it is logging out of the current user, whereas before, the user was not logged out. Switching back to the first user, everything starts as though there was no previous session.

Unlike most people, I consider Ventura to be still in test-only phase. I will look at this when I get back to my Ventura machine. But it does sound like this is a security change. Core functionality is still there. It just has a different implementation.

This is causing a vast workflow problem because multiple users use one machine. We can not access our shared data without fast switching and are looking to return to the previous version where this worked. While we want to go forward in software, we can only operate shared data currently with the fast user switching working. Is there any timeline for getting it operational?

This is the more important issue. Fast User switching is a neat trick, but nothing more than that. If you depend on it, and are considering rolling back because it has changed, that's bad news.

What exactly are you doing where you rely on Fast User Switching? That is not a mechanism for sharing data. If you want to share data, you can put it in /Users/Shared or some other convenient, shared location. Fast User Switching is for just what it is described as. You don't have to log out of one account to quickly log into, or switch to, a different one. For example, I have one account that is setup to run entirely in French because sometimes I need to see what the system is saying in French, not just a single app. I have another account that is just for testing. That way, I can do screenshots or video recordings without showing people my primary desktop mess. If I need to share data between these accounts, I use /Users/Shared.

It could be that you are experiencing some other problem and Fast User Switching hasn't actually changed. But I think that's irrelevant. I think there are better ways to accomplish what you are doing.

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Answer 3

etresoft

Level 9

56,308 points

May 5, 2023 12:59 PM in response to MesmericDesigns

I would recommend some kind of professional digital asset management system. Sometimes these products have really affordable small business plans. Some will want $50k/month, but just keep looking.

What you describe is not uncommon. Apple makes consumer products. They aren't really intended for most businesses. Once you get beyond a single person, your level of support just falls off a cliff. Mylio seems like nice software, but they also don't seem too interested in the business market.

It's possible that 3rd party sync services like DropBox, Google, or Microsoft would be used too. They are all going to have better multiuser support than Apple. But they might not have a lot of dedicated photo support and/or it might not run on a Mac.

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Answer 4

etresoft

Level 9

56,308 points

May 4, 2023 2:44 PM in response to MesmericDesigns

OK. I just checked this on the latest Ventura 13.3.1 (a) and I don't see any change from previous behaviour.

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Ventura 13.3.1 Broke Fast User Switching Please Help

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