diff --git a/modules/users/user.nix b/modules/users/user.nix
index b9c97997..281b7e65 100644
--- a/modules/users/user.nix
+++ b/modules/users/user.nix
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@
 
     shell = mkOption {
       type = types.either types.shellPackage types.path;
-      default = "/sbin/nologin";
+      default = "/usr/bin/false";
       example = literalExpression "pkgs.bashInteractive";
       description = "The user's shell.";
     };
diff --git a/tests/users-groups.nix b/tests/users-groups.nix
index 8fc435ae..290b94b5 100644
--- a/tests/users-groups.nix
+++ b/tests/users-groups.nix
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@
     # checking user creation in /activate
     grep "sysadminctl -addUser ${lib.escapeShellArgs [ "foo" "-UID" 42000 "-GID" 42000 "-fullName" "Foo user" "-home" "/Users/foo" "-shell" "/run/current-system/sw/bin/bash" ]}" ${config.out}/activate
     grep "createhomedir -cu ${lib.escapeShellArg "foo"}" ${config.out}/activate
-    grep "sysadminctl -addUser ${lib.escapeShellArgs [ "created.user" "-UID" 42001 ]} .* ${lib.escapeShellArgs [ "-shell" "/sbin/nologin" ]}" ${config.out}/activate
+    grep "sysadminctl -addUser ${lib.escapeShellArgs [ "created.user" "-UID" 42001 ]} .* ${lib.escapeShellArgs [ "-shell" "/usr/bin/false" ]}" ${config.out}/activate
     (! grep "sysadminctl -addUser ${lib.escapeShellArg "created.user"} .* -home" ${config.out}/activate)
     (! grep "deleteUser ${lib.escapeShellArg "created.user"}" ${config.out}/activate)
     (! grep "dscl . -delete ${lib.escapeShellArg "/Groups/created.user"}" ${config.out}/activate)