Illustration for How to Reset a Forgotten Mac Login Password

How to Reset a Forgotten Mac Login Password

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Illustration for How to Reset a Forgotten Mac Login Password

If you forgot your Mac login password, you can usually reset it from the login window, with your Apple Account, or through macOS Recovery. The correct method depends on your Mac’s settings and whether you can access another administrator account.

Before you begin, know that resetting a login password does not remove the Mac’s data by itself. However, you may lose access to passwords and other information stored only in the old login keychain. If FileVault encryption is enabled and you cannot authenticate with an approved account or recovery method, your data may not be recoverable without erasing the Mac.

Quick Answer

  1. At the login window, click the question mark next to the password field, if it appears.
  2. Follow the reset instructions using your Apple Account or recovery information.
  3. If no reset option appears, start the Mac in macOS Recovery.
  4. Choose the password-reset option, or use Utilities > Terminal and the resetpassword tool.
  5. Create a new password and restart the Mac.

If another administrator account works on the Mac, sign in to it and reset the affected account from System Settings > Users & Groups.

Before Resetting Your Password

A Mac login password is the password used to sign in to a local user account. It may also unlock the user’s login keychain, which stores saved passwords, Wi-Fi credentials, certificates, and other private information.

Make sure you are resetting the correct account. A Mac can have several user accounts, and an administrator account can reset another user’s password. An administrator cannot normally view the old password.

Also check the following:

  • Caps Lock: Make sure the Caps Lock key is off.
  • Keyboard layout: Special characters can produce different results if the keyboard layout changed.
  • Password hint: Click the question mark next to the password field if a hint is available.
  • Apple Account access: Have the email address and password for the Apple Account connected to the Mac available.
  • Power and Internet: Keep the Mac connected to power. Some account-recovery options require an Internet connection.

If you still have unsaved work open on another account, save it before restarting. The recovery steps require the Mac to shut down or restart.

Method 1: Reset the Password at the Login Window

This is the simplest method when macOS offers a reset option.

  1. Start or restart the Mac until the login window appears.
  2. Select the user account whose password you forgot.
  3. Enter a password incorrectly up to three times.
  4. Look for a message such as Reset it using your Apple Account or Reset it using your recovery key.
  5. Click the arrow or reset button beside the message.
  6. Follow the onscreen instructions.
  7. Enter the requested Apple Account information or recovery key.
  8. Create a new login password.
  9. Enter the new password again to verify it.
  10. Add a password hint if macOS asks for one.
  11. Click Next, Continue, or the available confirmation button.
  12. Sign in with the new password.

The wording and available options can differ depending on the Mac’s security settings. If no reset message appears, use one of the methods below.

If macOS asks to create a new keychain

After you reset the password, macOS may display a message saying it cannot unlock the previous login keychain. The keychain is protected by the old password, so the new password may not unlock it.

If you remember the old password, enter it when prompted. This may preserve access to the saved credentials in the existing keychain.

If you do not remember the old password, choose the option to create a new keychain. This gives the account a working login keychain, but passwords and other secrets stored only in the old keychain may be unavailable. You may need to sign in again to websites, mail accounts, Wi-Fi networks, and other services.

Method 2: Reset the Password from Another Administrator Account

Use this method if the Mac has another administrator account that you can access.

Changing the password for another user may immediately prevent that user from accessing the old login keychain. Make sure the affected user understands that saved passwords and other protected information may require reauthentication.

  1. Sign in to the other administrator account.
  2. Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
  3. Click Users & Groups in the sidebar.
  4. Find the affected user account.
  5. Click the information button next to the account.
  6. Click Change Password.
  7. Enter the administrator password if macOS requests it.
  8. Enter a new password for the affected account.
  9. Enter the password again.
  10. Add a password hint if desired.
  11. Click Change Password.
  12. Sign out of the administrator account.
  13. Select the affected account and sign in with the new password.

On some Mac configurations, the account may be managed by an organization or connected to a network directory. In that case, the password may need to be changed by the organization’s administrator rather than locally in System Settings.

Method 3: Use macOS Recovery

Use macOS Recovery when the login window does not offer a reset option and you cannot access another administrator account.

Starting in Recovery causes the Mac to restart. Save any open work first. The startup procedure differs depending on whether the Mac has Apple silicon or an Intel processor.

Start a Mac with Apple silicon in Recovery

  1. Shut down the Mac.
  2. Press and hold the power button.
  3. Continue holding it until Loading startup options appears.
  4. When the startup options window appears, select Options.
  5. Click Continue.
  6. Select an administrator account if prompted.
  7. Enter the account password, if requested.

Start an Intel-based Mac in Recovery

  1. Shut down the Mac.
  2. Turn it on, then immediately press and hold Command-R.
  3. Release the keys when you see the Apple logo or a spinning globe.
  4. Select an administrator account if prompted.
  5. Enter the account password, if requested.

If Command-R does not open Recovery, shut down the Mac and try again. Press the keys immediately after turning it on and hold them until the Recovery screen appears.

Reset the password in Recovery

Once the macOS Recovery window appears:

  1. Open the Utilities menu in the menu bar.
  2. Choose Terminal.
  3. Type the following command:
resetpassword
  1. Press Return.
  2. When the password-reset assistant opens, select the startup disk if prompted.
  3. Select the user account whose password you forgot.
  4. Follow the onscreen instructions to create a new password.
  5. Close the password-reset assistant.
  6. Choose Restart from the Apple menu.
  7. Sign in with the new password.

The resetpassword command opens Apple’s built-in password-reset interface. It does not display or reveal the old password; it provides a way to set a new one when the Mac’s recovery environment allows it.

If the command reports that no account can be reset, or if the assistant does not offer the expected account, the disk may be encrypted or the account may require an approved recovery method. Continue with the troubleshooting steps below rather than repeatedly guessing passwords.

FileVault and Recovery-Key Limitations

FileVault encrypts the Mac’s startup disk so that its contents cannot be read without valid authentication. A forgotten login password can therefore become more serious when FileVault is enabled.

Depending on the Mac’s configuration, you may be able to authenticate with:

  • An Apple Account approved for password recovery
  • A FileVault recovery key
  • Another authorized user account
  • An organization’s recovery or management process

A FileVault recovery key is a long string of letters and numbers generated when encryption is configured. It is not the same as your normal login password. If you saved the key in a password manager, printed it, or stored it with your organization, retrieve it before erasing the Mac.

Do not erase the Mac unless you have confirmed that you no longer need the data or have a verified backup. Erasing removes the user accounts, files, apps, and settings from the startup disk.

What Happens to Your Keychain After a Reset?

The login keychain is normally unlocked by the same password used to sign in to the account. When macOS changes the login password through a recovery process, it may not be able to unlock the old keychain because the old password is unknown.

You may see one of these outcomes:

  • The old keychain is successfully updated and remains available.
  • macOS asks for the previous password.
  • macOS creates a new, empty login keychain.
  • Apps and websites ask you to sign in again.

This does not necessarily mean your personal files were deleted. It usually means protected credentials from the old keychain are no longer available. If you use iCloud Keychain, some passwords may return after you sign in to your Apple Account and enable the relevant iCloud settings.

Troubleshooting

The reset option does not appear

Check that you selected the correct user account and entered an incorrect password enough times for macOS to display recovery options. If the option still does not appear, restart into macOS Recovery and use the password-reset assistant.

You cannot remember your Apple Account password

Reset the Apple Account password from another trusted Apple device or through Apple’s official account-recovery process. You may need to complete identity verification before the Mac allows a login-password reset.

The Mac asks for a recovery key

Enter the recovery key exactly as it was saved. Check for confusing characters, extra spaces, or line breaks. If the key was supplied by an employer or school, contact the organization’s IT department.

You do not know whether the Mac has Apple silicon or an Intel processor

Open the Apple menu and choose About This Mac when you can sign in. A Mac with an Apple silicon chip identifies the chip by name. An Intel Mac displays Processor with Intel information.

If you cannot sign in, try the Apple silicon startup procedure first. If holding the power button does not show startup options, shut down and try Command-R for Intel-based Recovery.

The new password is rejected

Confirm that you are using the new password for the correct account. Passwords are case-sensitive. If the Mac is managed by an employer or school, a password policy may require a specific length or character combination.

The account is locked or disabled

A locked account may require an administrator or organization’s IT department to unlock it. If the Mac is managed remotely, local password-reset steps may not override the management policy.

You see an activation or ownership lock

A password reset does not remove Activation Lock or change ownership of a Mac. You must sign in with the Apple Account associated with the Mac, or ask the previous owner or organization to remove it from their account.

Nothing works and the files are not backed up

Do not erase the Mac until you have considered professional data recovery or contacted the Mac’s owner or administrator. With FileVault enabled, recovering files without an approved authentication method may not be possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I reset a Mac password without losing files?

Usually, yes. Resetting the local login password normally leaves personal files and installed apps in place. However, you may lose access to passwords and secrets stored in the old login keychain.

Can an administrator see my old Mac password?

No. An administrator can generally set a new password for another local account, but cannot view the old password.

Can I use Terminal to reveal the old password?

No. Terminal cannot reveal a forgotten password. The resetpassword command opens a recovery tool for creating a new password; it does not recover the original one.

Will resetting the password remove FileVault?

No. Changing a login password does not turn off FileVault or decrypt the startup disk.

What if I forgot both the Mac password and Apple Account password?

Recover the Apple Account first if it is required for the Mac’s password-reset process. If another administrator account or a recovery key is available, you may still be able to reset the local password without the Apple Account.

Should I erase the Mac?

Erase the Mac only as a last resort, after checking backups and confirming that you do not need the files. Erasing is not a password-recovery step; it removes the contents of the startup disk and lets you set up the Mac again.

Final Thoughts

Start with the reset option at the login window, then try another administrator account or macOS Recovery if necessary. Be especially careful with FileVault and the login keychain: a new password may restore access to the account without restoring every saved credential. Once you regain access, store your recovery information securely and keep a current backup.