- Can't Remember Mac Administrator Password
- I Forgot My Password For My Mac Mini
- I Forgot My Password For Microsoft
Installer wants my password and I don't know what it is. Im stuck and can't install any new software updates. Can anyone help me? The installer needs your administrator password. Read the following article to learn how to reset it. Change or reset a user account password on your Mac - Apple Support. The options I’ve mentioned will help you reset your password and log into your account. However, if you still can’t get into your Mac because of a lost or forgotten password there’s a way to. Oct 18, 2016 In this article, I am going to explain how to reset your Mac login or admin password if you forgot it by chance. There are certain ways and methods that you can employ to reset the password of you Mac OS X in case you forgot it. There might be many ways of resetting the Mac password but I am explaining the three ways that I am familiar with.
Recover Your Apple ID - Apple. Jan 15, 2020 1Password is good, but there are many others to choose from, including LastPass, Dashlane, and mSecure.If you want to find more password management options, open the Mac App Store and search for the word password.
Just like Windows, Mac is another operating system that is being used by millions of people around the world. At certain points, it considered better than Windows. However, the fundamental usages on both are quite similar. Just the way of doing things is different. In this article, I am going to explain how to reset your Mac login or admin password if you forgot it by chance.
There are certain ways and methods that you can employ to reset the password of you Mac OS X in case you forgot it. There might be many ways of resetting the Mac password but I am explaining the three ways that I am familiar with.
Method 1: Reset Mac Admin Password Using Your Apple ID
One of the simplest and easiest ways to reset Mac OS X password is resetting by using your Apple ID.Now since you forgot your password, just enter wrong passwords many times on the login screen, and you will see a message just as you can see in the screenshot below that states that you can reset the password using the Apple ID.
There you can also see a small arrow that you have to click to reset the password. Follow the on-screen instruction, and in few minutes you will be able to reset your password. This method is simple and effective! I prefer this one over any other method, and that is the reason, I kept this on the top on my list.
Note: This method will work only if you already have the Apple ID linked to your account. If you're Windows 10 user, don't forgot to check our other guide for Windows 10 password reset.
Method 2: Mac OS X's Password Recovery Utility To Reset Your Password
Mac OS X has inbuilt password recovery utility that you can use to reset the password.
Follow the steps below:
1) Start your Mac computer by pressing the Power button.
2) Press Command + R immediately to boot your Mac computer to recovery drive.
Step 3. Now you will see the recovery utility screen. Select Terminal from Utilities Menu. Then type the command: resetpassword in the Terminal.
Step 4. Press the Enter button, and the Password Recovery Utility will be opened. There you have to select the volume that contains the user account which is by default: Macintosh HD. Enter a new password, and click on save.
Important Note: Keep the Terminal open while doing all this process.
Step 5. Restart your Mac computer, and when it asks the password, enter the password you have just set in step 4, and you will be able to log in.
Method 3: Use Terminal To Reset Your OS X Password
Before you get on to try this method, let me tell you a few things:
1. This method will create a new admin account, and then you can use that account to reset your existing account's password.
2. Though this method is well tested, you must have the backup of your data. And, we don't take any responsibilities of any damage that may happen (in rare cases) while carrying out this method.
3. Try this method only if no other method works for you.
Follow the steps below to carry out the password reset using Terminal:
Step 1. Press power button to turn your Mac On. And Press and hold Command + S
Step 2. Doing this will open the Terminal in single user mode. If you see the below screen, you are successfully entered into the single user mode of Terminal.
Step 3. Now, you need to execute a set of commands one by one that I have listed below. Remember, after every command you type, you have to press the enter button to execute that command.
mount -uw /
rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
shutdown –h
Step 4. After the last command, your Mac will be shut down. Press power button to start again. You will see the Mac startup screen. Follow the steps that are narrated by your Mac to create an admin account.
Step 5. Now, you will be logged in using your new admin account. Go to Users & Groups from System Preferences.
Step 6. Now, Click on the lock icon to authenticate. And enter the admin user and password you have just created.
Step 7. Now you will see all the user accounts that are present on your Mac. You just have to select the account which password you need to reset, and just do it.
Once you are done with the resetting the password of the account, you may log out of the newly created admin account, and log in with the account which password you have just reset using the new password.
Verdict
These are the three best ways to reset the Mac login password when you forgot it. For better security, note down your password somewhere, and keep that safe! Hope you like these methods.
So, you’re trying to use your Mac, but you can’t get past the login screen because you don’t remember your password. First, you should make sure that the Caps Lock isn’t on, because passwords are case sensitive. Then, you should try using your password hint by clicking on the question mark in the password field. But if you still can’t log in, don’t contact Apple Support yet. Here’s how to reset your admin password on a Mac, even if you forgot your admin password.
How to Reset Admin Password on Mac
The easiest way to reset your admin password is to enter recovery mode. Here’s how to do that:
- Restart your Mac. You can only access the recovery mode while the laptop is booting up, which is why you need to restart it.
- While it is restarting, press and hold the Command + R keys until you see the Apple logo. If you see the login screen, you will have to restart and repeat this step again until you get to Recovery Mode.
- Go to the Apple Menu at the top and click Utilities. This will open a drop-down menu.
- Then click Terminal.
- Type “resetpassword” in the terminal window. Don’t use any space in between the words.
- Then hit Enter. This will open the Reset Password Assistant screen.
- Type your password and a hint.
Note: If you have several user accounts or an older Mac, you will have to select “forgot all passwords,” then select the user account you want to reset the password for. Finally, you will have to click the Apple icon in the upper-left corner and select Restart from the drop-down menu.
- Finally, click Restart. Once you get to the Login screen, select the admin user you just reset the password for and type your new password. Click Enter.
How to Reset your Password Using you Apple ID
If you try to log in several times, you will see a pop-up message asking if you want to reset your password with your Apple ID. Follow these steps to continue:
- Click the arrow to use your Apple ID.
- Enter your Apple ID and password.
- Then hit Enter. Right after this, you will be asked to restart your computer.
- Click Restart to continue.
- Log in with your new password.
If you can get to your desktop, then you have successfully reset or changed your password.
How to Reset your PasswordUsing Another Admin Account
Can't Remember Mac Administrator Password
If your Mac has more than one users, and youknow the login credentials to another one of the accounts, you can use thataccount to log in and reset your password. Here’s how:
- Log in to another admin account.
- Go to System Preferences. You can find this in your Applications folder.
- Next, click Users & Group.
- Click on the padlock in the bottom-left corner of the window. You will have to enter the username and password of that user again.
- Select the user you want to reset the password for, then click Reset Password.
- Fill in the necessary fields and hit Enter.
- Then log out of the current user account. This will bring you to the Login screen.
- Log in to the account you just changed the password for.
I Forgot My Password For My Mac Mini
If you’re still having problems, and you want to install or reinstall macOS in your computer to wipe it clean and give it a fresh OS, check out our previous article here.