How to Reset a Forgotten Mac Password

We are all fallible, and the way of all flesh is to age—and sometimes we forget things. I can’t tell you how many times I have “forgotten” a password because I try to remember it, but fortunately I then try to use my fingers to type it, and they “remember” it for me.

If you can’t log in to your main account on your Mac because the password isn’t accepted, you have several options.

Resetting your password on a Mac locks your login keychain, because it’s permanently locked to the account password; see how the Mac keychain works. As a result, you will lose access to locally stored entries, and may have to reset or create a new login keychain manually.

If you forgot the password, try another account

Is there another account you’ve created and can log in to, or another user on the Mac with administrator access? Log in to that administrator account, then go to System Settings > Users & Groups and unlock the pane.

Select your locked-out account and click Reset Password. Now enter and verify the password, adding a hint if you want, and click Change Password. Log out, or use Fast User Switching, then log in to your account with that password.

Reset with the FileVault Recovery Key

FileVault recovery begins when you power on or restart your computer (see how to turn on FileVault). The process takes place using Recovery Assistant. Here’s what to do:

“Apple Account or recovery key” means something different starting in Tahoe than it used to. With Tahoe and Golden Gate, you can either enter the recovery key directly after restarting, or use another of your devices that is also logged in to the same Apple Account to retrieve the recovery key from Passwords. You can no longer use an Apple Account to trigger a macOS password reset if FileVault is enabled.

1. Go to the login window. To get there, restart your Mac or choose Apple menu > Log Out Account Name.
2. In the login window, select an account if one isn’t already selected. Then click the question-mark button to the right of the password field.
3. Click the right-pointing arrow button to restart.
4. After your Mac restarts, you see the Reset Password utility as the primary screen. This is a special restart mode that doesn’t let you exit into macOS Recovery. Enter your Recovery Key — you can type it in lowercase without dashes, and the utility adds them — then click Next.
5. If accepted, you’re asked to enter a new password with a hint, and then verify it. Click Reset Password and Verify Password.
6. Your Mac restarts. Log in with your account and the new password.

If you have upgraded to Tahoe through version 26.3 and have your FileVault Recovery Key stored in your iCloud account, I recommend resetting the key to provide better access to it across your devices, among other advantages. See where to find your FileVault Recovery Key. If you’ve updated to 26.4 or Golden Gate, Apple already made you do this!

Reset via Activation Lock

On Macs with a Secure Enclave coprocessor without FileVault enabled, you can use your Apple Account to reset your password through Activation Lock. Here’s how:

1. Follow steps 1 to 3 above.
2. Your Mac restarts and displays an Activation Lock login, showing part of your associated Apple Account. Enter your account name, click Next, then enter the password and click Next.
3. If successful, a screen appears that notes “Authentication succeeded.” If not, work through the first three steps again.
4. Click Exit to Recovery Utilities.
5. Choose Utilities > Terminal.
6. Type resetpassword and press Return. This opens the Reset Password utility.
7. Select “I forgot my password” and click Next.
8. Create a new password as above: enter, verify, and add a hint. Click Reset Password. Your Mac restarts.
9. Log in with your account and the new password.

This process is also how you reactivate a Mac if it’s been set as lost in Find My.

Reset from recovery mode

There’s a command-line password reset utility available in recovery mode, also, which you can use without having to know the administrator password. Here’s how to reset your password on an Apple silicon Mac:

1. Choose Apple menu > Shut Down. When your Mac has powered down, hold the power button until you see a prompt that says “Loading startup options.”
2. Click Options.
3. Click “Forgot all passwords?”
4. Choose Utilities > Terminal.
5. Type resetpassword and press Return. This opens the Reset Password utility, but without the prompt for a Recovery Key.
6. Select “I forgot my password” and click Next.
7. Create a new password as above: enter, verify, and add a hint. Click Reset Password. Your Mac restarts.
8. Log in with your account and the new password.