4 Ways to Reset Your Mac Password Even if You Forgot It!

At some point, we all forget our account passwords. Resetting the passwords for online accounts is pretty simple but what if you forget the password to your Mac? If you did, then the computer wouldn’t open, and you’d be stuck on the login screen.

This mostly happens when the password is too difficult or auto-generated. Similarly, if you’re opening your Mac PC or laptop after a long time, then there are chances that you might forget the login credentials.

However, there’s no need to worry since there are multiple ways through which you can reset your Mac password if you forget it. The next section will feature the details of the methods and their steps.

But before that, if you did set up a password hint for your account’s password, then click the “?” icon on the login screen for the hint. It can help you remember the password and log in to your Mac.

How Can I Set a New Password for my Mac?

Firstly, you should try using your Apple ID for this purpose. If you didn’t set it up, then use FileVault, recovery mode, or another admin account to reset your password.

But before moving on to them, make sure you’re at the login screen on your Mac. You can go there by restarting, powering on, or logging out of your Mac. You should see the Shut Down, Restart, and Sleep buttons on the window.

Now, once you’re here, do the following:

1. Select your account.
2. Enter any password three times.
3. Select Restart and show password reset options.

Once done, use any of the methods below to reset your password.

Method 1: Using Apple ID

Having an Apple ID makes the job easier. So if you entered your Apple ID during the initial setup of your Mac, you should see the “Reset it (password) using Apple ID” option.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. After the Mac restarts, click “Reset it using Apple ID”.

2. Enter your Apple ID and password.

3. Enter the six-digit verification code you got on your other Apple device and select Verify.

4. Click on the user profile you want to change the password for and click Next.

5. Enter the new password and click Next.

6. Select Restart, and now log in with your new password.

Method 2: Using the FileVault Recovery Key

If you turned on FileVault on your Mac, then you must have a Recovery Key that will allow you to change your Mac’s password very easily. Here’s what you need to do:

1. After entering the wrong password three times and restarting Mac, select “Reset it using your recovery key”.

2. Enter the Recovery Key of your FileVault and click Next.

3. Create a new password and set a password hint before restarting the Mac.

Method 3: Using the ResetPassword Command in Recovery Mode

If nothing works, then there’s always Recovery Mode to help you out. A simple command in Terminal will allow you to change your Mac’s password in a few seconds.

Here’s how to enter recovery mode if your Mac is Intel-based:

1. Restart your PC.
2. Until the startup screen appears, keep holding the Command and R keys.
3. A loading bar will appear, and Mac will boot into recovery mode.

Here’s how to enter recovery mode if you’ve got an M1 Mac:

1. Power off your PC.
2. Once done, press and keep holding the power button to turn it on again.
3. Select Options > Continue.

Once you’re in recovery mode, follow the steps below to reset the password:

1. In the top menu bar, go to Utilities > Terminal.

2. Enter the following command and hit Return:

   resetpassword

3. On the new pop-up window, select the user profile to reset the password and hit Next.

4. Enter the new password and set a password hint.
5. Lastly, click Restart and login with your new password.

Method 4: Using Another Admin Account

This depends on the number of accounts you have on your Mac. If you have a secondary admin account apart from the one you’ve lost the password for, then you can use that one to recover the password. However, you must remember the password for the secondary admin account of your Mac.

If you do, follow the steps below:

1. Restart your Mac and select the secondary admin account.
2. Enter its login credentials.
3. Click on the Apple logo.
4. Go to System Settings/System Preferences.

5. Click Users & Groups.

6. Click Reset/Reset Password next to the account you need to reset the password for.

7. Type the new password and set a password hint before clicking Reset Password.

8. Now restart your Mac and log in to your account with the new password.

If you’re still unable to reset your password and log in to your account, then contact Apple’s Mac support and tell them the details. It can be an internal software issue, so the developer team will suggest some additional methods to fix it.