How to reset password on Mac

When we set up a Mac for the first time, we are asked to set an Administrator password to ensure greater security during certain operations, such as installing a new app. It may happen, however, to be struck by sudden amnesia and not remember the keyword we have chosen to protect the device from prying eyes. Fortunately, there are some methods that allow you to reset forgotten your password on a Mac. Continue reading this guide and find out how to do it.

Methods to reset the password on Mac

If you’ve forgotten your Apple computer password, there are 3 different ways to reset the Administrator Password on your Mac: via Apple ID, OS X Recovery mode, or by logging in to another administrator user profile.

Reset password using Apple ID

Note: in order to use this method, you must first activate this feature in “System Preferences“, “Users and Groups” and select “Allow user to reset password with Apple ID“. Furthermore, this option can not be activated if FileVault is active on the Mac.

1. in the login screen we intentionally delete the password 3 times, until we display a message informing us that we can change the password using an Apple ID. (if we do not see it, it means that the function has not been activated).
2. we insert password and Apple ID;
3. at this point, we will be asked to enter a new administrator password.

After creating a new password, it is very likely that an alert appears indicating that the system could not access the current login keyring. This is a completely normal event, since the new login password and the one that protects the key ring no longer match.

Reset administrator password using OS X Recovery mode

In this case, you will need to boot the Mac in Recovery mode.

1. Restart the Mac by pressing and holding the combination of the cmd + R keys as soon as we hear the classic start signal of the Mac. We continue to hold down the keys until the bar showing the progress of the startup procedure appears on the screen
2. At this point the Mac will be started in recovery mode. Then go to the Utility menu and choose the Terminal item.
3. Open the terminal, type the resetpassword command inside the window and press the ENTER key.
4. Select the Mac hard disk and then the user account whose password you want to change.
5. So we create the new administrator password. We should enter it twice to check its correctness and proceed with its creation.
6. At this point, we access the Apple menu, choose the OS X Utility option and select the item “Exit OS X Utility”. When prompted, we choose to restart the Mac. This way, during the system reboot, the newly created password will be applied.

Reset administrator password using a different account

Finally, it is possible to recover the administrator password of our Mac using a different administrator user profile stored in the system.

1. Log out of your account and log in with the second system administrator user profile.
2. once logged in with the different administrator account, go into System Preferences and then Users and Groups.
3. click the lock icon to unlock the options. You will be asked to enter the administrator password of the account currently in use.
4. select the user profile whose password you want to change in the list on the left of the window.
5. press the “Reset password” button. This way we will have the possibility to change the password of the selected account.
6. log out from the secondary administrator account.

After logging into the system using the new password, the system may ask us to create a new login keyring or change the password of the existing one. That’s all, you can choose one of these methods, the one most suited to your needs, to be able to reset the Administrator password on Mac in case you have forgotten.