Reset Your Mac Password

Locked out of your Mac. It happens. Here's every method, from easiest to last resort.

Method 1: Apple ID password reset (easiest)

Works if you have an Apple ID linked to this Mac.

1. At login screen, click your user account
2. Enter wrong password 3 times
3. You'll see "Reset it using your Apple ID"
4. Click the arrow or "Reset"
5. Enter your Apple ID email and password
6. Follow prompts to create a new login password
7. Confirm. You'll be told the keychain is locked. That's normal

Method 2: Recovery key (FileVault)

When you turned on FileVault, you were given the option to save a recovery key. If you wrote it down, here's how to use it.

1. Restart Mac
2. At the login screen, enter wrong password 3 times
3. If you don't see Apple ID option, click "Reset it using recovery key"
4. Enter the 24-character recovery key
5. Set a new password

Method 3: Another admin user

If someone else (family member, coworker) has an admin account on the Mac:

1. Have them log in
2. System Settings > Users & Groups
3. Click the (i) info icon next to your account
4. Click Reset Password
5. Enter new password

Method 4: macOS Recovery (Apple Silicon Mac: M1/M2/M3)

1. Shut down the Mac
2. Press and hold the power button until you see "Loading startup options"
3. Click Options, then Continue
4. Choose your user, click Next, enter Apple ID if asked
5. From the menu bar, click Utilities > Terminal
6. Type: resetpassword and press Enter
7. Reset Password tool opens. Follow prompts

Method 5: macOS Recovery (Intel Mac)

1. Shut down Mac
2. Hold Command + R, then press power button
3. Keep holding Command + R until Apple logo appears
4. Choose a Wi-Fi network if prompted
5. From menu bar, Utilities > Terminal
6. Type: resetpassword Enter
7. Follow prompts

Method 6: Nothing works (FileVault and no Apple ID)

If FileVault is on and you don't have Apple ID access or a recovery key, your data is genuinely unrecoverable. Apple designed it that way for security.

Your only option is to erase the Mac and start over. If you have a Time Machine backup, you can restore from that. Otherwise, you'll set it up as new.

1. Boot into Recovery (Method 4 or 5 above)
2. Choose Disk Utility, erase the disk
3. Quit, then Reinstall macOS

About the keychain warning

After resetting your password, macOS will say it can't unlock your keychain. The keychain stores saved passwords (Wi-Fi, websites, apps). You can either:

• Create a new keychain: easier but you'll re-enter saved passwords as you use sites
• Keep the old keychain: if you ever remember the old password, you can unlock it

Set yourself up so this doesn't happen again

• Set up a password manager (1Password, Bitwarden) and put your Mac password in it
• Make sure your Apple ID is linked: System Settings > Users & Groups > your account > Apple ID
• Save your FileVault recovery key somewhere safe (not on the Mac itself)
• Set up Touch ID (MacBooks) so you don't need to type the password often