It also has a password generator that helps users to create secure passwords using a combination of characters. If you are looking for a reliable yet free password manager for Mac, then LastPass is a good choice. Another reliable password manager for Mac is KeePassX. It is an open source and free app that comes in two versions. The next screen will list all user accounts on your Mac. Just click the Set Password button next to the account you want to reset the password for. In the pop-up window, enter the new password, confirm it, and click on Set Password. Now you can restart the Mac from the Apple menu, and login with your new password. Reset your Mac login password. Sometimes a login password needs to be reset—for example, if you have forgotten the login password and can’t use a password hint to remember it. When a user’s login password is reset, a new default keychain is created to store the user’s passwords. See About your keychain password. When you access a website, email account, network server, or other password-protected item, you can choose to save the password in your keychain so you don’t have to remember or enter the password each time. Each user on a Mac has a login keychain. The password for your login keychain matches the password you use to log in to your Mac.

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

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.

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.

Was this article helpful?

The password of your macOS user account is also known as your login password. It's the password that you use to log in to your Mac and make certain changes, such as installing software.

Change your password

If you know your password and can use it to log in to your account, you can change your password in Users & Groups preferences:

Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu, then click Users & Groups.
Select your user name from the list of users.
Click the Change Password button, then follow the onscreen instructions.

Mac User Password Reset

Reset your password

If you don't remember your password, or it isn't working, you might be able to reset it using one of the methods described below. But first try these simpler solutions:

Make sure that you're typing the correct uppercase or lowercase characters. If your keyboard has Caps Lock turned on, the password field shows a Caps Lock symbol .
If the password field shows a question mark, click it to display a password hint that might help you to remember.
Try to log in without a password. If that works, you can then add a password by following the steps to change your password.
Try to log in with the Apple ID password that you use for iCloud. If you just changed that password and the new password isn't working, try the old password first. If that works, you should be able to use the new password from then on.

Reset using your Apple ID

In some macOS versions, you can use your Apple ID to reset your login password. At the login screen, keep entering a password until you see a message saying that you can reset your password using Apple ID. If you don't see the message after three attempts, your account isn't set up to allow resetting with Apple ID.

Click next to the Apple ID message, then follow the onscreen instructions to enter your Apple ID and create a new password. You'll be asked to restart when done.
Log in with your new password.
Determine whether to create a new login keychain.

Reset using another admin account

Mac Magazines

If you know the name and password of an admin account on your Mac, you can use that account to reset the password.

Log in with the name and password of the other admin account.
Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu, then click Users & Groups.
Click , then enter the admin name and password again.
Select your user name from the list of users.
Click the Reset Password button, then follow the onscreen instructions to create a new password:
Choose Log Out from the Apple menu.
Log in to your account using your new password.
Determine whether to create a new login keychain.

Reset using the Reset Password assistant (FileVault must be on)

Reset Password For Mac User

If FileVault is turned on, you might be able to reset your password using the Reset Password assistant:

Wait up to a minute at the login screen, until you see a message saying that you can use the power button on your Mac to shut down and start up again in Recovery OS. If you don't see this message, FileVault isn't on.
Press and