Just like Windows, Mac is another operating system that is being used by millions of people around the world. At certain points, it considered better than Windows. However, the fundamental usages on both are quite similar. Just the way of doing things is different. In this article, I am going to explain how to reset your Mac login or admin password if you forgot it by chance.
The OS X Utilities window appears. Select Reinstall OS X, and click Continue. The OS X Yosemite splash screen appears. Click Continue. A sheet appears informing you that your computer’s eligibility needs to be verified by Apple. Click Continue to begin the process of installing or reinstalling OS X. Keep your password secret and complex. It is also worth mentioning that the EFI password is easily crackable. Some people had success with resetting the PRAM and gaining access, while others used exploits in the OS X system to gain root access and disabling the password using terminal commands. My password would not persist between sessions/restarts of my Mac. What I found out from reading this OpenRadar and this Twitter discussion was that Apple purposely changed the behaviour for ssh-agent in macOS 10.12 Sierra to no longer automatically load the previous SSH keys.
There are certain ways and methods that you can employ to reset the password of you Mac OS X in case you forgot it. There might be many ways of resetting the Mac password but I am explaining the three ways that I am familiar with.
Method 1: Reset Mac Admin Password Using Your Apple ID
One of the simplest and easiest ways to reset Mac OS X password is resetting by using your Apple ID.Now since you forgot your password, just enter wrong passwords many times on the login screen, and you will see a message just as you can see in the screenshot below that states that you can reset the password using the Apple ID.
There you can also see a small arrow that you have to click to reset the password. Follow the on-screen instruction, and in few minutes you will be able to reset your password. This method is simple and effective! I prefer this one over any other method, and that is the reason, I kept this on the top on my list.
Note: This method will work only if you already have the Apple ID linked to your account. If you're Windows 10 user, don't forgot to check our other guide for Windows 10 password reset.
Method 2: Mac OS X's Password Recovery Utility To Reset Your Password
Mac OS X has inbuilt password recovery utility that you can use to reset the password.
Follow the steps below:
1) Start your Mac computer by pressing the Power button.
2) Press Command + R immediately to boot your Mac computer to recovery drive.
Step 3. Now you will see the recovery utility screen. Select Terminal from Utilities Menu. Then type the command: resetpassword in the Terminal.
Step 4. Press the Enter button, and the Password Recovery Utility will be opened. There you have to select the volume that contains the user account which is by default: Macintosh HD. Enter a new password, and click on save.
Important Note: Keep the Terminal open while doing all this process.
Step 5. Restart your Mac computer, and when it asks the password, enter the password you have just set in step 4, and you will be able to log in.
Method 3: Use Terminal To Reset Your OS X Password
Before you get on to try this method, let me tell you a few things:
1. This method will create a new admin account, and then you can use that account to reset your existing account's password. 2. Though this method is well tested, you must have the backup of your data. And, we don't take any responsibilities of any damage that may happen (in rare cases) while carrying out this method. 3. Try this method only if no other method works for you.
Follow the steps below to carry out the password reset using Terminal:
Step 1. Press power button to turn your Mac On. And Press and hold Command + S
Step 2. Doing this will open the Terminal in single user mode. If you see the below screen, you are successfully entered into the single user mode of Terminal.
Step 3. Now, you need to execute a set of commands one by one that I have listed below. Remember, after every command you type, you have to press the enter button to execute that command.
mount -uw /
rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
shutdown –h
Step 4. After the last command, your Mac will be shut down. Press power button to start again. You will see the Mac startup screen. Follow the steps that are narrated by your Mac to create an admin account.
Step 5. Now, you will be logged in using your new admin account. Go to Users & Groups from System Preferences.
Step 6. Now, Click on the lock icon to authenticate. And enter the admin user and password you have just created.
Step 7. Now you will see all the user accounts that are present on your Mac. You just have to select the account which password you need to reset, and just do it.
Once you are done with the resetting the password of the account, you may log out of the newly created admin account, and log in with the account which password you have just reset using the new password.
Verdict
These are the three best ways to reset the Mac login password when you forgot it. For better security, note down your password somewhere, and keep that safe! Hope you like these methods.
Oct.18, 2016 17:11:32 pm / Posted by Vicky Tiffany to Windows 7
Related Articles & Tips
If there’s only one user account on your Mac
If there's only one user account on your Mac, use these steps to change the primary language you use with that account. This also changes the language used at the login screen:
Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu.
Click Language & Region.
Drag the desired language to the top of the Preferred languages list. If the language you want isn't listed, click the Add (+) button to add the language you want.
Restart your Mac.
After your Mac restarts, the login screen uses the language you set.
If there’s more than one user account on your Mac
If there's more than one user account on your Mac, or you want to change only the language at the login screen, use these steps:
Log in as an admin user.
Open Terminal from the Utilities folder.
Type or paste this command in Terminal:
Press Return.
When prompted for a password, enter an administrator account password and press Return.
A list of available languages is displayed. Type the number that appears next to the language you want to use, then press Return.
Quit Terminal.
Os X Restarts Asking For Setup User Password Windows 10
The next time you log out or restart your Mac, the login screen uses the language you set.
Change your keyboard layout
To select a different input method or keyboard at the login screen, click the Input menu in the upper-right corner of the menu bar and choose an option.
Os X Restarts Asking For Setup User Password On Pc
If you don't see the Input menu, use these steps to add it to the login screen:
Os X Restarts Asking For Setup User Password Mac
Log in.
From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
Click the Users & Groups icon.
Click the lock icon. Enter an admin user name and password.
Click Login Options.
Select the option to Show Input menu in login window.