Whether it is iOS or macOS, each Apple software is impeccable in terms of security. What if you forget your Mac administrator password. Fortunately, there are certain ways to reset Mac password and regain access. At this point, it is essential to know several methods to reset user passwords.
Users who do not have FileVault turned on Method 1: Reset with Apple ID
In OS X Mavericks (10.9) and later, Apple has integrated Apple ID and administrator passwords, allowing us to quickly reset user passwords using Apple ID.
Before you can use this method to reset your user password, make sure your Mac is signed in to Apple ID and that “Allow users to reset passwords with Apple ID” is checked in System Preferences – Users and Groups – Sign-in Options.
If you do not have this checked, use the following method.
1. In the login window, enter a password three times in succession until a pop-up window appears that says “If you forget your password, you can…reset it with your Apple ID / reset it with your master password.
2. Click the small arrow to the right of “Reset with your Apple ID”. Then enter your Apple ID and password and click “Reset Password”.
In the Reset Password window, set and confirm a new user password and password reminder (optional), and click Reset Password when you’re done.
After the reset is complete, restart your Mac and use the new password to log in.
Method 2: Reset with Master Password
If you have previously set up a Master Password and still remember it, you can also use it to reset the user passwords of your administrator and general member accounts. The specific reset method is similar to “Method 1”, so I will not repeat it.
Method 3: Reset with another administrator account
If you know the name and password of another administrator account on your Mac, you can reset the password through that administrator account.
1. Log in with the name and password of another administrator account.
2. Go to System Preferences – Users and Groups, tap the small key, and enter your password to unlock it.
3. Select the user who needs to reset the password from the user list, tap the “Reset Password” button, and then follow the instructions to reset the new password.
Once you have finished resetting your password, log out of your account and log back in to your account with your new password.
Method 4: Enter OS X Recovery Mode to reset
1. Turn off your Mac.
2. Press and hold Command + R (⌘R) and tap the boot button until the logo appears to enter Recovery Mode (of course, you can also press the boot button first and then press and hold ⌘R as soon as you hear the boot sound).
4. In the terminal, enter the command (note: hyphenated, and all lowercase letters): resetpassword, and enter to confirm.
5. In the “Reset password” window that appears, select the boot disk volume containing the password, the user account you wish to reset in turn; enter and confirm the new user password and set a password prompt message for it (optional); click “Reset”.
6. Click , in the menu bar, and select “Reboot” or “Shutdown”. The next time you boot, log in with the new password.
Users with FileVault enabled
For Mac users who have FileVault 2 enabled, “Allow users to reset passwords with Apple ID” will not appear in the Users & Groups pane. You can only use your iCloud account to unlock the disk and reset the password if you checked the “Allow my iCloud account to unlock the disk” box during the previous FileVault 2 setup. The specific reset method is similar to Method 1, so I won’t go over it again.
If you selected “Create recovery key and do not use my iCloud account” during the FileVault 2 setup process and saved the recovery key, you can use the recovery key to reset the user password.
1. In the login window, tap “? and a pop-up window will appear with the message “If you forget your password, you can… use your Recovery Key to reset your password.
2. Tap the small arrow on the right side, the password field will change to the “Recovery Key” field.
3. Enter your recovery key and follow the on-screen instructions to create a new password. When you are done, tap “Reset Password”.
When you’re done, restart your Mac and log in with your new password.