Hold Command+R until you see a progress bar show up below the Apple logo. For Macs with an Intel processor, press and hold the Command and R keys on your keyboard, then press the power button. I've found the easiest way to do that is to start by completely powering down your Mac.įrom there, the process to getting into Recovery Mode will depend on the kind of Mac you have.

If neither of those methods will work, you'll need to boot your Mac into Recovery Mode in order to access the password reset tool. Remember to write down the new passwords you create for other users on your Mac. Next, select the user you need to reset the password for and then click on the button labeled Reset Password and follow the instructions. To do so, from that same Users & Groups screen, click on the lock and enter your admin name and password when prompted. Just below the user name will be the account type - if it says 'Admin' you can reset user passwords. Usually, the person who first set up the Mac has an admin account by default, but you can check by logging in to your account and opening System Preferences > Users & Groups and viewing the list of user accounts on your Mac. The key here is that you need access to an admin user account. If you share your Mac with friends or family members and they forgot their password, odds are you'll be able to reset it for them. Use another admin account to unlock your Mac Getting locked out of your Mac is annoying. Once it reboots, you'll then be asked to sign in with your Apple ID, select the user account you want to reset the password for, and then enter a new user account password. Here's how to get started regaining control over your Mac computer.Īfter entering the wrong user password three times, you'll be asked if you want to restart your computer to view the password recovery options. If you didn't link your Apple ID, that's OK, there's still another option to reset your account password. There are a few different methods you can use, and the road you take to unlock your Mac without a password could depend on whether you linked your Apple ID to your user account on your Mac during setup, or if you have one of the new M1 Macs. Because of that, MacOS includes a tool for this exact scenario.

Apple knows that a forgotten password can be a personal hell, especially if you're working on a deadline. But what happens when you forget the password to log into your Mac? After trying, then retrying the password you thought was correct, it's only natural to want to panic. For online accounts, you can just click a few links, enter your email address and then reset your password. I think it's safe to say we've all forgotten a password at some point.

Memory fog locking you out of your device? We'll show you how to get back in.

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