How to Reset a Forgotten Mac Login Password

Forgetting your Mac login password is common, and in most cases you can get back in without erasing anything. The important part is choosing the right method for your Mac, because a few steps differ between Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5 and newer, from 2020 onward) and older Intel Macs, and because some methods have a hidden cost: your saved passwords.

Before you try anything, check one thing: is this a work or school Mac? If your Mac is managed by a company or institution (MDM), you usually cannot reset the password yourself, and you should contact your IT administrator. Forcing a reset can lock you out of company data. If it is your own personal Mac, work through the methods below in order, from least disruptive to most. For related fixes, our macOS repair hub covers the common software lock-outs.

Start here: try the hint and the login-screen reset

Do not jump straight to erasing or Recovery — the gentlest fixes live on the login screen and keep your files intact.

Which method should you use?

• Apple ID reset — use if the account is linked to your Apple Account and you have a trusted device to receive a code. Keeps your files.
• Second admin account — use if another administrator account already exists on the Mac. Keeps your files.
• FileVault recovery key — use if you saved the recovery key when you turned on encryption. Keeps your files.
• macOS Recovery — the last resort when none of the above are available. Keeps your files, but resets the login keychain.
• Erase and reinstall — only if every credential is truly lost. This deletes your data.

1. Read the password hint. Enter any password and get it wrong, then click the question-mark icon that appears in the password field. If you set a hint, it shows and may jog your memory.
2. Wait for the reset message. After three or so wrong attempts, many Macs show a message such as "If you forgot your password, you can reset it using your Apple ID" or an option to restart and show reset options. Click it.
3. Follow the on-screen prompts. You may be asked to sign in to your Apple Account and enter a verification code sent to your other Apple devices, then choose which user to reset and set a new password.

The Apple ID route only works if that user account was linked to your Apple Account and, on newer macOS, if you have another trusted Apple device to receive the code. If nothing appears after several tries, move on to the next method rather than guessing endlessly.

How to reset a Mac admin password from another admin account

If someone else has an administrator account on the same Mac, or you have a spare admin account you can still log in to, this is the cleanest fix and does not touch your files. From that account you can reset the admin password for the locked-out user in a couple of clicks.

1. Log in to the other administrator account.
2. Open the Apple menu, then System Settings (macOS Ventura and later) or System Preferences on older versions.
3. Go to Users & Groups.
4. Select the account you are locked out of and choose the option to change or reset the password for that user.
5. Set a new password, add a hint, and log out.

One thing to know: even when an admin resets another user's password this way, that user's login keychain still gets locked, because the keychain is protected by the old password. We explain what that means further down.

Use your FileVault recovery key

If you turned on FileVault disk encryption and chose to store a recovery key (a long string of letters and numbers) rather than link it to iCloud, you can use that key to unlock the disk and reset your password. This is a different code from your Apple Account recovery key, so check you have the right one.

On Apple Silicon Macs (M1/M2/M3/M4/M5 and newer)

1. Power on from a fully shut-down state and wait for the login window (on Apple Silicon this is the FileVault unlock screen).
2. Enter a wrong password a few times, or click the ? at the right of the password field, until an option to reset with your recovery key appears.
3. Choose the option to reset it using your Recovery Key, then type the recovery key exactly and set a new password.

On Intel Macs

1. At the login window, select your user and enter a wrong password until the reset options appear (or click the ? button in the password field).
2. Choose the option to reset using your Recovery Key.
3. Enter the recovery key, then create a new password.

If you cannot find your recovery key anywhere, this route is closed and you should try macOS Recovery next. There is no back door to a FileVault key by design; that is the whole point of encryption.

How to reset a Mac password using macOS Recovery

If none of the above worked, macOS Recovery has a built-in password reset assistant. The catch is that entering Recovery is completely different on Apple Silicon versus Intel, so use the right steps for your Mac. Not sure which you have? Click the Apple menu, then About This Mac; a chip named M1/M2/M3/M4/M5 means Apple Silicon, and anything else is an Intel Mac.

Entering Recovery on Apple Silicon

1. Shut the Mac down fully.
2. Press and hold the power button and keep holding it until you see "Loading startup options".
3. Click Options, then Continue, and select a user you know the password for if asked.

Entering Recovery on Intel

1. Turn on or restart the Mac.
2. Immediately press and hold Command (⌘)-R.
3. Keep holding until the Apple logo or a spinning globe appears, then release.

Once you are in Recovery

macOS Recovery includes the Reset Password assistant (the resetpassword tool). Once you reach the screen asking you to pick a user you know the password for:

1. When you are asked to select a user you know the password for, click "Forgot all passwords?" and follow the prompts.
2. If you were not offered those steps, open Utilities > Terminal from the menu bar, type resetpassword and press Return to launch the Reset Password assistant.
3. Choose your user, set a new password and hint, then quit and restart.
4. If asked for a FileVault recovery key or your Apple Account credentials, provide them to continue.

If your Mac keeps looping or never reaches Recovery, the problem may be a deeper boot fault rather than the password. Our macOS repair hub covers those startup issues, and we offer free diagnostics if you would rather have it checked.

The honest catch: your new login keychain

This is the part most guides skip. When you reset a password without knowing the old one, macOS cannot unlock your existing login keychain, because that keychain was encrypted with the old password. So it quietly creates a brand-new, empty login keychain.

• Wi-Fi and website passwords, secure notes and certificates stored in the old keychain may become inaccessible.
• Apps that relied on those saved credentials may ask you to sign in again.
• Your actual documents, photos and files are not deleted by a password reset; it is the saved-password vault that is affected.
• If you later remember the old password, you may be able to unlock the old keychain in the Keychain Access app, so do not rush to delete it.

A few other things to expect: on a Mac with Activation Lock or FileVault, you may be asked for the linked Apple Account credentials or recovery key. There is no way around these by design. If you have truly lost every credential, the only way back in may be to erase the Mac, which does delete your data. Before you commit to that, it is worth a free second opinion, and if the files matter, ask about data recovery first.

When to let a professional take over

If you have tried the hint, the Apple ID reset, a second admin account, the FileVault recovery key and macOS Recovery and still cannot get in, stop before you erase anything, because erasing deletes your data permanently.

Bring it to Esmond Service Centre for free diagnostics at our Alexandra Retail Centre (ARC) or Sin Ming Lane branch, or WhatsApp 8828 8180. Our Apple-trained technicians can check whether the account, FileVault or Activation Lock is the blocker and, where files are at risk, advise on data recovery first.

For a no-obligation assessment you can request a free quote; we will tell you straight what is recoverable before any work begins.

Esmond Service CentreReviewed and originally published by Esmond Service Centre on June 4, 2026. Last updated July 1, 2026.