You sit down, type the password you have used for months, and the Mac shakes its head at you. It happens more often than you would think — especially after a vacation, a new keyboard, or buying a used MacBook that still has someone else’s account on it. The good news: a forgotten login password is almost never fatal, and in most cases you will not lose a single file. Here is every reset method, in the order you should try them.
First, rule out the dumb stuff
- Caps Lock — the little arrow indicator on the password field means it is on.
- Wrong keyboard layout — if you ever added a second input source, symbols may not be where you think. Click the input menu on the login screen if it is shown.
- Wrong user — some Macs have more than one account. Click the back arrow or restart to see the full user list. Wireless or external keyboard not registering — if your keystrokes never appear as dots, a Bluetooth keyboard may be unpaired or dead; plug in a wired keyboard or use the built-in one to type the password.
- Which password is it asking for? Your Mac has up to three: the login password (this guide), your Apple ID password (reset at iforgot.apple.com), and on some Intel Macs a firmware password (see the FAQ).
Method 1: Reset with your Apple ID
On any Mac signed into iCloud, enter the wrong password three times. You will see a message like “If you forgot your password, you can reset it using your Apple ID.” Click the arrow, sign in with your Apple ID, and set a new login password. This is the cleanest path and keeps all of your data.
If the prompt never appears, the option was turned off in System Settings — move on to the next method.
Method 2: Use your FileVault recovery key
If FileVault is on and you saved the 28-character recovery key when you enabled it, enter the wrong password three times and choose “reset it using your Recovery Key.” Type the key (dashes included), then set a new password. Your data stays intact.
Method 3: The Reset Password assistant in macOS Recovery
This is the workhorse method and it works even when the first two do not.
- Start macOS Recovery. Apple Silicon (M1–M4): shut down, then hold the power button until “Loading startup options” appears, click Options → Continue. Intel: restart and hold Command + R until the Apple logo appears.
- Ignore the utilities window. Open Utilities → Terminal from the menu bar.
- Type resetpassword (one word) and press Return.
- The Reset Password assistant opens. Pick your user, set a new password, and restart.
If FileVault is on, the assistant may ask you to authenticate with your Apple ID or recovery key first — that is Apple making sure a thief cannot do the same thing to your stolen laptop.
Method 4: Another admin account
If a second person has an administrator account on the same Mac, have them log in, open System Settings → Users & Groups, click the info button next to your account, and choose Reset Password. Thirty seconds, done.
Method 5: Erase and reinstall (last resort)
If every method above fails — FileVault is on, no recovery key, no Apple ID access, no second admin — the remaining option is to wipe the Mac and start fresh. You lose whatever is not backed up, but the machine itself is fine. Follow our step-by-step factory reset guide; on modern macOS it is one “Erase All Content and Settings” screen, not the scary ordeal it used to be.
Bought a used Mac with someone else’s password on it?
A login password on a second-hand Mac is only half the story. You can clear the login password with Method 3 or a full erase — but if the previous owner’s iCloud account is still attached, Activation Lock will stop you cold after the wipe, and no reset trick gets past it. Before you buy (or if you are already stuck), read what an iCloud-locked MacBook actually means. Every Mac we sell is verified Activation Lock–free before it ships.
Locked out and thinking of selling it instead?
If the Mac is yours, you can prove it, and you would rather move on than fight with recovery screens — a locked-out Mac still has real value. Sign out of Find My if you can, and see our guide to selling a broken or locked MacBook for how trade-in credit works even on machines that will not log in.
FAQ
Does resetting my login password erase my files?
No. Methods 1–4 keep everything. The one side effect: your old login keychain (saved Wi-Fi and website passwords) stays locked with the old password. macOS will offer to create a new keychain — accept it, and re-save passwords as you go.
Can Apple just tell me my password?
No. Apple never has your login password. They can help you reset it (and can unlock an Intel firmware password at an Apple Store with proof of purchase), but nobody can read it back to you.
What is a firmware password?
Some Intel Macs have an optional low-level password that blocks Recovery mode itself — the lock icon at startup. Only Apple can remove it, in person, with proof of purchase. Apple Silicon Macs replaced this with Activation Lock.
The resetpassword command does nothing. Why?
Make sure you typed it as one word with no spaces, in Terminal inside Recovery — it does not work from a normal login session. On FileVault-encrypted drives you may need to unlock the disk in Disk Utility first.
How do I stop this happening again?
Turn on the Apple ID reset option (System Settings → Users & Groups), store your FileVault recovery key somewhere that is not on the Mac, and let iCloud Keychain remember the rest.