How to Reset Mac Forgotten Admin Password

Part 1. Things to Do before Resetting Forgotten Mac Admin Password

Before you go ahead and begin the Mac password reset procedure, we would like for you to give another try to enter the password. It may be that you are entering the correct password but in a wrong way. Follow the following three tips and see if you can access your admin account.

1. Check If You Have Caps Lock Turned on

The first thing you will want to verify on your Mac is to see if the Caps lock key is enabled. If it is, it will type the letters capitalized and if that is not how your password was set, your Mac will throw an error saying an incorrect password is entered. Turn the Caps lock key off and then type in your password.

2. Check Your Password Hint

You may also want to take a look at your password hint to see if it helps you recall your password. Password hints are extremely useful as they give you clues as to what your password was.

3. Try to log in with the Apple ID password

If you cannot recall your password no matter what, you may use your Apple ID and its password to access your account. Click on the question mark on the login screen to begin the procedure.

Part 2. How to Reset Forgotten Mac Admin Password

If the above methods did not help you reset your forgotten admin password Mac, the following methods will definitely help you out. These methods use unique ways to ensure you are able to reset your admin password on your Mac machine.

Way 1. Change Admin Password Using Another Admin Account

If you happen to have two admin accounts on your Mac, you can use the other account to change the password of your current admin account. An admin account can change passwords for all other accounts including admin accounts and that is what you are going to take advantage of.

Step 1: Log-in to the other admin account and head to System Preferences > Users & Groups.

Step 2: Select the admin account you want to change the password for and click on Reset Password.

Step 3: Enter a new password for the account and click on Change Password.

You have successfully set up a new password for your admin account.

Way 2. Reset Mac Admin Password Using Your Apple ID

You may use your Apple ID to reset the admin password on your Mac and the following shows how to do it.

Step 1: Get to the log-in screen and enter an incorrect password three times. Click on the new icon that appears on your screen.

Step 2: Enter your Apple ID logins and click on Reset Password.

Follow the on-screen instructions and you should be able to reset your password.

Way 3. Reset Password using the Reset Password assistant (FileVault must be on)

If the FileVault option is turned enabled on your Mac, you can use the Reset Password assistant to reset your account password. The following shows how to do it.

Step 1: Get to your login screen and wait for about a minute. You will see a message. Press and hold down the Power button to turn off your Mac.

Step 2: Turn on your Mac and you will be on the reset password screen. Select I forgot my password and click on Next.

That is how to change admin password on Mac if forgotten using the Password Reset assistant.

Way 4. Reset Mac Password using your Recovery Key (FileVault must be on)

If you have a FileVault Password Recovery Key with yourself, you can use it to reset your Mac admin password. Below is how to do it on your machine.

Step 1: Keep on entering incorrect passwords on the login screen. You will get a prompt asking you to reset your password. Accept the prompt.

Step 2: The password field will change to Recovery Key field. Enter your recovery key and you will be able to reset your password.

It is pretty easy to reset a password using Recovery Key on a Mac.

Way 5. Reset Your Password Using Recovery Mode

The recovery mode is an independent partition on your Mac that lets you perform many tasks including letting you reset passwords on your machine.

Step 1: Power off your Mac and then press and hold down Command + R + Power buttons simultaneously.

Step 2: Select Disk Utility > Terminal on the following screen.

Step 3: Type in resetpassword on the following screen and press Enter.

Step 4: Type in resetpassword on the following screen and press Enter.

It is pretty easy to reset a password using Recovery Key on a Mac.

Way 6. Reset Mac Admin Password Using the Single-User Mode

Single-user mode is more of a superuser account on your Mac that lets you do admin level tasks on your machine.

Step 1: Press Command + S on the boot up your Mac to reboot your Mac into the single-user mode.

Step 2: Type in the following commands pressing Enter after each command. Make sure to replace username with your admin username:

mount –uw /

launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.opendirectoryd.plist

passwd username

Step 3: Enter a new password for your account. Then, type reboot and hit Enter.

A new password has successfully been set up for your admin account.

Summary

It is human to forget things and Mac forgotten admin password. Luckily, you have several methods to reset the password and be back in your user account on your Mac. We hope the above guide helps you to do just that. Last but not least, Mac provides you with multiple ways to reset your admin account password. And so does Windows. But if you are struggling to reset a password on your Windows machine, you may use a dedicated software like PassFab 4WinKey to have your password reset with ease on your computer.

Part 3. FAQs about Mac Forgotten Admin Password

Q1: What happens if you forgot your Mac password?

If you forgot your Mac password, you won't be able to sign into your Mac and use your Mac device. If you forgot Mac admin password, you cannot execute many of the tasks that require admin privileges on your Mac.

Q2: What do you do if you forgot your Mac password?

If you forgot your Mac password, you can try these methods to reset your Mac password then log into your device:

• Way 1. Change Admin Password Using Another Admin Account
• Way 2. Reset Mac Admin Password Using Your Apple ID
• Way 3. Using the Reset Password assistant (FileVault must be on)
• Way 4. Using your Recovery Key (FileVault must be on)
• Way 5. Reset Your Password Using Recovery Mode
• Way 6. Reset Mac Admin Password Using the Single-User Mode