If you forgot your Mac login password

If you forgot the password to log in to your Mac user account, or the password isn't accepted, try these solutions.

Before you begin

  • Your login password is the password for your Mac user account. It's the password you use to log in to your Mac, not your Apple ID password.

  • If you're already logged in or can log in using Touch ID, you might be able to change your login password instead of resetting it.

  • If you're using macOS Mojave or earlier, follow the steps for macOS Mojave or earlier. Otherwise follow the steps below for macOS Sonoma, Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur, and Catalina.

Restart your Mac

Restart your Mac. If you can't restart normally, press and hold the power button for up to 10 seconds, until your Mac turns off. (Every Mac has a power button. On laptop computers that have Touch ID, press and hold Touch ID.) Then turn on your Mac to start up and show the login window:

Login window in macOS Sonoma

Connect to the internet

Some of these steps require your Mac to be connected to the internet. You can use the Wi-Fi menuWi-Fi menu in the upper-right corner of the login window to choose a Wi-Fi network.

Check for a password hint

If your account was set up with a password hint to help you remember the password, a question markquestion mark appears next to the password field in the login window. Click it to see the password hint. You might also see one or more of the password-reset options described below.

Enter your password up to three times

If you don't already see a password-reset option, enter your password up to three times, until you see one of the following messages.

Password reset options on login window in macOS Sonoma

"Restart and show password reset options"

"Reset it using your Apple ID"

"Reset it using your recovery key"

"Your account is locked. Try again in [duration]."

No message

"Restart and show password reset options"

  1. After entering your password up to three times, if you see the option to restart and show password reset options, click it to restart your Mac.

  2. What happens next depends on how your Mac is set up.

    • If you're asked to select a volume to recover, select your Mac startup disk, which by default is Macintosh HD.

    • If you're asked to sign in with your Apple ID, enter your Apple ID, then enter your Apple ID password. You might then be asked to enter the verification code sent to your other devices.

    • If you're asked for your FileVault recovery key, enter the string of letters and numbers you received when you turned on FileVault and chose to create a recovery key instead of allowing your Apple ID to reset your password. If you lost it, follow the steps here: If you can't reset your login password.

    • If you see a message that you do not have iCloud recovery or a recovery key set up for this volume, follow the steps here: If you can't reset your login password.

  3. Select a user to reset the password for, then click Next.

  4. Enter your new password information, then click Next.

  5. When the password reset is completed, click Restart.

"Reset it using your Apple ID"

  1. After entering your password up to three times, if you see the option to reset using your Apple ID, click it.

    • If your Mac immediately asks for your Apple ID, enter that information and click Reset Password.

    • If your Mac restarts, follow the steps in the previous section, "Restart and show password reset options."

  2. What happens next depends on how your Mac is set up.

    • If you're asked to create a new keychain to store the user's passwords, click OK to restart your Mac.

    • If you're asked to select an admin user you know the password for, click "Forgot all passwords?"

    • If you see a Reset Password window with the option to Deactivate Mac, click Deactivate Mac. Then click Deactivate to confirm the temporary deactivation.

  3. Enter your new password information, then click Next. (If you see multiple user accounts, click the Set Password button next to each account name, then enter the new password information for each account.)

  4. When the password reset is completed, click Restart.

"Reset it using your recovery key"

  1. After entering your password up to three times, if you see the option to reset using your recovery key, click it.

  2. Enter your FileVault recovery key. It's the string of letters and numbers you received when you turned on FileVault and chose to create a recovery key instead of allowing your Apple ID to reset your password. If you lost it, follow the steps here: If you can't reset your login password.

  3. Enter your new password information, then click Reset Password.

"Your account is locked. Try again in [duration]."

If your account becomes locked after entering an incorrect password too many times, wait until the stated time has elapsed, then restart your Mac and try once more. If that doesn't help, follow the steps here: If you can't reset your login password.

No message

If you don't see a password-reset option after entering your password up to three times, restart your Mac and try once more. If that doesn't help, follow the steps here: If you can't reset your login password.

Published Date: