If you’ve forgotten your Mac login password

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

Before you begin

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

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

• Use the correct uppercase or lowercase characters. If your keyboard has Caps Lock turned on, the password field shows a Caps Lock symbol.

• Check the Input menu in the menu bar to make sure you're using the correct input source for your language.

• If you're using macOS Mojave or earlier, follow the steps for macOS Mojave or earlier. Otherwise, follow the steps below for macOS Sequoia, 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:

Connect to the Internet

Some of these steps require your Mac to be connected to the Internet. You can use the Wi-Fi menu in the menu bar to choose a Wi-Fi network.

Show password reset options

• If a question mark appears next to the password field in the login window, click the question mark to see a password hint (if you created one when setting up your user account) and one or more of the password reset options below.

• If you can’t see any of these password reset options, enter your password up to three times.

“Restart and show password reset options”

“Reset it using your Apple Account (or 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 showing password reset options, 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 Account, enter your Apple Account information. You may 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 Account 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 process has been completed, click Restart.

“Reset it using your Apple Account (or Apple ID)”

1. After showing password reset options, if you see the option to reset using your Apple Account, click it.

   • If your Mac asks for your Apple Account immediately, 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 “Forgotten 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 process has been completed, click Restart.

“Reset it using your recovery key”

1. After showing password reset options, 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 Account 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.