# Forgot Your Mac Login Password: How to Reset It Step by Step

> Reset a forgotten Mac login password using the login window, your Apple Account, another administrator, a FileVault recovery key or macOS Recovery.

Source: https://www.epifive.com/blog/mac-forgot-password-reset-apple-account-recovery · Published 2026-10-30 · EpiFive

## Key takeaways

- Your Mac login password is separate from your Apple Account password, and Apple says to use the login password at the login window.
- The question mark next to the password field at the login window shows a hint or a reset message that starts the reset.
- If you are signed in as, or can log in as, another administrator, you can reset a user's password in System Settings, Users & Groups, using the Info button and Reset.
- In macOS Recovery you can choose Forgot all passwords? or run resetpassword in Terminal from the Utilities menu.
- Erasing the Mac is the last resort and permanently removes every user account, its password and its data.

At the Mac login window, click the question mark next to the password field. If it shows a reset message, click it and follow the prompts, which may ask for your Apple Account or a FileVault recovery key. If that does not work, reset the password from another administrator account, or start up in macOS Recovery and use Forgot all passwords? or the `resetpassword` tool. Erasing the Mac is the last resort.

## Who this is for and what you will have at the end

This guide is for anyone locked out of a Mac because they forgot the login password, or who inherited a Mac and cannot sign in. At the end you will have chosen the right method for your situation, reset the password, and avoided the one step that destroys data.

Everything here comes from Apple's support pages. Menu labels follow current versions of macOS, so older versions may differ slightly. If the Mac stops at a blank screen, shows a lock symbol or fails to start at all, see [Mac won't start or freezes: safe mode and recovery](https://www.epifive.com/blog/mac-wont-start-or-freezes-safe-mode-recovery).

## Before you start: use the right password

Apple's first suggestions are simple:

1. Restart the Mac. If there is no restart option, press and hold the power (or Touch ID) button for up to 10 seconds until the Mac turns off, then turn it on again.
2. Re-enter your password. Apple says to use your Mac user account login password, not your Apple Account password, email address or phone number.
3. Check uppercase and lowercase letters, Caps Lock, and the Input menu for the right keyboard language.

If the Mac stops at a blank screen, Activation Lock or a lock symbol, Apple points to a separate troubleshooting article for those screens.

## Which method should you use

| Situation | Method |
|---|---|
| The login window shows a question mark or a reset message | Method 1: Login window reset |
| You can log in as another administrator | Method 2: Reset in Users & Groups |
| The login window offers no reset, or the reset fails | Method 3: macOS Recovery |
| You have a FileVault recovery key | Use it when the reset prompts ask for it |
| Nothing else works and the data is backed up or expendable | Method 4: Erase the Mac |

## Method 1: Reset from the login window

1. At the login window, click the question mark next to the password field. You may see a password hint, or a reset message such as "Restart and show password reset options."
2. If no message appears, try a password up to three times and check again.
3. If a reset message appears, click it and follow the prompts. The prompts vary by setup and may ask for:
   - Your FileVault recovery key.
   - Your Apple Account email address or phone number and password, plus a verification code sent to your other devices. Then you select the user to reset.
   - Your startup disk, for example Macintosh HD.
   - Forgot all passwords?, which you choose only if you do not know any user's password.
   - Permission to deactivate the Mac, which Apple says is temporary.
   - Permission to create a new keychain for stored passwords.
4. Create a new password, restart and log in with it.

If your account is locked after repeated attempts, wait for the stated time, restart and try again. If no reset message appears after three tries, restart and try again. If these steps fail, use macOS Recovery (Method 3).

The keychain prompt matters. Apple lists permission to create a new keychain for stored passwords as one of the prompts, so expect to re-enter some saved passwords afterward.

## Method 2: Reset in Users and Groups with another administrator

If you are logged in to your own account, or you can log in to another administrator account, you can change a password in System Settings. Apple's steps are:

1. Open System Settings from the Apple menu and select Users & Groups in the sidebar. You may need to scroll to find it.
2. Click the Info button next to the account.
3. For your own login password, use Change. For another user's password, choose Reset, which Apple describes as a way to change another user's password.

If you are signed in as the user whose password you want to reset, use Change. A person who knows the old password can use that. Someone who does not know the old password needs an administrator to reset it.

## Method 3: Use macOS Recovery

### Start up in macOS Recovery

Apple silicon Mac:

1. Shut down the Mac. If it will not shut down normally, press and hold the power button for up to 10 seconds.
2. Press and hold the power button until you see "Loading startup options" or the Options icon, then release it.
3. Click Options, then click Continue.
4. If asked, select your startup disk, such as Macintosh HD, and click Next.
5. If asked, select a user whose password you know, click Next and enter that password. If you do not know any, use Forgot all passwords?.

Intel-based Mac:

1. Shut down the Mac, using the same 10-second power button hold if needed.
2. Press and release the power button, then immediately hold Command (⌘) and R until you see an Apple logo or a spinning globe.
3. If asked, choose a Wi-Fi network or connect a network cable.
4. Continue with the disk and user steps above.

The Utilities window shows Restore from Time Machine, Reinstall macOS and Disk Utility, with Terminal and other tools in the menu bar.

### Reset the password in Recovery

Apple's article describes this sequence:

1. When asked to select a user you know the password for, click Forgot all passwords?.
2. Follow the prompts. You may be asked for the Apple Account previously used on this Mac, a recovery key, your startup disk or permission to deactivate the Mac.
3. Click Exit to Recovery when it is offered.
4. If you created a new password, restart from the Apple menu and log in. If not, continue in Recovery.
5. Choose Terminal from the Utilities menu, type `resetpassword` and press Return.
6. Select the option for forgetting your password or a password that does not work at login, then click Next.
7. Create new passwords for your account and any other user accounts, then restart and log in.

```bash
resetpassword
```

If Recovery does not start, Apple suggests using the built-in keyboard on a laptop, waiting a few seconds after startup before pressing keys on an external keyboard, or trying a wired Mac keyboard. For Internet Recovery that fails with a spinning globe and an exclamation point, check the internet connection (Ethernet may work better than Wi-Fi), try Command-R, Option-Command-R and Shift-Option-Command-R, or try a different network or try again later. If the Mac is set to start up from Windows with Boot Camp, switch the startup disk to macOS, then shut down and try again.

## About FileVault recovery keys

If FileVault is on, you may be asked for a recovery key. Apple says a FileVault recovery key is a 24-character code created when FileVault is turned on, and that it is different from an Apple Account recovery key. Recovery keys do not include the letters I or S, or the numbers 1 or 0.

If you do not have the key and the Mac runs macOS Tahoe 26 or later, check the Passwords app on another device signed in to the same Apple Account, with iCloud Passwords & Keychain turned on. Search for "recovery key," open the Mac's entry and reveal the key.

Keep a copy of the key in a safe place after you recover access. If you also use an iPhone, see [iPhone unavailable or security lockout fix](https://www.epifive.com/blog/iphone-unavailable-security-lockout-fix) for the equivalent steps on that device.

## Method 4: Erase the Mac (last resort)

If you have no recovery key, no Apple Account route and no other administrator, the only way back in is to erase the Mac. Apple warns that this permanently removes every user account, its password and its data.

1. Shut down the Mac and start up from macOS Recovery.
2. When asked to select a user, choose Erase Mac from the Recovery Assistant menu.
3. Click Erase Mac and confirm. The Mac restarts afterward.
4. If it shows a question mark, turn it off and reinstall macOS from Recovery.
5. If it shows an Activate Mac window, connect to Wi-Fi or a network cable, enter your Apple Account information, then exit to Recovery and reinstall macOS.

If you have a Time Machine or cloud backup, you can restore afterward. If you do not, the data cannot be recovered.

If the Mac belongs to someone else, or you are not certain it is yours, stop. The Activate Mac window asks for the Apple Account used on the Mac, which is an anti-theft protection. Do not try to bypass it.

## Verification

1. Restart the Mac and log in with the new password.
2. Open System Settings, Users & Groups, and check that your account shows as an administrator if it should.
3. If you reset with a new keychain, open apps that store passwords and re-enter what is needed.
4. If FileVault is on, confirm you have stored the recovery key.

## Troubleshooting

### The question mark does not appear

Try a wrong password up to three times, then check again. If it still does not appear, restart and try again, then use macOS Recovery.

### The reset asks for an Apple Account I cannot access

You need the Apple Account previously used on this Mac. If you cannot get into it, follow Apple's account recovery for the Apple Account first, or use another reset route such as a FileVault recovery key or another administrator.

### The account is locked

After repeated attempts Apple says to wait for the stated time, restart and try again.

### A new keychain was created

Re-enter saved passwords in apps and websites as needed.

### The Mac shows a lock symbol or Activation Lock

This is not a password problem. Apple points to its dedicated troubleshooting article. You need the Apple Account that set up the Mac.

## Closing checklist

- Restart and re-enter the Mac login password, not the Apple Account password.
- Try the question mark and reset message at the login window.
- Use another administrator's account to reset in Users & Groups if you have one.
- Use macOS Recovery with Forgot all passwords? or `resetpassword`.
- Keep the FileVault recovery key somewhere safe.
- Erase the Mac only as a last resort, and only if you own it.

## References

- Apple Support, If you forgot your Mac login password: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102633
- Apple Support, How to start up from macOS Recovery: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102518
- Apple Support, Change a password or user picture on Mac: https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/change-a-password-or-user-picture-mh35589/mac

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I reset my Mac password if I forgot it?

At the login window, click the question mark next to the password field. If you see a reset message, click it and follow the prompts, which may ask for your Apple Account or a FileVault recovery key. If no message appears, try a password up to three times, then restart and try again or use macOS Recovery.

### Is my Mac login password the same as my Apple Account password?

No. Apple says to use your Mac user account login password, not your Apple Account password, email or phone number, when you re-enter your password. An Apple Account can help you reset the login password if that option is offered.

### What is a FileVault recovery key?

Apple says it is a 24-character code created when FileVault is turned on, and it is different from an Apple Account recovery key. On macOS Tahoe 26 or later it may be stored in the Passwords app on another device signed in to the same Apple Account.

### Can I reset my Mac password without losing data?

Yes, using the reset options at the login window, another administrator account or the resetpassword tool in macOS Recovery. Erasing the Mac is Apple's last resort, and it permanently removes every user account, its password and its data.