How to Recover Your Mac Password Using Apple’s Recovery Mode

Step 1: Access Recovery Mode

  1. Start by shutting down your Mac completely.
  2. Once your Mac is powered off, press the power button to turn it back on.
  3. As soon as you hear the startup sound, press and hold down the Command (⌘) and R keys simultaneously until the Apple logo appears on the screen. This will boot your Mac into Recovery Mode.

Step 2: Reset Your Password (Intel-based Macs)

  1. After entering Recovery Mode, you’ll see the macOS Utilities window. From the menu bar at the top of the screen, select “Utilities” and then choose “Terminal” from the drop-down menu.
  2. In the Terminal window, type the following command and press Enter: resetpassword
  3. A new window titled “Reset Password” will appear. Here, you’ll see a list of all user accounts on your Mac.
  4. Select the user account for which you want to reset the password.
  5. Enter a new password for the selected user account and then confirm the password by entering it again.
  6. Optionally, you can add a hint to help you remember your password in the future.
  7. Once you’ve set the new password and hint, click on the “Next” button to proceed.
  8. A confirmation message will appear, indicating that your password has been reset successfully. Click on the “Restart” button to reboot your Mac.

Step 2: Reset Your Password (Apple silicon-based Macs)

  1. After entering Recovery Mode, you’ll see the macOS Utilities window. Select “Utilities” from the menu bar, then choose “Terminal.”
  2. In the Terminal window, type the following command and press Enter: resetpassword
  3. A new window titled “Reset Password” will appear. Follow the on-screen instructions to select the user account, enter a new password, and confirm it.
  4. Once you’ve set the new password, click on the “Next” button to proceed.
  5. A confirmation message will appear, indicating that your password has been reset successfully. Click on the “Restart” button to reboot your Mac.

Step 3: Log in with Your New Password

  1. After your Mac restarts, you’ll be prompted to enter your new password when logging in.
  2. Enter the new password you created in Step 2 and press Enter.
  3. If you entered the correct password, you should now be able to access your Mac without any issues.