Keep your passwords safe
Follow these steps to reset your Mac password from another account: Click on the Apple logo in the top left and choose Log Out. Select the account you do know the password to. Enter the password. Keychain is a built-in password manager, which stores different types of Mac passwords. Here's how to find passwords on a Mac using Keychain: Navigate to Keychain Access by pressing Command + Space keys and then typing Keychain in Spotlight's search bar. Check the sidebar on your left and go to Category.
We all have dozens and even hundreds of passwords to remember. Your Mac password, like a credit card PIN number, is one of the most important, so it can be a nightmare if you forget it. But it's not the end of the world. There are a few easy ways you can reset your Mac password and make sure you don't lose it ever again.
Under the Other Users section, click the Mac account that you want to reset the password. Click Reset Password beside the admin account's name. In the new dialog box, input New Password, Verify, and Password Hint. Oct 10, 2019 On older versions of OS X, Apple let you use your Apple ID password as your Mac's unlock option, which automatically changed whenever you changed the password on your Apple ID. That said, you don't have to use your Apple ID password to unlock your Mac. In fact, it's not really a good idea.
How to recover a forgotten Mac password
Secure experience is something you can't emphasize enough while dealing with Apple devices. Hence the importance of a safe Mac password. While it could be easy to physically steal a computer, there's little chance someone can mess with your data unless they know the password. So it's wise to take a few precautionary measures to avoid losing it and make it easier to recover.
Easy way to reset passwords
Setapp has a reset scenario catered for you if you forget Mac login password. Just saying.
Use Recovery Mode
Hope this is just a 'what-if' for you, but let's imagine it happened. You forgot Mac password and can't access any of your accounts. There are no password hints and you can't call it to mind, even though you've already tried to enter all pet names. For such cases, there's Apple's Recovery Mode.
To activate the Recovery Mode:
- Turn off your computer and hold the power button + Command R. Wait for the loading bar to appear on the screen while your Mac boots to Recovery.
- Next, choose Disk Utility > Continue > Utilities Terminal.
- Type 'resetpassword' (in one word) and click Return.
- Go to the main hard drive and choose your user account.
- Lastly, change Mac password, create a hint to easily recollect it in future, and click save. You'll be able to use the new password after a restart.
Reset password with Apple ID
If you have an Apple ID tied to your user account on Mac, you can use it to reset password from the login window. The option should be available by default. Otherwise, you can enable it in System Preferences > Users & Groups > Allows user to reset password using Apple ID.
To make a go of this, click on the question mark next to the password field that you see on the login screen. Agree to the option to reset with Apple ID and enter wrong login credentials three times to be able to create the new password. Once you get to the reset screen, input a new password two times, create a hint, and save.
Change password from another account
Lucky you if you have more than one user account on your Mac. Or, if your mother/brother/girlfriend/dog ever use your computer to log in to their personal accounts (yes, now you owe them a thank you). Here's how to recover Mac password, using another account you have a password to:
- Log out of your admin user account
- Choose another account and enter the password
- Go to System Preferences > Users & Groups > Lock icon
- Use the password for the alternative account to unlock
- Reset the password for your admin account (type in a password > verify > create a hint > save).
Good news: You have a new password. Bad news: You still won't be able to log in to your account if you don't have the Keychain password and can't create the new one. The thing is, to unlock all the features that require Mac Password, you should be able to access the Apple's password management system, Keychain. Unless you remember the access data, you'll have to create the new password with an admin account. If the account you used isn't registered as admin, you'll have to go for the Recovery Mode option.
Get a hint for your password
If you forgot Apple password, you can recover it with a hint. This is, by far, the most painless way to win back your access. Therefore, we encourage you to create hints each time you choose a new password. It takes a few simple actions:
- Access System Preferences > Users & Groups
- Click on the Lock icon > user name
- Select the option to change password and add a phrase/word you associate with a newly created password in 'Password hint (recommended).'
One more important thing. To ensure your password hint shows up when you need it, you should allow your Mac to display hints. In the Users $ Groups, click on Login options and check the box next to 'Show password hints.' Ready to go.
To see the hint you created, access User Groups in the System Preferences, unlock to make changes, and press Return three times. After the third time, your hint will appear right below the password field. Unless you've created the hint ages ago, this should help to refresh your memory.
Resort to Target Disk Mode
Another option is to access the hard drive of your Mac via another computer. Basically, Target Disk Mode allows you to save any data from the your Mac's hard drive.
To enter the Target Disk Mode
- Shut down your computer and use FireWire or Thunderbolt cable to connect another Mac.
- Click on the power button while holding the T button and wait for the hard drive to appear on the screen.
That's it. You can now easily access and recover any data from your Mac.
Always protect your data
Resetting password could make your Mac vulnerable. Particularly, Recovery Mode is kind of a security hole: If someone can get access to your computer, it's pretty easy to boot into recovery and reset password. To prevent this from happening you should encrypt the data on your hard drive with a built-in FileVault utility. Ensure you unlock Password Reset with Disk Utility and activate FileVault on your Mac.
To activate FileVault in the Apple System
- Go to System Preferences
- Click on Security & Privacy > FileVault
- Unlock to enter your login and password
- Select 'Turn on FileVault'
- Save Recovery key and password that you receive upon activating FileVault
Find lost passwords using Keychain Access
In case you've lost one of your internet logins or don't remember the password to your WiFi, it's very likely that you can recover it using your Mac's native password manager — Keychain Access.
To recover a password with Keychain Access:
- Launch the utility from your Applications folder
- Use the search field in the top-right corner to filter for what you're looking for
- Double-click on the wanted item
- Check Show Password and enter the Keychain Password to reveal it
Although Keychain Access can be very useful in finding passwords you thought were lost forever, it's rarely used intentionally due to its clunky interface and messy save-all password behavior. However, using a password manager nowadays in general is a must. And if you have to start somewhere, look no further than Secrets.
Store passwords on Mac, securely
Grab Secrets along with your Setapp perks and worry not about privacy.
Store passwords using Secrets
Secrets is a simple but robust password manager that can become your central point of reference when looking for passwords, WiFi passcodes, secure notes, credit card numbers, and other personal information.
The app is supported by the industry-standard PGP encryption so none of your files will ever get exposed. And no, saving your passwords in the Notes app or on paper is not a good idea. Thankfully, Secrets is very easy to use.
- Download and launch Secrets
- Proceed through the setup guide
- To save your first password just click on the plus icon next to the search field and fill out all the necessary information
Additionally, Secrets has an importing feature where you can download all your existing passwords from other managers or even as a simple .csv file. And moving forward, Secrets can be populated through a handy browser extension with a quick built-in password generator.
Taking all the necessary measures to stay safe online is a must. This includes having good password hints for your Mac, knowing how to navigate through the Recovery Mode, and of course using a good password manager like Secrets, which is available for a free trial through Setapp, a platform of over 200 best Mac utilities that can help you out in just about any scenario.
Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.
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It's fair to say that the whole Apple universe runs around your Apple ID. You use it to make changes to your profile, to buy something from iTunes, to log into iCloud, to sync devices together, and much more.
The problem is what do you do if you forgot Apple ID password? Or you might've written it down somewhere but need to use it from a friend's computer, for example?
In that case, knowing how to reset Apple ID password will be of great help. Great news is you can reset Apple password from any device and even online. Let's see how it's done.
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How To Do An Apple ID Password Reset
How to download adobe premiere pro free on mac. The most straightforward way you can perform an Apple ID reset is through the appleid.apple.cơm login or iforgot.apple.com website:
Click 'Forgotten your Apple ID or password?' on appleid.apple.cơm or just visit iforgot.apple.com
Type in your AppleID ➙ Continue
Select to use Apple ID reset of password
Choose to Get an email ➙ Continue ➙ Done
In the email you receive, click 'Reset now'
Enter and confirm your new password
Hit Reset Password
Not sure what's the email associated with the Apple ID forgot password process? You can find that too:
Visit iforgot.apple.com
Click on the 'look it up' link
Enter your first name, last name and the backup email address, and click Continue
If successful, you'll be redirected to a page with your Apple ID displayed
Alternatively, you can also locate your Apple ID on your iPhone (or iPad) and Mac, if you're logged into iCloud. On iPhone:
Open Settings
Scroll down and tap iTunes & App Store
Find your Apple ID at the top
On Mac:
Launch System Preferences ➙ Apple ID
See your Apple ID email under your profile picture and name
How to answer Apple ID security questions
If you forgot Apple password, you can also choose to 'Answer security questions' during the reset Apple ID password process instead of having a recovery email being sent to you. Here's what you need to do after that:
Verify your birthday ➙ Continue
Type in replies to the two security questions you've chosen when you set up the appleid.apple.com login. Make sure they are word for word. Click Continue.
Select and confirm your new password
Click Reset Password
In case you don't remember answers to your security questions or just find them confusing (or outdated), don't forget to change them later through appleid.apple.com. In the meantime, if you can't answer correctly, reset Apple ID through your email as shown above.
How to use two-factor and two-step authentication
Usually, when you log in to an online service such as appleid.apple.com, you're only required to enter your email (or username) and password, and you're in with just one step. Today, that's no longer considered secure by the majority of web security experts. After all, most of the username–password combinations are fairly common, so it's easy for hackers to find (or even buy) them.
To have a truly secure appleid.apple.com login, you need to use a two-factor authentication (2FA), which sends a unique and time-sensitive code to your registered device (either iPhone or Mac).
If you've turned on the 2FA earlier, your Apple ID password reset process will look a bit different:
After you enter your Apple ID at iforgot.apple.com, you'll need to type in the number associated with your account ➙ Continue
You'll receive a notification on your trusted device, asking whether you allow the password to be reset. Tap Allow.
Type in your passcode ➙ Done
Enter your new Apple ID password twice ➙ Next. Click Done.
Before Apple introduced the two-factor authentication system, it had another one they called two-step verification, which used a permanent (as opposed to temporary) 14-character recovery key as an additional step in resetting your password. If you lost the recovery key, you simply wouldn't be able to reset your account. Needless to say the system wasn't overly secure and Apple switched to the current 2FA soon after.
How to change Apple ID password on Mac
A great feature of the Apple ecosystem is that you often have a few ways of doing something and can choose the one most convenient for you. In the case you forgot Apple ID password, for example, you can reset it online but also from your Mac, if you're logged into iCloud there. Here's how to do it:
Go to System Preferences ➙ Apple ID
On the left-side panel, click the Password & Security tab
Select 'Change password…'
Enter your Mac password and choose Allow
Type in your new Apple ID password twice
Click Change
How to change Apple ID password on iPhone
Similarly to Mac, you can go through the Apple ID forgot password process on your iPhone as well, which is also much easier than doing so through the website. Here's how:
Open Settings
Tap on your name to open Apple ID preferences
Tap Password & Security
Select 'Change password'
Enter your iPhone's passcode ➙ Done
Type in your new Apple ID password twice
Choose Change
How to remember and keep your passwords secure
As you can see, being in a situation where you say 'I forgot my Apple ID password' is not fun. It's easy enough to find out how to reset Apple ID password, but could be difficult to implement, especially if you still have the old two-step verification system in place or don't remember the answers to your security questions.
How To Get Mac Password
The central problem in forgetting your password is not having a robust system in place. Even if you succeed in changing your password today, you're likely to forget it later on. Why not just introduce a simple way to manage all your passwords from all your apps and services in one place?
Secrets is an intuitive password organizer for all of your devices. It automatically creates strong and unique passwords (via a browser plugin), and saves them in a secure, PGP-encrypted vault. Even more, Secrets can also store your credit card information and other private notes, so you can access them at any time without compromising your security. Most web security experts today agree that using a password manager is the safest way to navigate the web.
How to properly set up your 2FA
While a password manager is the best way to keep your login information secure, there's an additional layer of safety you can use as well — the two-factor authentication (2FA) mentioned above.
An Apple ID reset is not the only place 2FA can be used. In fact, most modern web apps today recommend you turn on the 2FA feature by default, which is going to send a code to one of your devices every time you log in. But how do you manage them all?
Securely store 2FA codes
Set up two-factor authentication to protect your data. Get the Step Two app to keep all your 2FA passwords in one place.
Step Two is a lightweight utility that keeps all of your 2FA codes in one simple and beautiful window. You can easily add new apps with a QR code scan, change card colors, and rename accounts as you see fit. More than that, Step Two is backed up in iCloud and accessible on all your devices too. It's the perfect way to make sure none of your accounts ever get into bad hands.
As you can see, there are plenty of ways to reset Apple password, whether it's online, via Mac, or via iPhone. However, it's much more important to ensure that you never forget or lose your Apple ID ever again. To generate and save all your passwords in the same place, use Secrets, and to protect yourself even more with 2FA — Step Two.
Best of all, Secrets and Step Two are available to you at no cost for seven days through a trial of Setapp, a platform of more than 180 most useful Mac apps around, from the perfect calendar (BusyCal) to brilliant mind-mapping software (iThoughtsX). Try every single one today for free and see for yourself!
How To Get Rid Of Mac Password
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