How to Reset Your Apple Computer Password

To reset an Apple computer password, first confirm whether you forgot the Mac login password or the Apple Account password. At the Mac login window, use the displayed reset option and follow the prompts to verify your identity and create a new password.

Which Apple computer password do you need to reset?

Your Mac login password unlocks your user account on the computer. It is not necessarily the same as your Apple Account password, which protects iCloud, the App Store, and other Apple services.

If you forgot your Apple computer password and cannot get past the Mac login window, reset the Mac login password. If you can open the Mac but cannot sign in to iCloud or another Apple service, reset your Apple Account password instead.

Enter the Mac login password at startup, not your Apple Account email address, phone number, or password. Before starting a reset, also check Caps Lock and the keyboard language shown in the Input menu.

What do you need before resetting an Apple computer password?

The information requested depends on how the Mac and Apple Account were configured. Have as many of these items available as possible:

• The email address or phone number used for your Apple Account.
• A trusted iPhone, iPad, or Mac already signed in to that Apple Account.
• Access to the trusted phone number that receives verification codes.
• Your FileVault recovery key, if you saved one. A FileVault recovery key is the code created to recover an encrypted Mac startup disk.
• Your Apple Account recovery key, if you previously enabled that optional security feature.
• Access to the email inbox associated with the account for notices or recovery updates, although Apple may require a trusted device or phone number rather than email verification.

Keep the Mac connected to power and an available network during recovery. Do not erase the computer simply because the first reset attempt fails; erasing a Mac permanently removes its local accounts and data.

How do you reset an Apple computer password step by step?

1. Restart the Mac and wait for the normal login window.
2. Enter the Mac login password carefully. If it fails, click the question mark beside the password field if one appears.
3. After unsuccessful attempts, look for a reset message such as an option to restart and show password-reset choices, use an Apple Account, or use a recovery key.
4. Select the reset message shown on your Mac. The available wording and verification method depend on the Mac’s security settings.
5. If asked for an Apple Account, enter its email address or phone number and its password. Enter a verification code if Apple sends one to a trusted device or trusted phone number.
6. If asked for a FileVault recovery key, enter that key. If asked to choose a startup volume, select the disk containing the Mac user account.
7. Select the correct Mac user, create a new login password, and add a useful password hint if offered.
8. Restart the Mac, then sign in with the new Mac login password.

If no reset message appears after unsuccessful attempts, restart the Mac and try again. If the login-window choices still do not appear, use macOS Recovery and select the option indicating that you forgot all passwords, then follow the onscreen instructions.

If the problem is the Apple Account password rather than the Mac login password, open System Settings, select the sign-in area, choose Forgot Password, enter the Apple Account email address or phone number, and follow the displayed verification steps.

What should you do if the verification code or reset message never arrives?

Check every trusted Apple device signed in to the same Apple Account. A verification prompt may appear on a device instead of arriving by email. Also confirm that the trusted phone can receive calls or text messages and that the number shown on screen is familiar.

• Check spam, junk, and filtered folders if Apple says an email was sent.
• Confirm that the email address or phone number was entered correctly.
• Use the option to resend a code or choose another trusted number when the screen offers it.
• Restart the Mac if the login-window reset message does not appear, then return to the login window and try again.
• If Apple starts account recovery, follow the status instructions Apple provides. Do not repeatedly restart recovery, because a new request can affect the existing process.

Apple does not use one universal delivery time for every reset method. Follow any waiting period or status date displayed for your specific account.

How do you fix common Apple computer password reset errors?

• Account locked after repeated attempts: Stop guessing. Wait for the period stated on the Mac, restart it, and try the reset option again.
• Expired link or code: Return to the original reset screen and request a new one. Use only the newest code or message.
• Device not recognized: Try a trusted device already signed in to the Apple Account, or use the trusted phone number offered during verification.
• Password accepted online but rejected by the Mac: You may have reset the Apple Account password instead of the separate Mac login password. Return to the Mac login window and use its reset choices.
• Recovery key rejected: Confirm whether the screen requests a FileVault recovery key or an Apple Account recovery key. These are different and cannot replace each other.
• No reset option appears: Restart the Mac and try the login window again. If necessary, start macOS Recovery and follow its password-reset prompts.

When should you contact Apple Support about a password reset?

Contact Apple Support when the Mac shows no usable reset choice, verification cannot be completed, the account is locked or inactive, or macOS Recovery cannot identify the user or startup disk. Open {site} and choose the support path for a forgotten Mac login password or Apple Account password.

Have the Mac nearby and note its model, the exact onscreen message, the Apple Account email address or phone number, and which trusted devices or numbers remain available. Never give anyone your password, verification code, or recovery key. Apple Support can explain available recovery choices, but it cannot bypass required identity checks.

What should you do after resetting an Apple computer password?

• Sign in to the Mac and confirm that your files and normal apps open.
• Update the saved password on your other Apple devices and in any password manager you use.
• Review trusted phone numbers and devices in the Apple Account settings, removing anything you do not recognize.
• Turn on two-factor authentication if the account offers it. Two-factor authentication requires both the password and verification through a trusted device or number.
• Create or update a recovery contact or recovery key only if you understand how that recovery method works.
• Store recovery information somewhere secure and separate from the locked Mac.

If macOS asks to create a new keychain after the reset, follow the prompt. The login keychain stores saved passwords on the Mac, and the old keychain may remain protected by the forgotten password.