How to recover Mac passwords

The password of the Mac allows you to protect your computer from unauthorized access. Also, for all users with the administrator role, it is required in order to install new applications, change macOS settings, and much more. For this reason, it is essential to keep this password carefully as, in case of loss, to restore it it may even be necessary to format the Mac, inevitably losing all data. Fortunately, there are some solutions that allow you to recover Mac passwords easily and safely: you can find everything explained in detail right below.

Index

• How to recover Mac password to install programs
  • How to recover Mac admin password via Apple ID
  • How to recover Mac administrator password via recovery key
• How to recover Mac account password
• How to recover Mac keychain password
• How to recover Mac WiFi password
• In case of problems

How to recover Mac password to install programs

All you need to do to recover Mac passwords is to select one of the password recovery options from those available on your computer’s login screen. By doing this, you can set a new password and use it not only to log into your administrator account but also to install programs, change macOS settings, and add and manage other users. How to do? I’ll explain it to you right away!

How to recover Mac admin password via Apple ID

The first solution you can consider to recover Mac administrator password is to use your Apple ID . You should know, in fact, that this option can be activated when creating a new user and allows you to create a new password by specifying the data associated with your Apple account.

If you think this is a valid solution to recover your password, all you have to do is turn on or restart the Mac and, on the login screen, select your user account . Then click on the button ? visible next to the password field (if you do not see it, enter any password in the appropriate field three times in a row) and choose the option Reset it using Apple ID .

In the box that appeared on the screen, enter the credentials associated with your Apple ID in the Apple ID and Password fields and click on the Reset password and OK buttons to restart the Mac. If you do not even remember the password of your Apple account , you may be useful my guide on how to recover Apple ID password .

If, on the other hand, on the login screen you see the Reboot option and show the options to reset your password , click on it to immediately restart your Mac. Then select the option to recover password via Apple ID and enter the credentials associated with your account in the appropriate fields.

Either way, on the Reset Password screen , select the Forgot all passwords? Option . and, if multiple accounts are available on your Mac, click the Set Password button for the user for which you are resetting the access key.

Then enter the new password in the appropriate fields and, if you wish, also type a hint to be shown on the Mac login screen, useful for more easily remembering the password in question. Finally, click on the Set password button and repeat the operation for all other users of your Mac (if you do not remember the administrator password, this is a necessary operation to be able to recover it).

The Password Reset Complete message will confirm that you have successfully reset your administrator password and that of any other available accounts. Then press the Restart button and that’s it.

How to recover Mac administrator password via recovery key

If you have enabled the FileVault disk encryption system on your Mac, you can recover your administrator password using the recovery key that you should have noted when you activated FileVault.

To proceed, turn on or restart your Mac and, on the login screen, select your administrator account . Then press the button ? or enter any password in the appropriate field three times in a row and select the option Reset it using the recovery key that appears on the screen.

At this point, enter the recovery key related to FileVault in the Recovery key field , click on the arrow icon and wait for the progress bar to reach 100%. Once this is done, in the box that appears on the screen, enter a new access key in the New password and Verify password fields and, if you wish, enter a hint that allows you to remember the password in question (it is shown on the login screen) in the Password Hint field .

Finally, click on the Reset password button , to confirm the changes and log in to your administrator account.

How do you say? On your Mac’s login screen, you see the Reboot option and show options to reset your password ? If so, click on the item in question, wait for the restart of your Mac and, in the section Reset Password , press the voice key recovery .

Then enter the recovery key in your possession in the appropriate field, click on the Next button , select the user for which you want to reset the password and press the Next button again .

Once this is done, create a new password by entering it in the New password and Verify password fields , enter any suggestion that will be shown on the login screen of your Mac to remember the password in question in the Password suggestion field and click on the Next button .

If everything went well, you should see the Reset password complete message : then press the Restart button to restart your Mac and log into your account using the password you just created.

How to recover Mac account password

If your intention is to recover any other user’s Mac account password , including those who do not have the administrator role, you should know that the options for setting a new password are the same as I indicated in the previous lines of this guide: di Therefore, if they are active, you can reset the password via Apple ID or FileVault recovery key .

Alternatively, if you are an administrator, you can set a new password for any other user from the macOS settings as well. In this case, open System Preferences by clicking on the gear wheel icon in the Dock bar of your Mac, access the Users and groups section , press the lock icon , at the bottom left, enter your password . administrator in the appropriate field and click on the Unblock button , so you can make changes.

Now, select the user for which you want to reset a new password among those listed in the Other users box and click on the Reset password button . Then enter the new access key and any suggestion in the New password , Verify and Password suggestion fields and press the Change password button to save the changes. Simple, right?

How to recover Mac keychain password

If you are wondering how to recover Mac keychain passwords , you should know that, as a rule, the access key required to view passwords saved in Keychain Access is the same as the one you use to log into your user account.

Please note, however, that if you have reset your user password, it is not automatically changed for Keychain Access and, to view your passwords, you will need to use the previous access key.

If you can’t remember your old password, the only option available to you is to initialize the Mac keychain: this operation deletes all passwords saved in the keychain, but allows you to synchronize the login password and of the password stored in the keychain. More info here .

If, on the other hand, you simply need a hand to see the passwords saved on Mac through the Keychain Access software or online browsing browsers , I refer you to my guides on the subject.

How to recover Mac WiFi password

How do you say? Would you like to recover Mac WiFi password ? In this case, all you have to do is use Keychain Access , the application included “standard” in macOS that allows you to view passwords and various sensitive data saved on the computer and other devices associated with the same iCloud account on which the ICloud Keychain .

To proceed, start Keychain Access by clicking on its icon in the Other folder of the Launchpad and, in the new window opened, select the System item in the left sidebar. Then select the Password tab , locate the Wi-Fi network for which you want to view the password and double-click on its name .

In the new screen that appears, put the check mark next to the Show password option , enter your Mac’s administrator password in the appropriate field and click on the OK button , to view the password associated with the previously selected Wi-Fi network in clear text . For the detailed walkthrough, you can check out my guide on how to find Mac Wi-Fi passwords .

In case of problems

If you followed the directions I gave you in the previous lines of this guide, you should be able to recover your Mac password and log into your user account. If not because you previously had neither the option to recover password via Apple ID nor FireVault enabled, you can attempt to erase your Mac using the recovery feature included with macOS, called Recovery .

In that case, if you have changed your password recently, you can try to restore your Mac to a situation before changing your password, otherwise you need to reset your computer to factory settings. In that regard, my guide on how to format a Mac might be useful to you .

Before proceeding on your own, however, I recommend that you contact Apple support who could provide you with the assistance you need to recover your password without necessarily restoring your computer. To do this, connected to the official Apple website , select the Mac and Software and use options and, in the How would you like assistance screen? , click on the item Talk to Apple Support now , to get in touch by phone with a real Apple operator.

Alternatively, you can also book a call ( Book a Call ) or start a live chat ( Chat ). Either way, you’ll need to enter your Mac’s serial number or log in with the credentials associated with your Apple ID. To find out more, I leave you to my guide on how to contact Apple.