• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
methodshop

methodshop

tech news, reviews & how to's

  • Trending
  • Latest Stories
  • Fun
  • Culture
  • Learn
  • Tech
  • Search
You are here: Home / Learn / DIY & How To / Mac OS X Password Reset: How To Reset Your Password
Mac OS X Password Reset: How To Reset Your Password
Clker, methodshop

Mac OS X Password Reset: How To Reset Your Password

Oops! Did you forget your password? Just follow theses Mac OS X password reset directions to get a new account password.

December 27, 2007 by Collin Pisarra
Facebook0Tweet0Pin0LinkedIn0
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • 01) Startup Your Mac With An Operating System Disk
  • 02) Select A Language?
  • 03) Open The Reset Password App
  • 04) Select Your Hard Drive
  • 05) Quit Reset Password And Installer Apps And Then Restart Your Mac
  • 06) Reset Your Keychain
  • 06) Mac OS X Password Reset Tutorial: That's It!!!

Oops! Did you forget your Mac OS X user account password? Make sure the CAPS LOCK key isn’t on. 9 out of 10 times that’s usually the problem. But sometimes you might pick a password and then forget accidentally it. Don’t worry. It happens. Just follow the Mac OS X password reset directions below to get a new account password.

WARNING: Do not use the instructions in this document to reset the password for a FileVault protected account. Doing so may render the contents of the account inaccessible. Here’s an article that might help. But if you don’t know what FileVault is or aren’t 100% sure you don’t have FileVault enabled, then find a professional to help you.

How To Reset Your Mac OS X User Password … #mactips #MacOSX #OSX #PasswordReset

Click To Tweet

01) Startup Your Mac With An Operating System Disk

  • Find the operating system disk that came with your Macintosh. Or better yet, a Mac OS X Install CD or DVD whose version is the closest version of Mac OS X that you have installed on your computer.
  • Put the disk inside your disk drive.
  • Restart your computer and hold the C key on your keyboard as the computer restarts. You can release the C key when the gray Apple screen appears.

The computer may take several minutes to boot up off of a CD or DVD. Relax. This is normal. A Macintosh Operating System disk will automatically launch the OS Installer. Do NOT reinstall the OS. Continue to the next step and follow the directions below.

NERD NOTE: Mac OS X is based on the Mach kernel and is derived from the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) implementation of Unix in Nextstep. Nextstep was the object-oriented operating system developed by Steve Jobs’ company “NeXT” after he left Apple in 1985.

02) Select A Language?

Mac Os X Select A Language - How To Reset Your Password - Mac Os X Password Reset Tutorial





You may or may not be promoted to select a language. If you are, select English and click on the right arrow to continue on to the next screen.

03) Open The Reset Password App

Open The Reset Password App - How To Reset Your Password - Mac Os X Password Reset Tutorial
Password reset apps

The location of the Reset Password application varies slightly depending on the version of Mac OS X on your installation disk.

  • Mac OS X 10.2.x through 10.3.x: Select Reset Password from the Installer menu (Installer > Reset Password)
  • Mac OS X 10.4.x (Tiger): Choose Reset Password from the Utilities menu (Utilities > Reset Password).

04) Select Your Hard Drive

Select Your Hard Drive - How To Reset Your Password - Mac Os X Password Reset Tutorial
Yes, my hard drive is named after david hasselhoff from the 1980s tv show, knight rider.

The Reset Password window will ask you to select your hard drive. Your hard drive is probably called “Macintosh HD” unless you renamed it.

  • Select your Mac OS X hard disk.
  • Select the user account that you wish to reset from the drop-down menu. Do NOT select “System Administrator (root).” This is actually a reference to the root user. Do not confuse it with a normal administrator account.
  • Enter a new password. If you are using Mac OS X Tiger and above, then you can also type in a password hint.
  • Click the Save button.
  • Click OK on the message confirming the password has been reset.

05) Quit Reset Password And Installer Apps And Then Restart Your Mac

Quit Reset Password And Installer Apps And Then Restart Your Mac
Mac os x password reset tutorial: quit reset password and installer apps
  • Select Quit Reset Password from the Reset Password menu (Reset Password > Quit Reset Password).
  • Quit Installer from the Installer menu (Installer > Quit Installer).
  • Click Restart or Quit when prompted.

06) Reset Your Keychain

After completing the Mac OS X password reset process, the next step is to rest your keychain. After you restart your computer and log in with your new password, then you need to reset your password keychain.

If you change your account’s password using your Mac OS X Install disk (or if your network-based account password is changed due to a network admin forcing a password change), then your default keychain password will not change. Because of this, you will be prompted to enter a keychain password each time an application requires authentication that your keychain would normally provide. This will drive you nuts!!! The best way around this is to delete the keychain. Don’t worry, OS X will automatically make you a new one.

  • From the Finder, click on the Go menu and select Home (Go > Home).
  • A new Finder window will appear on the screen. Open the Library folder and drag the Keychains folder to the trash.
  • Log out and log back in. A new keychain will be created automatically.

06) Mac OS X Password Reset Tutorial: That’s It!!!

Hopefully, this Mac OS X password reset tutorial helped you out. You should now have access to your computer again. In the future, pick a strong password and try not to forget it again. Also, never use a common password, like 12345678 or Pa55w0rd. They are too easy to hack.

Oops! Did you forget your password? Just follow theses Mac OS X password reset directions to get a new account password.

Click To Tweet

Related Articles:

  • Jimmy Kimmel Knows How To Social Engineer Passwords
  • How To Log On To Windows If You Forget Your Password
  • Scenarios Where You Really Should Be Using A VPN Service
  • How to Force Empty the Trash in Mac OS X And Reclaim Your Sanity

Related Posts:

  • How To Set Your Firmware Password in Mac OS X
    How To Set Your Firmware Password in Mac OS X
  • How to Hack Mac OS X Tiger's Dashboard And Really Mess Up Your Mac
    How to Hack Mac OS X Tiger's Dashboard And Really…
  • Mac vs PC: How To Convince Your Boss That You Need A Mac At Work
    Mac vs PC: How To Convince Your Boss That You Need A…

Facebook0Tweet0Pin0LinkedIn0
Category: DIY & How To, Learn, Software Tag: mac, Mac OS, password
Previous Post: « Apple to Offer Fox Movie Rentals Digitally
Next Post: Perp Gets Zapped with Taser on Dateline’s To Catch A Predator [video] »

Sidebar

Trending Now

  • The 30 Best Caddyshack Quotes That'll Make You LaughThe 30 Best Caddyshack Quotes That’ll Make You Laugh
  • How To Easily Create A PayPal Shipping Label Without InvoiceHow To Easily Create A PayPal Shipping Label Without Invoice
  • 20 Famous People Who Are Members Of The Sleepless Elite20 Famous People Who Are Members Of The Sleepless Elite
  • 7 Pictures Of Naked People Captured By Google's Cameras7 Pictures Of Naked People Captured By Google’s Cameras
  • The 30 Best Office Space Quotes (How Many Do You Know?)The 30 Best Office Space Quotes (How Many Do You Know?)
  • 20 Silly 90s Fads That Were Cool Then, But Definitely Aren't Now20 Silly 90s Fads That Were Cool Then, But Definitely Aren’t Now
  • 20 Best Ferris Bueller Quotes From Ferris Bueller's Day Off20 Best Ferris Bueller Quotes From Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
  • Fletch Quotes: 30 Of The Funniest Quotes From The Movie FletchFletch Quotes: 30 Of The Funniest Quotes From The Movie Fletch
  • 25 Of The Best Pulp Fiction Quotes From Quentin Tarantino's 1994 Film25 Of The Best Pulp Fiction Quotes From Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 Film
  • 5 Easy Elevator Hacks That Will Help Give You An Express Ride5 Easy Elevator Hacks That Will Help Give You An Express Ride

Categories

Quotes From Jerry Maguire

Show Me The Money: The 11 Best Quotes From Jerry Maguire

The Origins Of David Letterman's Legendary Broken Glass Joke

The Origins Of David Letterman’s Legendary Broken Glass Joke

If you were a fan of David Letterman through the years, then you’ll immediately remember the broken glass joke. Here’s how a letter from a fan helped create one of the longest-running jokes in David Letterman’s career.

About

MethodShop’s mission is to entertain, inform, and sometimes gross you out. MethodShop has affiliate relationships, so we may get a small share of the revenue from your purchases. Items are sold by the retailer, not by us. All prices are subject to change.

Latest

How To Listen To Spotify On Peloton

How To Listen To Spotify On Peloton – Easy Tutorial

The Origins Of David Letterman's Legendary Broken Glass Joke

The Origins Of David Letterman’s Legendary Broken Glass Joke

Follow

MethodShop Animated Zoom Icon
  • About
  • Submit
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Store

Copyright © 2021 MethodShop · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT