How to reset your password on a Mac if you're locked out

You know what ?

My memory's terrible and I forget the password for my Macbook all the time .

Luckily I've taken some steps to make retrieving my forgotten passwords easier today .

I'm gonna show you how to make it easier to unlock your Mac .

You know what ?

My memory's terrible and I forget the password for my Macbook all the time .

Wait , did I already mention that anyway , I hope you remember to subscribe to our channel for more handy videos like this .

It doesn't help that these days I don't use my Macbook pro very often .

So I'm constantly forgetting the password .

Even with touch ID .

You still have to log in occasionally and almost every time I have to retrieve my password , there are some steps you can take ahead of time though to keep your computer secure and make it easier to get in if you've been locked out .

The first tool at your disposal is your Apple ID .

If you haven't linked your Apple ID to your user account on your Mac already , you should do so now , because after entering the wrong user password , three times , you'll be asked if you want to reset the password using your apple ID .

If it's linked to your account , enter your apple ID , email address and password .

When you do , you'll see a prompt letting you know a new login keychain will be created , but your old keychain will remain saved on your Mac .

If you ever remember your old password , you'll be able to unlock the old keychain beyond your apple ID .

You should also get to know your Mac's admin account the first time you set up your Mac , it's likely you set yourself up as an admin .

You can check by logging into your account and opening system preferences , then users and groups .

If it says admin next to your user name , you can reset user passwords .

This is helpful if you share your Mac with family members or others .

As now you have all the power to reset any forgotten passwords and be a real lifesaver .

Just click on the lock and enter your admin name and password .

When prompted next , select the user , you need to reset the password for and then click on the button , label , change password and follow the instructions .

You can also use recovery mode to reset your password .

The easiest way to boot in recovery mode is to first turn off your Mac , then press and hold the command and R keys on your keyboard , then press the power button , hold command R till you see a progress bar .

Show up below the apple logo with your Mac .

Now in recovery mode , click on utilities in the menu bar , followed by terminal , a new window will show up waiting for you to enter a command type reset password as one word and press return close the terminal window .

And now you should see the reset password tool here .

You'll see a list of all user accounts on your Mac .

If you don't know any of the passwords , you can click here to reset the password for your account , you'll need to set a new password for all users .

Make sure you write down the new password for anyone who shares your Mac .

One final tool you may want to set up ahead of time is file vault .

File , vault is an optional Mac OS feature that encrypts your Mac's hard drive and all the data stored on it .

You might have turned it on during your initial setup , but you can do it .

Now in system preferences , when you turn it on , you have the option of using your icloud account to access your disk or you can create a recovery key .

Instead if you opt for the recovery key , be sure to write it down .

Now , when you find yourself at a loss at the login screen , you can wait for up to a minute for a prompt to show up that instructs you to press the power button to restart the Mac into recovery mode , which we talked about before or after three failed login attempts .

You can choose to access your account with the recovery key .

Hopefully , you kept that piece of paper somewhere safe , type in those upper case letters and you'll be good to go .

I don't know if I mentioned this , but I have a terrible memory , but I hope you'll remember to subscribe to our channel for more how to videos like this .