Q&A for How to Reset a Lost Admin Password on Mac OS X

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How do I reset my administrator password if I forgot it?

Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist
Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.

Luigi Oppido

Computer & Tech Specialist

Expert Answer

If you have a Mac and you need to reset the local password, restart the computer, then hit command+R, which is going to go into internet recovery. Launch the terminal, which will bring up a command prompt, then type "resetpassword" as one word. Then, type your new password into the Reset Password dialogue box that pops up.

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Question

My computer prompt is 'bash-3.2# '. When I type in the launchctl and systems/Library etc. command, it says either "not recognized" or "access denied". Do you know why ?

Community Answer

Did you forget the "load" command? Be sure to type it all in correctly as shown above!

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Question

Will these steps work on a Macbook Air?

Liza Gaylord

Community Answer

Yes, Macbook Airs have the same operating system (OSX) as other Macbooks. This should work for all Apple computers.

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Question

I was given a MacBook secondhand from someone who doesn't remember the password. It won't allow me to shut down without it. What can I do?

Community Answer

Just hold power for about 5 seconds and it will shut down. After that, click on Command+R to start recovery.

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Question

I forgot the system preferences username and password on my Mac Air, and I can't enable the change settings while clicking the lock menu. How do I reset it so I can use it?

Community Answer

Enter "root" as the username and leave the password blank. Then you can access the system preferences menu.

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Question

When I try to reset the password it comes up with “authentication server could not be contacted”.

BertC

Community Answer

Connect to your WiFi at the network prompt or simply connect to wired ethernet using the proper adapter (depending on Macintosh model either USBA to ethernet, miniDP to ethernet or USBC to ethernet).

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Question

How do I access the command button if I don't have an Apple keyboard?

Community Answer

The command button on other keyboards might be Fn+Left Alt or Fn+Right Alt.

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