The installation disc allows you to create a new password for the administrator account so that you can gain access to your system again. Although you can change passwords within Mac OS X, resetting a forgotten password requires that you use a Mac OS X installation disc. If you cannot remember your Mac administrator password, you may need to recover or reset your password to log onto your system. To further protect your Mac, you should set an Open Firmware password using Apple’s utility.

Type rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone and press Enter.Īlthough the above options will allow you to reset your own Mac password, it also means that others with physical access to your Mac will also be able to use them for accessing your information.

Power on or restart your Mac (should work for any Mac OS X system).

This will create a new account, but all of your documents, pictures and everything will not be accessible. You will most likely have to enter it again to confirm. It won’t show itself on the screen, so be careful what you type.

Type your desired password and press Enter.

Type passwd username and replace “username” with the short name of the user account for which you’d like to reset the password.

Type sh /etc/rc and press Enter/Return.

Replace “password” with a new password of your choice. passwd /Users/username password and replace “username” with one of the users displayed in the previous step. This lists all of the usernames on the computer – helpful if you don’t know or remember what these are. Type launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ and press Enter.Wait for the checks to complete before going to the next step. At the prompt, type fsck -fy and press Enter/Return. This step is optional, but it’s a good idea because it checks the consistency of the hard disk before moving on.At the chime (or grey screen if your chime is turned off), hold down Command+S on your keyboard to enter single-user mode.Option 1: Reset 10.5 Leopard & 10.6 Snow Leopard password

If you’ve forgotten your Mac password and you don’t have an install CD laying around, there’s no need to worry! There are still a few options to reset your lost Mac OS X password easily without an install disk. In my previous post we’ve covered how to reset Mac OS X password with a installation CD. Forgot your Mac admin password? Or maybe you purchased a used Mac from someone else and they’ve got it locked down? There are numerous ways to reset lost or forgotten Mac OS X password.

Forgot mac admin password