How to recovery lost the admin password for your MacBook

If you’ve lost the admin password for your MacBook, you can try the following steps to reset it:

1. Reset with Apple ID (macOS Mojave or later)

If you’ve set up Apple ID to reset the password, you can try the following:

• At the login screen, enter any password incorrectly until you see the reset password option.
• Select Reset it using your Apple ID.
• Enter your Apple ID credentials to reset the password.

2. Use macOS Recovery Mode

If you don’t have Apple ID linked or the above doesn’t work, try using macOS Recovery:

1. Shut down your MacBook.
2. Restart your Mac and hold Command + R to boot into Recovery Mode.
3. In the macOS Utilities window, select Utilities in the menu bar, then choose Terminal.
4. In the Terminal window, type:

   resetpassword
   

5. Press Enter. This will open the Password Reset Utility.
6. Select your hard drive and the user account for which you need to reset the password.
7. Enter a new password and restart the MacBook.

3. Reset NVRAM/PRAM

Sometimes resetting the NVRAM/PRAM might help with password-related issues:

• Shut down your MacBook.
• Turn it back on and immediately press and hold Option + Command + P + R for about 20 seconds.
• Release the keys and let your Mac restart.

If these steps don’t work or you’re still having trouble, please let me know, and I can guide you through more advanced options.

If the previous steps didn’t work, here are a couple of more advanced options to reset the admin password on your MacBook:

1. Reinstall macOS (without losing data)

This method will reinstall the operating system but should keep your files intact. Be sure to back up your data if possible.

1. Shut down your MacBook.
2. Restart it and immediately press and hold Command + R to boot into macOS Recovery.
3. Once in Recovery Mode, select Reinstall macOS from the macOS Utilities window.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to reinstall macOS. This process should not erase your data.

After the reinstallation, check if you’re able to reset your password.

2. Create a New Admin Account using Single User Mode

This method is more technical and requires using the Terminal in Single User Mode.

1. Shut down your MacBook.
2. Turn it on and immediately press and hold Command + S to boot into Single User Mode (black screen with white text).
3. Once the system has loaded, type the following commands, pressing Enter after each one:

   /sbin/mount -uw /
   rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
   reboot
   

   This will remove the “AppleSetupDone” file, which will prompt macOS to start the setup process again.

4. After rebooting, you’ll be taken to the Setup Assistant. Here, you can create a new admin account.
5. After creating the new admin account, log in and reset the password for the original account.

3. Use Target Disk Mode (if you have access to another Mac)

If you have access to another Mac, you can use Target Disk Mode to access the files on the locked Mac and reset the password:

1. Shut down both Macs.
2. Connect them using a FireWire or Thunderbolt cable.
3. Start the locked Mac while holding down the T key. This will boot the Mac into Target Disk Mode.
4. The Mac will appear as an external drive on the second Mac.
5. On the second Mac, navigate to the Users folder on the locked Mac’s drive.
6. You can try deleting the password file or use the second Mac to create a new admin account on the first Mac.

4. Contact Apple Support

If none of these solutions work, your best option might be to contact Apple Support. They can guide you through more specific recovery steps or perform hardware-based recovery, especially if your Mac is still under warranty or AppleCare.

Let me know how it goes, or if you need further assistance!