Apple’s new operating system put a high emphasis on information protection, so it comes with added security measures. Password, being the heart of macOS security, makes it difficult for anyone to access your precious sensitive data. Such that, forgetting it can be a real disaster because it will lock out of your computer.
Many would agree that getting locked out of your Mac is not always a fun experience. It will prevent you from installing apps, making changes in System Preferences, accessing your files, and sometimes, deleting key files on your Mac. So, what do you do if you forgot the password for Mac?
What to Do If You’re Locked Out of Your Mac?
So you forgot your Mac’s password? There is no need to panic. Sometimes, it happens without your wish – for instance, if you have been using your Apple Watch or iPhone to unlock your Mac, or if you bought your computer secondhand and you have no clue about the old password. And in any case, you can still regain access to your Mac.
Thankfully, macOS comes with built-in tools to help you reset your password in Mac when you are in a situation like this. In this post, we will share tips on how to reset your password in Mac.
Thankfully, macOS comes with built-in tools to help you reset your password in Mac when you are in a situation like this. In this post, we will share tips on how to reset your password in Mac. Some of these tips require preventive measures to be taken beforehand, while others may only apply if you have linked your Apple ID to your admin account. You can now lock down the screen anytime by holding down the Control+Shift+Power keys. Rate this Article: Select rating Give Password Locking a MacBook Screen 1/5 Give Password Locking a MacBook Screen 2/5 Give Password Locking a MacBook Screen 3/5 Give Password Locking a MacBook Screen 4/5 Give Password Locking a MacBook Screen 5/5 Cancel rating. Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET This adds a lock icon to the menu bar. Click the lock and choose Lock Screen to lock your Mac.
Protect your Mac from malware and tampering by requiring a password when it wakes and preventing apps from unidentified developers from opening. No matter you forgot the password on your Android lock screen or just get a second-hand device and don't know the lock screen's passcode, this Android Lock Screen Removal enables you to get rid of the unknown passcode in 5 minutes, including pattern, PIN, password and fingerprint.
Some of these tips require preventive measures to be taken beforehand, while others may only apply if you have linked your Apple ID to your admin account. Regardless of your situation, just know that there is a way to get back into your Mac.
But before we look into that, you need to tidy up your computer. Forgotten passwords are usually a consequence of using a cluttered Mac. For this reason, you need to clean up your Mac to allow the new password to log you into a tidy and organized system. Use a robust tool like TweakBit MacRepair to organize your digital folders, remove junk on your Mac, and improve your memory.
How to Reset Your Mac User Account Password?
To regain access to your Mac, use any of the following methods to reset your password:
Method #1: Get a Password Hint
Before attempting any password recovery trick, check if the password hint can ignite your memory. In this case, the password hint is a phrase relating to your password that you entered when you first set it up.
To trigger the hint, make three incorrect attempts:
Note that the hint may not show up. The reason is that your computer wasn’t set up to display password hints in the Login Options. But this issue should not bother you too much since there are other ways to reset your password.
Method #2: Use Another Admin Account to Reset the Password
If you have more than one admin account set up on your Mac – for instance, if you share your Mac with another person – you can use one of them to reset your password. Here is how to do it:
Method #3: Use Recovery Mode to Reset the Password
If you haven’t enabled the FileVault feature, there is even a more straightforward way to reset your password on your Mac: use Recovery Mode. Here is the process:
Method #4: Use Your Apple ID
After entering a wrong password a couple of times, macOS usually gives you an option to reset your password using your Apple ID. Alternatively, you can also tap on the question mark icon beside the password field to trigger the same process.
After keying in your Apple ID and password, you will get an alert letting you know that a new keychain that has your password will be generated. When the alert pops up, click OK and follow the rest of the prompts to create a new password. While your old keychain will remain locked, it will still be saved on your computer. So, you can unlock it if you ever remember the old password.
Note that this trick will only work if you have linked your user account with your Apple ID. Also, you shouldn’t have FileVault enabled.
Method #5: Use Target Disk Mode
If you can’t use any of the above password-resetting methods, your other alternative is to use Target Disk Mode. It will recover some data from your problematic Mac. In other words, you can access the hard disk of your Mac from another Mac.
To activate Target Disk Mode, follow the steps below:
Last-Ditch Effort: Reinstall macOS
If you have FileVault enabled, and you can’t regain access to your account, your only remaining option is to reinstall macOS because you will not have access to any file on your computer. Hopefully, you have backup copies of these files because you cannot access without your password.
Reduce Incidences of Lost Password
Before you get locked out of your Mac, set up an Apple ID. This way, you have a backup way of getting into your Mac if you ever forget your account password. If possible, create more than one user account on your Mac. Also, change your user account password to something unique, but easy to remember.
On a related note, you can also manage all your passwords using the built-in password manager – Keychain Access. This way, you don’t have to remember them every time you log into your Mac. But, like in the case with passwords, you may also fail to access your Keychain due to various reasons. If that is the case, consult this guide to resolve the issue.
Summing Up
In this era of digital information, data protection is no longer a luxury. Some Mac users may prefer working without the need to log in, but this situation may put you in trouble, especially when you are required to maintain strict confidentiality. This security measure is inevitable for organizations these days, but not so good if you forgot the password for Mac.
Of course, it is always a good idea to remember your passwords and PIN codes. But if you find yourself locked out of your Mac, you don’t have to fret because you now know how to get back in. You can use any of the above methods to regain access to your Mac. But if all else fails, consider reporting the incident to Apple.
Does Mac Download On Password Lock Screen 10
Do you have other worries about resetting or changing your Mac’s password? Share them in the comments.
If you’re running into errors and your system is suspiciously slow, your computer needs some maintenance work. Download Outbyte PC Repair for Windows, Outbyte Antivirus for Windows, or Outbyte MacRepair for macOS to resolve common computer performance issues. Fix computer troubles by downloading the compatible tool for your device.
See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy Policy.
Your smartphone or computer/laptop may contain private data that you wouldn't want to show to outsiders like family photos or business related data. That's why people use lock screen password on their devices so that only you and your authorized people can get access to them. But at the same time, you would also need to find a solution to reset or change the password if you forgot lock screen password as you wouldn't be able to access your own device without resetting it. If you don't know how to set or reset the password for lock screen, then follow this article. Here, we will tell you how to change the lock screen password for Android, Windows, Mac and iOS devices. So, without further ado, let's go ahead.
Part 1: How to Set or Reset Lock Screen Password for Windows
On Windows, lock screen password can be changed from Settings app or control panel in User accounts section. In Windows 10, it is simply named Accounts and contains most settings for user accounts. Since Windows 10 is the latest version of Windows OS and users have been switching to Windows 10 due to Microsoft dropping support for the earlier version, here, we will tell you the method to set a password for the lock screen on Windows 10.
Step 1: First, click on Start > Choose Settings > Select Account.
step 2: Then, click on Sign-in Options and click on Add button under Password section.
Step 3: Enter your password twice, once in the New password text field and then in Reenter Password field.
Step 4: Don't forget to enter a password hint in case you forget the password and then click Next and then click Finish.
How to Reset Windows Lock Screen Password?
You set the lock screen password on Windows to keep others from accessing your private data, but what if you forgot lock screen password and can't access your own Windows computer? In this situation, you would need to reset forgotten Windows password, by resetting the password using reset disk, resetting the Windows or reinstalling the Windows. Among them, only the first solution will be favorable to you as it will consume less time, moreover, there is no fear of losing the data as in the latter two solutions.
But, if by chance, you didn't create password reset disk beforehand, then you could make it later using PassFab 4WinKey. PassFab 4WinKey is a Windows lock screen password unlock app that allows you to recover, reset, change or remove lock screen password from all user accounts including admin account, local user account as well as Microsoft account. Moreover, it is compatible with a wide range of Windows OS like Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and Windows 10. If you want to know how to change lock screen password on Windows using PassFab 4WinKey.
Step 1: Download and install PassFab 4WinKey on another computer.
Step 2: Then launch the program and select the CD/DVD/USB from the home screen.
Step 3: Select the boot media and click 'Burn' to create a password recovery disk.
Step 4: Restart the computer and press ESC or F12 to enter the boot menu and boot from the Windows password recovery disk.
Step 5: Select the OS on the locked computer and select 'Reset your password' option.
Step 6: Then, select the user account on the PC whose password you want to change, enter the new password and click Next.
Step 7: At last, restart the PC and login to Windows 10 using the new password.
Part 2: How to Set or Reset Lock Screen Password for Mac
Setting the lock screen password on Mac is as easy as on the Windows. You just need to go to System Preferences and then from there you can set login password on your Mac. Follow the steps below to know how to set a password for lock screen on Mac.
Step 1: Click on the Apple menu > Select System Preferences > Security & Privacy.
Step 2: Then, go to the General tab, and check 'Require password' immediately after sleep or screen saver begins.
Step 3: Click on the Show All button and select Desktop & Screen Saver.
Step 4: Go to Screen Saver tab, select the waiting time for the screen saver to start.
Step 5: Click Hot corners and then select a corner to start screen saver and click OK. Then, exit system preferences.
How to Reset Mac Lock Screen Password?
You can also add your Apple ID in your user account so that if you have forgotten the lock screen password, then you could use the Apple ID to reset your Mac password. If you want to know how to change lock screen password.
Step 1: Enter the wrong password at Mac's lock screen for 3 times.
Step 2: You will see a message saying 'If you forgot your password, you can reset it using your Apple ID'. Click the arrow button on the message box.
Step 3: Now, enter your Apple ID credentials and click Reset Password.
Step 4: Enter the new password for your Mac login screen and also create a password hint. Finally, click 'Reset password'.
Can't Miss:How to Unlock Apple ID
Part 3: How to Set or Reset Lock Screen Password for Android
You can set lock screen password not just on Windows or Mac computer/laptops, but also Android devices. You would have secured your devices using pattern, pin, fingerprint or face unlock. But, if you don't know how to set password for lock screen on Android, then follow the below steps.
Step 1: Open Settings app on your device and then select the option related to Security, Privacy and security or lock screen and passwords. The options may change according to different Android version and device manufacturers.
Step 2: Then, tap Screen lock and select the type of screen lock you want like the pattern, PIN, password. There can be other options as well like Fingerprint, Face unlock, Smart lock etc.
Mac Shortcut To Lock Screen
Step 3: Select any of the above options and create the password. Then tap Confirm.
How to Remove Password from Android Lock Screen?
Now that you know how to set lock screen password on Android, it is also important to know how to remove it in case you forget it someday. There are two methods to remove the lock screen password on your Android device i.e. Reset device, which will erase all data on the device, and reset password using Google Account(only available for Android 4.4 and lower). Follow the below steps to know how to remove password from the Android lock screen.
Step 1: First, enter the lock screen password 5 times consecutively and a forgot pattern/PIN/password message will appear.
Step 2: For devices below Android 4.4, tap on Forgot Pattern/pin option and sign in with your Google account. Then, reset the lock screen password.
Step 3: For devices above 4.4, reboot the device into Recovery mode and select wipe data/factory reset.
Part 4: How to Set or Reset Lock Screen Password for iPhone/iPad
iPhone users can also set different type of password on their devices like 4-digit/6-digit passcode, custom numeric, alphanumeric, touch ID and Face ID. Though, pattern password isn't available in iOS devices including iPhone and iPad. To know how to set a password for lock screen on iPhone/iPad, follow the below steps.
Step 1: Go to Settings on your iOS device and select 'Face ID & passcode', 'Touch ID & Passcode' or 'Passcode' option as per your device model.
Step 2: Then, tap on the 'Turn Passcode On' option and enter a 6-digit passcode or select other passcode options.
Step 3: Confirm your entered passcode to activate it.
How to Reset the Lock Screen Password on iPhone/iPad?
Does Mac Download On Password Lock Screen Recorder
If you forgot lock screen password on iPhone/iPad, then you could choose iTunes or iCloud to reset your device. The easiest method is using iTunes and if you don't know how to reset forgotten lock screen password on the iOS device using iTunes, then follow the below steps:
Step 1: First, check and make that you have the latest version of iTunes on your computer. If not, then update it.
Step 2: Connect your iPhone to the computer using the USB cable and then select the iPhone icon in iTunes.
Step 3: Click on the Summary option in the left panel and then click Restore iPhone button.
Change Lock Screen Shortcut Mac
Step 4: At the confirmation prompt, click Restore.
ConclusionScreen Lock Mac OsHow To Lock Screen On Mac
The lock screen password is a very useful function that allows you to protect your devices from unauthorized access. It makes sure that your privacy isn't invaded and your data on the devices isn't accessed by anyone else, especially if the device you want to secure contain sensitive information relating to your job or business. So, in this article, we have shown you the way to set a password for lock screen on Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android devices. Moreover, we have also given you the method to reset a forgotten lock screen password for these devices.
Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2020
Categories |