How to Reset or Change Mac Administrator Password

If you are looking to improve your Mac's security by replacing or resetting the administrator password, then you should know that there are several ways to do this, and they may be applicable in different situations. Typically, you need administrator access to achieve this, so please keep this in mind when reading the instructions below:

Changing Administrator Login Details

Changing your password periodically (at least once every few months) is recommended to enhance your system security. Go to apple Preferences -> Users & Groups. Select the user whose password you wish to change, and then click the 'Change Password' button on the right. You will be prompted to enter the current password and then repeat your new password twice. You can also add a password hint, which can be used to remind you what your password might be in case you forget it.

Resetting the Keychain Password

In some cases, users end up forgetting the Apple Keychain password, which is required to access all of their saved login credentials. In these cases, it might be needed to reset Keychain's password entirely, but do keep in mind that doing this will cause Keychain to lose old passwords. To do it, open Keychain, and then go to Preferences -> Reset My Default Keychains. Restart your Mac after this.

Using the Apple ID to Reset Password

A very efficient measure to have a backup recovery option in case you lose your admin password is to enable recovery via Apple ID. You can turn this option on by going to System Preferences -> Users & Groups, and then checking the 'Allow user to reset the password using Apple ID' option for your account. This way, you will be able to use your Apple ID to reset the password of your account in case you lose it.

Use the Apple Recovery Partition or Recovery Utility

Restart your Mac, and press the Command Button + R keys as soon as the startup melody plays. This will open a new window, which is the macOS Utilities panel. Go to Utilities -> Terminal, and then type reset password.