User level: Level 1 (4 points)Hello! I bought a MacBook and set a login password during the initial setup. I didn't use it for a while and forgot the password. I’ve read articles on what to do, but none of the solutions worked for me. Could you please tell me if it is possible to recover the password without resetting the device via Apple Support? I have a lot of photos on the computer that I would like to keep.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Original Title: macbook password
Posted on Oct 7, 2026 4:14 AM
User level: Level 10 (123,805 points)Oct 7, 2026 7:09 AM in response to aneta71
Yes, there may be a way to get back into your Mac without erasing it, so your photos may still be recoverable.
The important thing to understand is that the forgotten Mac login password itself cannot be recovered or revealed.
Apple Support cannot retrieve the original password for you.
What you may be able to do is reset the login password and create a new one while keeping your existing account and data.
Your Mac login password is separate from your Apple Account password.
Depending on how your Mac is set up, macOS may let you reset the password from the login screen using your Apple Account or a FileVault recovery key.
If those options are not t available, Apple provides additional password-reset procedures through macOS Recovery, including the resetpassword utility. Apple: If you forgot your Mac login password
If FileVault is enabled, the recovery key can be especially important because it can provide a way to authenticate access to the encrypted data.
The FileVault recovery key is different from an Apple Account recovery key.
On macOS Tahoe 26 or later, Apple says the FileVault recovery key may also be available in the Passwords app on another Apple device using the same Apple Account and iCloud Passwords & Keychain.
Since your photos are important, do not choose “Erase Mac” yet.
Erasing the Mac removes the accounts and data stored on it. It should be considered only after the available password-reset and recovery options have been exhausted.
Apple Support can walk you through the official recovery options, but they cannot bypass the Mac's security or tell you what the forgotten password was if none of the available recovery methods work.
So, in simple terms: you can not recover the forgotten password itself, but you may be able to reset it and create a new password without erasing the Mac. Whether you can continue accessing the existing data depends on having an appropriate recovery or authentication method, particularly if FileVault is protecting the disk.
User level: Level 10 (93,009 points)Oct 7, 2026 5:06 AM in response to aneta71
Sorry, but if you have tried all the options mentioned in this related article from Apple about resetting the Account password, erasing the Mac is the only option left:
...
If no other solution works, you can regain access to your Mac by erasing it. This permanently removes each user account, its password, and its data from your Mac.
a. If asked, choose a Wi-Fi network from the Wi-Fi menu , or attach a network cable.
b. Enter your Apple Account information (not your login name or password) when asked.
c. After your Mac activates, click Exit to Recovery, then reinstall macOS from Recovery.
...
copied from: If you forgot your Mac login password - Apple Support
User level: Level 10 (169,253 points)Oct 20, 2026 6:52 AM in response to aneta71
You’ll need to recover access to the Apple Account used for the encryption (and also for Activation Lock) as described earlier, or will need to present a purchase receipt from Apple or an Apple authorized reseller as part of an Activation Lock request to get Activation Lock cleared.
Activation Lock for Mac - Apple Support
If you also set a Recovery Key, and have then lost it irrespective of recommendations and warnings, you will need to have never done that. Enabling a Recovery Key blocks all other methods of resetting the Apple Account password. All of them. At best, a purchase receipt might get the gear onto a new Apple Account.
Two sets of forgotten credentials and a lack of (accessible?) backups (and Recovery Key?) can lead to data loss.
User level: Level 1 (4 points)Oct 20, 2026 6:05 AM in response to aneta71
The situation has changed slightly; I recall now that when I first set up the MacBook, I couldn't enter the details for my primary Apple ID, so I had to create a new one and link the MacBook to that instead. I have since regained access to my primary Apple ID, and the MacBook appears under my devices; however, I cannot find a recovery key, and I don't see any other recovery options on the MacBook itself. Could you please help me recover my data?
Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256371847