#Reset mac password lion for mac os x#

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 itвЂ™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.

Reset 10.5 Leopard & 10.6 Snow Leopard password Please check out the updated version of this post if youвЂ™re trying to reset the password on a Mac running 10.7 Lion or 10.8 Mountain Lion.

#Reset mac password lion for mac os x#

This tutorial was written for Mac OS X 10.4, 10.5 and 10.6. System admins responsible for supporting entire organizations and users who bought used Macs are the folks most likely to benefit from this. A few of the methods floating around the Mac community have been compiled here in one easy-to-reference place. The information here has previously been made available from many different sources online and is presented with the intention of helping people with legitimate reasons for resetting their Mac OS X password. There are ways of bypassing nearly any security measure when a hacker is literally sitting right in front of your system. Anyone with physical access to your machine (whether it is Windows, Linux, or Mac) can eventually find a way in if they know what theyвЂ™re doing. Before you go thinking that Mac OS X has a severe vulnerability that makes it less secure than other operating systems, think again. Yes, itвЂ™s startling to think that anyone could theoretically walk up to your computer and gain access within minutes. This tutorial may ruffle some feathers, but it addresses a topic that a ton of people ask about all the time. There are numerous ways to reset a password with no OS X discs. Or maybe you purchased a used Mac from someone else and theyвЂ™ve got it locked down.

Note in Leopard, you access the password through Security & Privacy preference pane.LetвЂ™s say you totally forgot the password to log on to your Mac. Now test it by starting the Settings application, and go to Users & Groups.

Quit and start again the Settings application.

If they are removed, the system thinks there is no password set and you can now add a new one! Those files contain the FileVault master password. The above command removes two files from your system root (Macintosh HD by default): Sudo rm /Library/Keychains/FileVaultMaster.cer /Library/Keychains/FileVaultMaster.keychain This operation basically decrypt the Home Folder of the user and return it back to being with no encryption. The operation would take some time to complete. if FileVault is not enabled, ignore this step

if FileVault is enabled, you can Turn FileVault off.

in Mountain Lion, go to Settings->Security & Privacy and FileVault tab.

Perform those steps using an Admin account. Here is what you have to do to remove the Master Password or FileVault password: Make sure you follow Step one before Step two !! Important Caution: Before you do that you must disable FileVault (if it is enabled) as you will see below.If you do not disable FileVault, you will lose access to your Home Folder since there is no private key to open it. The Master Password is basically similar to a super user password. You can use it to reset the password and gain access to your home folder even if it is protected with encryption.вЂќThis provides protection for users who forget their login passwordвЂќ. Note that the Master Password is used as a вЂњsafety netвЂќ in case you cannot access the computer and you need to reset the password of any user. there is a small button next to remove account button from where you can set or change a Master password. However, in Mountain Lion, you can access the Master Password screen from Users & Groups preference pane. In Leopard, it used to be accessed through the FileVault preference pane. The place of accessing that password has changed from Leopard to Mountain Lion (I donвЂ™t know about Lion!).

So, you have just got a used Mac and discovered that there is a Master Password (in Mountain Lion), or what is refered to as FileVault, or you have forgotten your Master Password and you want to reset it or remove it completely.