how to factory reset a locked macbook pro

Ideally, you'll have linked your Apple ID to your user account on your Mac during the initial setup, which will make it possible to reset your user password with just a few clicks.Īfter entering the wrong user password three times, you'll be asked if you want to restart your computer to view the password recovery options. Use your Apple ID to reset your Mac's password Here's how to get started regaining control over your Mac computer. If you didn't link your Apple ID, that's OK, there's still another option to reset your account password.

There are a few different methods you can use, and the road you take to unlock your Mac without a password could depend on whether you linked your Apple ID to your user account on your Mac during setup, or if you have one of the new M1 Macs.

Because of that, MacOS includes a tool for this exact scenario. Apple knows that a forgotten password can be a personal hell, especially if you're working on a deadline. But what happens when you forget the password to log into your Mac? After trying, then retrying the password you thought was correct, it's only natural to want to panic. For online accounts, you can just click a few links, enter your email address and then reset your password. Select 'Disk Utility' and click 'Continue.I think it's safe to say we've all forgotten a password at some point. After a few moments, the macOS Utilities window should appear - this is known as Recovery Mode.Ĥ. Keep holding it until you see either the Apple logo, or an animation of a spinning globe.ģ. Press the power button to turn it on, then immediately press and hold Command (⌘) + R. Once you're ready to wipe your Mac, do the following:Ģ. If you're giving your computer away, also make sure that you've signed out of iTunes, iCloud, and iMessage - there's a chance your Apple ID data will remain on the drive after you reset it, and you don't want anyone gaining access to your account. You can also backup onto iCloud, or manually move the files you want to save onto an external drive. You can do this through Time Machine, Apple's official backup application, which will copy all your files onto an external drive. Check out the products mentioned in this article: MacBook Pro (From $1,299.99 at Best Buy) How to wipe a Mac computer with a factory resetīefore anything, if you don't want to lose the files you have saved on your computer, you should back them up.

How to factory reset a locked macbook pro