MacOS Sierra: I forgot the password but have the SSD’s Filevault recovery key. Can I reset the password

macospasswordrecovery

I'm on MacOS Sierra. I forgot my password, but I have the SSD's FileVault recovery key. I used the "Recovery Key" account recovery method when I set up FileVault, so I can't use iCloud to unlock my account. Is there a way that I can reset my password and keep my data? Is there a way I can mount the drive and use the command line to reset only my account password and keychain?

Best Answer

Please refer to this Support document by Apple:

Reset using your Recovery Key (FileVault must be on)

If FileVault is turned on and you have a FileVault Recovery Key, you can use that key to reset your password.

  1. At the login screen, keep entering a password until you see a message saying that you can reset your password using your Recovery Key. If you don't see the message after three attempts, FileVault isn't on.

  2. Click > next to the message. The password field changes to a Recovery Key field.

  3. Enter your Recovery Key. Use uppercase characters, and include the hyphens.

  4. Follow the onscreen instructions to create a new password, then click Reset Password when done.

  5. Determine whether to create a new login keychain.

If you can't log in with your new password after restarting your Mac, take these additional steps:

  1. Restart again, then immediately hold down Command-R or one of the other macOS Recovery key combinations until you see the Apple logo or a spinning globe.
  2. When you see the macOS Utilities window, choose Utilities > Terminal from the menu bar.
  3. In the Terminal window, type `resetpassword, then press Return to open the Reset Password assistant pictured above.
  4. Select ”My password doesn't work when logging in,” then click Next and follow the onscreen instructions for your user account.
Related Question