How to Change the Password on Your MacBook

Changing your MacBook password sounds straightforward — and often it is. But depending on how your Mac is set up, which version of macOS you're running, and whether you use Apple ID sign-in, the process can work a few different ways. Knowing which path applies to your situation saves you from hitting unexpected roadblocks.

What "MacBook Password" Actually Means

Before diving into steps, it helps to clarify what password you're changing — because your Mac may have more than one.

• Login password (user account password): The password you type at the login screen or when waking from sleep. This is what most people mean when they say "my MacBook password."
• Apple ID password: The password tied to your iCloud and Apple services account. This is managed through Apple's website or system settings, not locally on the Mac itself.
• FileVault password: On Macs with FileVault disk encryption enabled, your login password also unlocks the encrypted drive. They're typically the same credential, but the connection matters.

This article focuses primarily on the login (user account) password, since that's what most users are looking to change.

The Standard Way: Change Your Password in System Settings

On macOS Ventura and later, Apple moved most settings into the redesigned System Settings app (previously called System Preferences on older versions).

Steps for macOS Ventura, Sonoma, and newer:

1. Click the Apple menu () in the top-left corner
2. Select System Settings
3. Click your name or profile picture at the top of the sidebar
4. Select Password (or navigate to Login Password depending on your macOS version)
5. Click Change Password
6. Enter your current password, then your new password twice to confirm
7. Click Change Password to save

Steps for macOS Monterey and earlier (System Preferences):

1. Open System Preferences from the Apple menu or Dock
2. Click Users & Groups
3. Select your user account on the left (it may already be highlighted)
4. Click Change Password
5. Fill in your old password, new password, and a password hint
6. Click Change Password

🔑 When Your Account Is Linked to Your Apple ID

Many MacBooks are configured to use an Apple ID as the account password — meaning your Mac login and your iCloud credentials are the same thing. This is increasingly common on newer Macs set up with a personal Apple ID.

In this case, you won't change the password through Users & Groups or Login Password settings in the normal way. Instead, changing your Apple ID password automatically updates your Mac login password as well.

To change your Apple ID password:

• Go to appleid.apple.com in a browser
• Sign in and navigate to Sign-In and Security
• Select Password and follow the prompts

After updating your Apple ID password, your Mac may prompt you to update the stored keychain password or re-enter credentials during the next login.

What Happens If You've Forgotten Your Password

If you can't remember your current password, the recovery path depends on your setup:

If your account is linked to Apple ID: You can reset your login password from the login screen itself. On the login screen, after a few failed attempts, macOS typically offers an option to reset using your Apple ID. Enter your Apple ID credentials and follow the prompts to set a new local password.

If your account is not linked to Apple ID: Recovery requires booting into macOS Recovery Mode:

• On Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, M4): Shut down the Mac, then hold the power button until you see the startup options screen. Click Options, then Continue.
• On Intel Macs: Restart and immediately hold Command + R until the Apple logo appears.

From Recovery Mode, open Terminal from the Utilities menu and use the resetpassword command, or use the built-in Reset Password utility if available. This process requires administrator access or the system's recovery key if FileVault is enabled.

FileVault and Why It Complicates Things 🔒

If FileVault is turned on (which it is by default on most modern Macs), your login password is also the key that decrypts the drive at startup. This means:

• The password reset process is slightly more involved
• A FileVault recovery key was generated when FileVault was first set up — you should have saved this somewhere secure
• Without the recovery key or Apple ID access, recovering data from a FileVault-encrypted drive is extremely difficult

You can check if FileVault is enabled by going to System Settings → Privacy & Security → FileVault.

Variables That Affect Your Specific Process

Changing Another User's Password (Admin Accounts)

If you're an administrator on a shared Mac and need to reset another user's password:

1. Open System Settings → Users & Groups (or System Preferences on older macOS)
2. Click the Info button (ⓘ) next to the user's name
3. Click Reset Password
4. Set and confirm the new password

Note: this resets the login password but may result in the user being locked out of their login keychain until they update it with the new credentials.

The right steps for your situation depend on a combination of factors — your macOS version, whether your account ties back to an Apple ID, your chip generation, and whether FileVault is part of the picture. Each of those details points toward a meaningfully different path.