How to Change Your Mac Password (Login, Apple ID & More)

Changing your password on a Mac sounds straightforward — and often it is. But "Mac password" can mean several different things depending on what you're trying to unlock or secure. Understanding which password you're dealing with, and where macOS stores it, makes the difference between a quick fix and a frustrating loop of failed attempts.

What Kind of Mac Password Do You Need to Change?

Before touching any settings, identify which password you're actually changing:

• Login (user account) password — the password you type when your Mac wakes from sleep or starts up
• Apple ID password — used for iCloud, the App Store, and Apple services
• Keychain password — macOS's built-in credential storage system
• FileVault password — encrypts your entire startup disk (on most Macs, this is the same as your login password)

These can overlap or behave independently depending on how your Mac is configured. Changing one doesn't automatically change the others.

How to Change Your Mac Login Password

This is the most common request, and macOS makes it accessible through System Settings (macOS Ventura and later) or System Preferences (macOS Monterey and earlier).

On macOS Ventura or later:

1. Click the Apple menu → System Settings
2. Select [Your Name] at the top of the sidebar
3. Click Password
4. Enter your current password, then set and confirm a new one

On macOS Monterey or earlier:

1. Click the Apple menu → System Preferences
2. Open Users & Groups
3. Select your account in the left panel
4. Click Change Password

You'll need to know your current password to proceed this way. If you've forgotten it, the process is different — covered below.

Changing Your Password Without Knowing the Current One 🔑

If you're locked out, macOS provides a recovery path — but how it works depends on your Mac's chip and configuration.

On Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, etc.):

Shut down the Mac completely. Press and hold the power button until you see "Loading startup options." Select Options → Continue → enter Recovery Mode. From there, use Reset Password from the Utilities menu.

On Intel Macs:

Restart and hold Command + R to enter Recovery Mode. Once inside, go to Utilities → Terminal and type resetpassword, or use the Reset Password option if it appears directly.

In either case, macOS may ask you to authenticate with your Apple ID if that account is linked — this is a security layer, not a bug.

How to Change Your Apple ID Password

Your Apple ID password is managed through Apple's servers, not locally on your Mac.

Through System Settings/Preferences:

1. Open System Settings → click your Apple ID name
2. Select Password & Security
3. Click Change Password

Through the web:

Visit appleid.apple.com, sign in, and update your password under Sign-In and Security.

Note: changing your Apple ID password will sign you out of iCloud and Apple services on your devices. You'll need to sign back in with the new password on each one.

FileVault and What It Means for Your Password

FileVault is macOS's full-disk encryption feature. On most Mac setups, your login password is your FileVault password — they're unified. When you change your user account password through normal means, FileVault updates automatically.

However, if FileVault was set up with an institutional recovery key (common in workplace or school environments) or if something went out of sync, the passwords can diverge. In managed environments, your IT department controls this.

The Keychain: When Password Changes Create New Problems

macOS stores passwords, Wi-Fi credentials, and certificates in a system called Keychain. Your login keychain is typically locked with your login password.

When you change your login password normally (while logged in), macOS updates the keychain password to match — seamlessly. The problem arises when you reset your password through Recovery Mode. In that case, macOS creates a new login keychain because it can no longer unlock the old one with the new password.

You may then see repeated prompts asking you to unlock your old keychain or create a new one. Options include:

• Entering your old password to unlock and migrate the old keychain
• Creating a new keychain (you'll lose previously stored passwords)
• Using Keychain Access (in Applications → Utilities) to manage both

Variables That Affect How This Works

When You're Changing a Password for Someone Else's Account 👤

If you're an admin user, you can change another user's login password through Users & Groups — but this will break that user's login keychain for the same reason described above. They'll need to know their old password, or accept losing their locally stored keychain credentials.

Standard users cannot change other accounts' passwords.

What Determines How Straightforward Your Situation Is

Changing a Mac password ranges from a 30-second task to a multi-step recovery process depending on factors that vary significantly from one user to the next. Whether you know your current password, whether your Mac is personally owned or managed by an organization, which version of macOS you're running, and whether FileVault is active all shape which path applies to you.

The steps above cover the most common scenarios — but the exact experience you'll have depends on the specifics of your setup.