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Change Mac admin password without the disk

Last answer on Nov 7, 2009 2:37:25 pm GMT Pranjal sharma, on Mar 1, 2009 6:17:19 am GMT 
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Hello,
i lost my disk and forgot the admin password so please can you tell me how to change admin password without the disk sooner

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1

xpcman, on Mar 1, 2009 6:05:28 pm GMT
  • +53

You can try this:

BUT HERE IS THE BEST WAY AND EASIEST
Creating a new Admin on Mac Os X:
Here’s how to reset your OS X password without an OS X CD.
the Working solution for me was to create a new admin
you can create new admin like this by deleting a specific file.

You need to enter terminal and create a new admin account:

1. Reboot
2. Hold apple + s down after you hear the chime.
3. When you get text prompt enter in these terminal commands to create a brand new admin account (hitting return after each line):
* mount -uw /
* rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
* shutdown -h now
4. After rebooting you should have a brand new admin account. When you login as the new admin you can simply delete the old one and you’re good to go again!

Apple stores wont reset it for you. Computer shops may charge you $50 to $200 trying to reinstall the Mac and failing at end.

Reply to xpcman

2

Vince, on Mar 30, 2009 1:33:03 am BST
  • +52

Once I get to the command part every time I hit the enter bottom says file or command not found, or invalid should I include the star symbol every time? because I try without it and still not let me to continue seems that this instructions should me more in detail and even more since we enter a very detail portion of the operative system, I wish you could guide me more in detail in what to do to accomplish this administrator set up, thank you.

Reply to Vince

3

jo met de banjo, on Mar 31, 2009 1:02:09 am BST
  • +4

Werkt toch niet

Reply to jo met de banjo

7

mediadude, on May 3, 2009 5:37:36 pm BST
  • +5

Vince, I just went through the process after loading Leo over Jaguar. Never use passwords, but long ago i must have entered oned while installing Jaguar! Forgot it, naturally. I used the unix command lines just as published here without the star/asterisks. Worked fist time.

By now you've figured it out another way, but it's nice to see a post like this that is so helpful.

Reply to mediadude

48

yukka, on Jun 25, 2009 7:47:32 am BST
  • +10

I got 2 problems.....and i was wondering if you can help me...

i got a desktop that has a my password but i don't remember it,also when i turned it on it says "you need to restart your computer. hold down the power button for several seconds or press the reset button." i did so and when i did it it says, "to continue booting, type "mac-boot" and press return. i did so but it showed me the first sentence again. i tried to follow the recommendations i saw at mac store it says instead typing "mac-boot" type "reset-Nvram" and press return then type "reset-all" and press return but it didn't work, it showed me the same message again.i don't have i don't have the disc

please help me i don't know what to do......

Reply to yukka

33

manu, on May 29, 2009 3:42:49 am BST
  • +30

Actually i have limited account and i want to change into administator account and i dont know the password can u solve this

Reply to manu

45

ruban, on Jun 18, 2009 4:31:05 am BST
  • +6

Get ophcrack live cd boot and crack
ruban tamil nadu :))

Reply to ruban

107

lin, on Oct 31, 2009 6:02:04 am GMT
  • +1

I am in user level . I need change the administrater password

Reply to lin

71

buzzy, on Aug 19, 2009 11:31:40 am BST
  • +3

Please post the answer to the guy who couldnt get the apple =s to work , want as much knowledge before i try it . thanks ,buzzy

Reply to buzzy

4

AgentV, on Apr 7, 2009 11:20:29 pm BST
  • +2

I just tried this yesterday on a new MacBookPro 15" with 10.5.6 . It didn't work and obviously corrupted the startup. There has to be something that was missing.

There was an admin user with a password, I booted into single user mode and typed exactly what you had there.
All I got when I rebooted but the spinning apple boot symbol.

Reply to AgentV

5

Mercenary, on Apr 21, 2009 9:05:59 pm BST
  • +2

This worked great for me Thanks a Milli'!!!

Reply to Mercenary

14

DX, on May 14, 2009 8:46:09 am BST
  • +4

Thats exactly whats happening to me now, now i cant even log into my desktop? how did u fix it? this mount -uw thing have messed up my macbook pro!?

Reply to DX

59

chef h, on Jul 30, 2009 8:50:25 am BST
  • +5

I tried the mount -uw/ for my macbook pro because I no longer have the original disc. Now my computer just sits at a blue screen with a continuous scolling wheel and then it will go away for a second and come back again. One message I did notice while trying to do the mount -uw/ option was the following:

it keeps scrooling Mach communication failed: (ipc/mig) server died
mDNSKeychainGetSecrets failed error2301 CFArrayRef 00000000
mach_msg_server: (ipc/send) invalid memory

There was more to the message than just this message but I didn't have enough time to get it all.

doesn't look good...i think it's toasted.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help me. I'd hate to think I have a very expensive paper weight.

Reply to chef h

83

metoyou, on Sep 10, 2009 2:27:02 pm BST
  • +1

I have the same problem

Reply to metoyou

6

bobbyboytoy, on Apr 26, 2009 5:49:45 pm BST
  • +7

Thanx xpc man! This worked for me!

Reply to bobbyboytoy

10

seh2000, on May 6, 2009 7:21:12 pm BST
  • +2

Worked like a charm!
Mill thanks
Steen

Reply to seh2000

12

jas, on May 13, 2009 10:16:21 pm BST
  • +1

Xpc you are the man!!! thanks alot works great

Reply to jas

13

treros69, on May 13, 2009 11:30:21 pm BST
  • +10

What do youmean by hold apple+s

Reply to treros69

16

iGnOraNt KiDD, on May 15, 2009 9:40:06 pm BST
  • +1

To man thx alot dis realy help me n save me moeny. You're a pro at dis. i realy appreciate everything. thx again ;)

Reply to iGnOraNt KiDD

31

Klearly44, on May 28, 2009 1:55:21 am BST
  • +1

How did you get this to work exactly? The first command works for me if I don't put he "/" behind it, but I can't get past the 2nd command.

Reply to Klearly44

27

ed, on May 24, 2009 12:59:47 am BST
  • +9

How to reboot the apple macbook pro laptop

Reply to ed

35

Mac lover, on May 29, 2009 10:31:18 pm BST
  • +1

My iMac G4 Pc will not accept commands you listed for resetting a new password. Does it not work on my Mac, should I be doing something else? When I put in the information you listed it says "zsh:command not found" Is there any hope for me?

Reply to Mac lover

37

Arn, on May 30, 2009 5:40:11 pm BST
  • +1

Will u lose ur data on ur original account that u used to have.


Thanks

Reply to Arn

44

Amy, on Jun 16, 2009 3:59:57 am BST
  • +5

I have a question for ya-
How do I reset my password for my emac if I dont have the start up/installation disk and I dont have an apple keyboard??

Reply to Amy

46

max, on Jun 20, 2009 4:47:08 pm BST
  • +3

Your legend

Reply to max

49

Trumusik, on Jun 29, 2009 11:44:13 pm BST
  • +3

This did not work for me , i accidentally threw out my mac os and it can't be found. i restart my computer but did not start as it ought to.I reset the PRAM and it took me to the log in page , but does not accept my current username and password. I even try rebooting from the CD but each time it took me to an obscure page that says i need to restart my computer. what is happening to my G, and how can this problem be solved?

Reply to Trumusik

51

Joeimpre, on Jun 30, 2009 11:56:51 pm BST
  • +1

Thanks alot it did work for me.

You're a star.

Reply to Joeimpre

52

tech idiot, on Jul 3, 2009 2:48:06 pm BST
  • +1

I wonder if creating a new admin account and deleting the old one will mean, a) I'll lose all the photos, songs, data i saved on the old admin account; b) i'll lose the software on the old amin account, such as the entire Microsoft (Word, Excel, etc) for Mac package, which i don't have any backup of.

Also, while i'm at it, is it possible to backup the Microsoft for Mac programs on an external hard drive and reinstall it into the computer later? I bought the software online via a university program a couple of years ago, so i don't have a hard copy of it. Neither do i remember getting a registration number for the software... :(

Reply to tech idiot

54

melissa, on Jul 9, 2009 10:59:20 pm BST
  • +2

Holding the apple button and pressing s does not work for me, and also how do you create a new admin ?

Thanks!

Reply to melissa

67

debsy, on Aug 14, 2009 3:13:55 am BST
  • +1

Are you pressing them just after the chimes stop?

Reply to debsy

55

kwells, on Jul 14, 2009 8:29:04 pm BST
  • +2

This worked beautifully for me on my iMac. Thanks for saving me an enormous amount of time, frustration and money!

Reply to kwells

63

ace, on Aug 11, 2009 12:40:59 am BST
  • +1

THAT's what the internet is for....thanks! you just saved me a night of head-banging.

Reply to ace

65

debsy, on Aug 14, 2009 1:19:06 am BST
  • +1

Thankyou, am happy it worked for me!

Reply to debsy

66

debsy, on Aug 14, 2009 2:59:41 am BST
  • +1

Step 4 i cannot complete, delete the old admin account, as it has password i cannot retrieve

Reply to debsy

69

debsy, on Aug 16, 2009 8:40:50 am BST
  • +6

I sucessfully created an admin account, although when i try to delete the old, account who I have made standard, they have a master password and I cannot remove it. Please help me remove the passworded standard account now! many thanks

Reply to debsy

70

robinlh12, on Aug 16, 2009 9:25:39 pm BST
  • +2

Thanks! I had to try it twice to get my spaces in the commands correct, but it worked. And now I'm the new owner of an iBook G4 in my family of Macs. ;-)

Reply to robinlh12

73

alpal, on Aug 22, 2009 2:56:56 am BST
  • +2

Xpcman--you are amazing! I can't thank you enough for your advice. I have been searching and working for hours to fix my problem with the login not working, and I am a total techo-rube. Your advice was right on, and you saved me from spending money, more time wasted, and oodles of continued frustration. You are my new computer guru. Thank you!

Reply to alpal

74

wittsy, on Aug 25, 2009 3:50:05 pm BST
  • +1

Just a quick note to thank you for your advice on getting past the password on Mac OS X
I have messed around with downloading all sorts and following crap code. Your solution without the asterix works a treat. Well done - you are the man!

Reply to wittsy

75

ngineer mac, on Aug 27, 2009 6:17:37 pm BST
  • +1

Hello xpcman,

I'm very impressed with your solution and wondering if this will work on Powerbooks as well? I sent my old machine in for a replaced hard drive and superdrive. It came back with a password and the tech doesn't have any idea what pword they might have used?

Thanks!
Skot

Reply to ngineer mac

76

xpcman, on Aug 27, 2009 8:18:43 pm BST
  • +1

I have not tested this method so I can't make any recommendation. Many people have posted success and a few want my neck for destroying their computer. Try at your own risk.

Good Luck

Reply to xpcman

77

Killerusmc, on Sep 2, 2009 6:59:24 am BST
  • +5

Hey,

I read some of your responses and i was hoping that you might be able to help me. I am currently running Windows XP and i have forgotten my password to login into my admin/user account. is there a way to change my password from the command prompt without being the local admin for the computer. if there is i would greatly appreciate the help thanks.

Reply to Killerusmc

79

Wicked, on Sep 7, 2009 2:39:02 pm BST
  • +2

Wicked,worked first time

Reply to Wicked

81

bellarti, on Sep 7, 2009 8:20:19 pm BST
  • +2

Thanks, again, expcman! Great advice and instructions! It worked perfectly!!!

Reply to bellarti

85

NEWINMAC, on Sep 12, 2009 2:05:55 am BST
  • +1

THANKS A LOT YOUR INFORMATION WAS VERY USEFUL FOR ME. YOU SAVE ME......THANKS AGAIN

Reply to NEWINMAC

86

ecb, on Sep 13, 2009 4:20:21 pm BST

You are a genius! I'm so not computer savvy yet was able to do this. thank you for sharing.

Reply to ecb

88

Rune Baggersgaard, on Sep 16, 2009 8:39:08 am BST
  • +1

Hey, i've followed the guide how to make a new admin password, and i worked perfect. but another problem have occured, when i try to go on safari or any other program it want the original key i used for the first admin, and i can't remember that... How do i remove it ?

-Regards a lost mac user..

Reply to Rune Baggersgaard

89

l3v, on Sep 25, 2009 12:44:38 am BST
  • +1

Workd a treat thanks xpc

Reply to l3v

91

dorian, on Oct 10, 2009 2:45:12 pm BST

I see that u have helped a lot of people . i have a problem with my friends macbook . a friend of mine brought to me a macbook . he doesnt know to much about macs . the problem is that someone was playing with username and password and changed them . so how can i acces my macbook now ? when i open it it shows in the very beginning username and password . all i can do is shutdown , restart or sleep thats about it . ur help will be very appreciated . thank u a lot .

Reply to dorian

92

xpcman, on Oct 10, 2009 8:27:03 pm BST
  • +2

Corrected text

1.REBOOT
2. COMMAND & S (AFTER YOU HERE THE CHIME)
3.AFTER TEXT PROMPT ENTER IN THESE TERMINAL COMMANDS (PRESS ENTER AFTER EACH LINE)


mount -w /
rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
shutdown -h now

****make sure to use spaces and capital letters EXACTLY as shown in the terminal commands above****

IT will not WORK if you don't type it EXACTLY like this

Reply to xpcman

104

joe, on Oct 27, 2009 7:17:21 pm GMT
  • +1

Thankyou Xpc man
Worked like a charm

Reply to joe

95

Link, on Oct 12, 2009 6:43:32 pm BST

You are a genius. That worked wonderfully. Thanks so much to you and everyone that posts solutions for similar problems.What would we do without people like you? Link.

Reply to Link

97

Sid1234, on Oct 18, 2009 11:10:13 am BST
  • +1

XPCMAN

Thanks for your advice on resetting password it worked an absolute treat much appreciated. I have tried untold different so called solutions and yours is simple and very effective big 10/10

Reply to Sid1234

100

Shay, on Oct 21, 2009 3:33:22 am BST
  • +1

Before I tried to get another admin p/w that I lost I want to know would it erase my picture files and others out of the computer? Scared to try it! might mess my pc up!!

Reply to Shay

101

anitalite!!, on Oct 24, 2009 11:05:59 pm BST
  • +1

THANKS Dude! This technique worked like a charm, you're awesome!

Reply to anitalite!!

106

Holster, on Oct 29, 2009 11:35:35 pm GMT

Thank you so much - this is exactly what I was looking for!

Reply to Holster

110

waxdoll, on Nov 1, 2009 1:09:02 am GMT
  • +1

Thanks for posting this! I'M setting up a couple of old 2nd hand Macs for extra learning - and one seller didnt know password!

Reply to waxdoll

112

alex, on Nov 4, 2009 1:46:33 am GMT

How to enter terminal

Reply to alex

113

lany22, on Nov 5, 2009 8:26:37 pm GMT

I have the same problem, I can't get into my mac at all I forgot the login password and I lost my disk. What is apple + s?

Reply to lany22

114

xpcman, on Nov 5, 2009 8:27:48 pm GMT

The Apple key plus the s key pressed at the same time

Reply to xpcman

116

macuser31, on Nov 7, 2009 12:19:09 pm GMT

Hi xpc man, recently my macbook would not recognise my passwords, the startup nor the admin. I didn't change them and I am the only one who uses this computer, so I don't know what happened. So I followed your instructions and it worked like a charm! The only problem is I can't find any of my files, no music, no pictures, nothing. I rebooted as a brand new computer. I am really desperate I have really important stuff in this computer and I don't know what to do. Do you have any ideas that might help me? Thanx.

Reply to macuser31

15

DX, on May 14, 2009 8:50:22 am BST
  • +1

My macbook pro after following the instruction have messed it up? now after reboot all i see is the small apple sign and loading screen, it fails to log into desktop. help? or atleast how do i restore it back how it was? excuse my english.

Reply to DX

28

alan, on May 25, 2009 3:54:42 am BST
  • +1

Hi bro i did the same thing as u did and it missed up my macbook pro what did u do now to fix it help

Reply to alan

57

Lue, on Jul 26, 2009 12:35:22 am BST
  • +1

Did you ever fix your MAC? i did the same thing and now mine is broke

Reply to Lue

17

nickky, on May 17, 2009 12:21:41 am BST
  • +16

How can i cange admin. password without the disk. i forgot my pass word

Reply to nickky

23

erpan, on May 19, 2009 10:23:25 pm BST
  • +5

THIS IS WORKING ON ALL MACBOOKS ive tested it on.

macbook pro unibody, macbook pro 2006 model......... even macbook g4.

Great work

Reply to erpan

29

gd, on May 25, 2009 5:31:26 pm BST
  • +2

This thread is for macs you prob didn't know man

Reply to gd

30

cbak231, on May 27, 2009 9:31:58 pm BST
  • +2

This method...I Love you

Reply to cbak231

32

Mac Data Recovery, on May 28, 2009 5:17:06 pm BST
  • +3

You can recover & restore your Formatted macbook using Mac Data Recovery software. Try the demo version from here http://www.datarecoverymac.org/

Reply to Mac Data Recovery

36

the gorgon, on May 30, 2009 5:18:59 am BST
  • +1

Thank you, worked beautifully when i figured out the space issue. You rock!!!!!!

Reply to the gorgon

39

megggg, on Jun 2, 2009 12:53:09 am BST
  • +3

I did this and it rebooted but no new admin

DOES ANYONE KNOW THE RIGHT WAY????

it entered all of the codes but nothing else


please help if it worked for u can u post exactly wat u did ?

Reply to megggg

90

killjoy1984, on Oct 9, 2009 12:09:27 am BST
  • +6

FOLLOW THIS *************EXACTLY*********** !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DUH!!!!!

1.REBOOT
2. COMMAND & S (AFTER YOU HERE THE CIME)
3.AFTER TEXT PROMPT ENTER IN THESE TERMINAL COMMANDS (PRESS ENTER AFTER EACH LINE)


mount -w /
rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
shutdown -h now

****make sure to use spaces and capital letters EXACTLY as shown in the terminal commands above****

IT will not WORK if it is not EXACT


HOPE EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS NOW.....

Reply to killjoy1984

102

helpmac, on Oct 26, 2009 1:14:51 am GMT

Im having a problem with the 2 nd part of the code.. and ive done this before in the past and it worked just fine but for some reason i cant figure out if there are spaces between rm/var/db/.apple or not its confusing ive tried over and over again shit wont reboot with setup! and now i cant even get to my desk top smh this sucks!

Reply to helpmac

105

mas, on Oct 28, 2009 3:23:02 pm GMT

After entering the first line
mount -w /
..it says device is read only?

Reply to mas

111

alex, on Nov 4, 2009 1:27:25 am GMT

Can you do it in video plz because its not very clear i dont know what to do whit the part of the reboot and i am not sure of what is the terminal

Reply to alex

99

Raf, on Oct 20, 2009 7:27:51 pm BST

You need to do it properly
enter each command on prompt with proper spaces and so on and press enter
it worked for me
http://www.computerstar.ca/

Reply to Raf