Your Account Is Locked on Mac

What causes your Mac account to get locked

Multiple failed password attempts or Screen Time restrictions can result in an account lock. System-wide issues and FileVault settings can contribute to the issue, too.

When determining why your account isn’t accessible, it’s a good idea to understand the differences between different problems. For example, system-wide issues—such as an iCloud lock—don’t impact just your Mac. A locked account will solely impact your computer.

How to unlock account on MacBook

You can try several fixes to unlock your profile, such as trying to reset your Mac password. Go through each of these to try and solve the issue:

• Use your Apple ID to unlock.
• Reset password with recovery key.
• Using Terminal in macOS Recovery Mode.
• Fix with Reset Password Assistant.

The right method will depend on what you still have access to. For example, you may need to use your Apple ID if your MacBook password isn’t working.

A note from our experts: 

 

While you can try to fix a locked account yourself, it’s typically a lengthy process and will often set you back further. It’s much better to get assistance from a technical support team who’ll help you reach the core of the issue more quickly.

 

Rather than reading and trying all the solutions below, MacKeeper’s Premium Services is a quicker and more professional way to troubleshoot the problem. The team is available round the clock and has knowledge on all the most recent Mac models, along with the older ones.

 

Contacting MacKeeper’s Premium Services is very easy:

1. Download MacKeeper.
2. Once you’ve downloaded the app, choose Premium Services in the sidebar.
3. Explain your problem, hit the Enter key, and one of our team members will help you fix the issue.

1. Use your Apple ID to unlock

If you linked your Apple ID while setting up the account on your computer, you can reset your local profile’s password.

Here are the steps you should follow:

1. Turn your Mac off and on again.
2. Sign into your device via your Apple ID on the login screen.
3. Reset your password when prompted.

Important: 

 

If possible, you may also want to try and remove the login password on your Mac. Doing this will allow you to at least sign into your account, but you’ll still need to reset your password at some point.

2. Reset password with recovery key

If you’ve used FileVault, you may also have a recovery key. You might have stored this in multiple places, such as via iCloud (or even with a printed version somewhere). From our experience, this method can work if your Apple Account isn’t active.

Once you’ve gained access to the key, you can follow the instructions listed below to enter it:

1. Restart your Mac.
2. When you see the option to reset your login password, click on Reset Using Your Recovery Key.
3. Enter your recovery key credentials.
4. When prompted, reset your password.
5. Turn your device off and on to ensure these changes take effect.

3. Using Terminal in macOS recovery mode

We don’t recommend using Terminal in Recovery Mode as it’s highly technical and can cause more problems if you don’t know how to do it correctly. Nonetheless, it’s a viable option to log back into a locked account if you’ve got the technical expertise.

Here are our guidelines on how to use Terminal in macOS Recovery Mode:

1. Press and hold the standby button until your device switches off and on again.
2. Open the Terminal app.
3. Enter the prompt: resetpassword and hit the Enter key.
4. When you’re asked to, type your new password.
5. Restart your Mac and everything should work as normal.

4. Fix with Reset Password assistant

If you have an Intel Mac, you can use the Reset Password tool. You’ll again need to boot your computer into Recovery Mode to access this feature. We recommend using this instead of Terminal if you’re a beginner as it’s more beginner-friendly.

Follow these instructions to regain access after using the Reset Password Assistant:

1. Press and hold the standby button until your Mac turns off and on again.
2. After rebooting into Recovery Mode, navigate to Utilities.
3. Select Reset Password.
4. Choose your new password when prompted. Then, restart your device into the normal mode.
5. Type your new password on the login screen.

A hint from our team: 

 

You may need to use this feature if your Apple ID isn’t working. But while this will work even without linking your account, you should still reset your Apple Account once you have the opportunity. Learning how to unlock your Apple ID is crucial in doing this.

Use these tips to get back into a locked account on your Mac

If your account is locked on Mac, you can do several things to sign in again. First and foremost, you need to determine which tools you even have access to in the first place. The steps to fix your issue will depend on whether you can get into your computer at all or use your Apple ID.

Instead of working through each step manually, using MacKeeper’s Premium Services is much more effective. You’ll minimize the work needed on your part, and you should also be on your way to getting back into your account much faster than would otherwise have been the case.