How do I reset my system password?
Insert your Mac OS X System disc. Reboot your Mac, while holding down the “c” key. This forces your Mac to start up from the disc. After selecting a language, look in the Utilities menu and choose Reset Password. Choose your hard disk, and create a new password for yourself. Then click Save, close the window, and quit the Installer to restart (don’t reinstall Mac OS X).
Now your keychain password and system password are different (when you first created your user account, they were the same.) Your Mac will ask you for your old keychain password every time you open an application or website that uses stored passwords. Follow the instructions in How do I reset my keychain password? to fix this.
Published March 24, 2009 12:00 PM
Last modified on June 16, 2009 5:55 PM
Related Links
How do I password protect a set of files with an encrypted disk image?How can I change another user's password?
I don’t know my password.
How do I recover a password I forgot for a website or email account?
How do I reset my keychain password?
How can I change my system password?
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