How to reset admin password on Mac OS X
Published on 14 December 2010

If you have just bought a MacBook or iMac from a garage sale or inherited one from a family member and realized that they didn't give you the admin password, or you're just forgetful, this is how you reset the password.
Using a Mac OS install disk
- Turn on your Mac and boot from the install CD.
- If you're using Mac OS X 10.6, navigate to
Utilities > Password Reset
and create a new admin password. - If you're using Mac OS X 10.4 or 10.5, navigate to
Utilities > Reset Password
and create a new admin password. - If you're using Mac OS X 10.3, navigate to
Installer > Password
and create a new admin password.
Without a Mac OS install disk
If you don't have an installer CD, it's still easy to reset the admin password.
- Turn on your Mac and boot in single-user mode by pressing Apple+S.
- Once it boots into single-user mode, you have to mount the hard disk in write mode, delete the
.AppleSetupDone
file under/var/db/
(note the dot before the filename because it's hidden) and reboot. Prior to this, we'll check the hard disk consistency withfsck
So, type this:/sbin/fsck -y /sbin/mount -uaw rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone reboot
Let me know how it goes. You can always contact me on email.
Created on 14 December 2010
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