Lost Admin Password - reset it
- Turn off your Mac (choose Apple > Shut Down).
- Press the power button while holding down Command + R. The Mac will boot into Recovery (we have a separate article about how to boot a Mac in Recovery).
- When you see the load bar appear you can let go of the keys. It may take a few minutes to load.
- Select Disk Utility and press Continue.
- Choose Utilities > Terminal.
- Enter resetpassword (all one word, lower-case letters) and press Return.
- Select the volume containing the account (normally this will be your main hard drive).
- Choose the account to change with Select the User Account.
- Enter a new password and re-enter it into the password fields.
- Enter a new password hint related to the password.
- Click Save.
- Click Apple > Shut Down.
- Shut down your MacBook Air (M1, 2020).
- Press and hold the power button (Touch ID) until the screen says "Loading startup options".
- Choose Options, then click Continue.
- If you're prompted for an admin password, choose "Forgot all passwords?". If you're prompted to authenticate with your Apple ID, do so to continue.
- You should now see a window with four options: Restore from Time Machine, Install macOS, Safari, Disk Utility. Don't choose any of these; instead, go to the menu bar at the top of the screen and click on Utilities. Then, choose Terminal.
- Type "resetpassword" without the quotes and hit Enter (Return).
- If FileVault is disabled, you should be able to reset your password without issue