My Father died last year and I inherited his Mac Mini. My wife has retired and we are trying to set up the mini for her use but the changes we want to make require admin access and we do not have the information my father used to set up the machine. Show
Is it possible to reset the admin information without having the old information? If so, how would I go about it? I am not a Mac user usually so any guidance will have to be pretty simple!
bmike♦ 224k78 gold badges396 silver badges862 bronze badges asked Jul 22, 2012 at 22:15
Eric G. TaylorEric G. Taylor 5211 gold badge5 silver badges3 bronze badges 1 With macOS Catalina and many recent macOS - the built in tools guide everyone how to reset admin permissions without needing any of the single user mode boot tricks of old (left at the bottom for posterity and people running OS that were shipped before 2015) Now - follow the official Apple triage steps: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202860 Instead of single user mode, boot to recovery and use the Terminal Utility. Then you can remove the .AppleSetupDone file from:
There are many ways to reset the login password without installation media, here are three: Change the password in single user mode
Create a new admin account
Restart and enter Recovery mode (for 10.7 Lion and newer OS only)
Using iCloud Recovery Mode (10.9.x & newer)
bmike♦ 224k78 gold badges396 silver badges862 bronze badges answered Jul 23, 2012 at 9:35
0 I'm sorry to hear about your father. It is possible to reset the admin password to a Mac quite easily providing you have the correct install disc to match the version of the software that is running on the computer. Resetting the password does not delete any of the information on the Mac, but it will prevent you from gaining access to other passwords that are saved in the system for things like mail accounts or wifi keys that have previously been entered and saved by the original user. Once you have changed the password you will be prompted to create a new Keychain, which is the name of the place where these other passwords are saved. Once you have admin access you can create or delete accounts. There is a support article on the Apple website with info on how to reset the password here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1274 If you don't have the install disc or need more help, I'd suggest booking an appointment at the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store and they will help you reset it at no charge. answered Jul 22, 2012 at 23:02
hellotherehellothere 5332 silver badges3 bronze badges You must log in to answer this question.Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .How can I delete administrator account without password?Type the command "net user username /delete" and press Enter to delete administrator account without password login or admin rights.
How do I delete administrator account on macbook pro without password?All replies. boot computer and hold the "apple" key and the "s" key.. wait for terminal show.. release keys.. type without the quotes: "/sbin/mount -uaw". press enter.. type without the quotes: "rm /var/db/.applesetupdone.. press enter.. type without the quotes: "reboot". Can you delete the original admin of a Mac?Yes it's safe - you only need one admin account. You can delete all the others, just not the last one. Choose to keep the data or delete the data, but the accounts can all go when you don't need them.
How can I get admin access to a Mac without knowing the current password?Restart and enter Recovery mode (for 10.7 Lion and newer OS only). Hold ⌘ + R on startup.. Open Terminal from the Utilities menu.. Type resetpassword and follow the instructions.. |