You are reading this article probably because you forgot your Keychain password. If that is the case, we will explain how to reset the Keychain password and get it back to normal.
Now that we live in a digital era, we have plenty of passwords to remember. All the internet-based accounts you maintain have passwords to log in. Your online bank accounts, social media accounts, email accounts, and your iPhone’s password are only to name a few.
As a result of managing multiple online accounts, you will have to remember different passwords as well. This is precisely why people tend to forget their passwords pretty often. Some individuals maintain password managers as well. If you tend to rely on your memory only, forgetting passwords is not a strange situation.
However, user-oriented ecosystems like iOS and macOS offer various features to assure convenience. Keychain is one of those features introduced for Apple users.
If you are an iOS device user, you might already be familiar with the Keychain feature. Keychain is the default password manager for iOS. This feature works on macOS as well. It is to help you remember all the passwords easily.
It links all the devices under a single Apple ID. You can even allow all the logins and passwords to save automatically under Keychain. To access all those credentials (login details and passwords), you must enter one master password.
At a glance, it sounds like a great idea, and in reality, many users find it highly beneficial. On the flip side, what if you also forgot your Keychain password? Do you know how to reset the Keychain password and start accessing it as usual?
Part 1: How to Reset the Keychain Password using the Old Password?
In this part, we intend to address one of the common issues you might encounter. Some users want to change Keychain’s master password due to various reasons. For instance, assume that you have accidentally revealed your master password to someone else.
Well, your Keychain’s password is the key to unlocking all of your accounts, so you should realize the danger. As a security measure, in this case, you should reset the Keychain password immediately without any second thoughts.
If someone gets to know your Keychain’s password, that’s the beginning of a catastrophe.
In addition to that, once in a blue moon, your Mac will ask for your Keychain password. This can happen when your macOS user account’s password doesn’t match the login Keychain’s password. So, the admin of your Mac wants to reset the password.
As long as you know the old password, it is easy to reset it.
Mentioned Below is How to Reset the Keychain Password Using the Old Password.
- 01. As the first step, you should open the app called ‘Keychain Access’ on your device. This can be found under the folder ‘Utilities,’ located under the folder labeled ‘Applications.’
- 02. You will see a list of Keychains on the left side of the window screen. Select the option called ‘Login.’
- 03. You will now see the ‘Edit’ menu (which is located under the menu bar). Choose the option labeled ‘Change Password for Keychain login.’
- 04. Now, you should enter the existing password, and it should be entered in the field called ‘Current Password.’ This is the password you were using all this time until now to log into Keychain.
- 05. Now, type in the new password for the Keychain. This should be done in the field called ‘New Password.’ Be sure to type in your existing password to log into your Mac. You will be using this password from this point onwards until you change it later. Now, you should enter the same password in the field ‘Verify.’
- 06. When the process is completed, you should click ‘OK.’ After that, you can quit the Keychain Access app.
PS: here, you will get to know how to stop iTunes from Opening when iPhone is connected.
Part 2: What Should You Do If You Forget Your Keychain Password?
Suppose that you don’t remember your old Keychain password at all. Even under such instances, you can reset the Mac login password.
We should also mention that there are multiple ways to get it done without any issues.
Before You Go for Advanced Solutions, Here Are a Few Simple Methods.
- Be sure that you have entered the correct uppercase and lowercase characters as the password. Also, check if you have accidentally turned on the Caps Lock option on your keyboard. If it is switched on, it will also be displayed on the password field.
- If you see a question mark in the password field, you should click on it. As a result, you can see a password hint which will recall your memory.
- You also can try to log into the Keychain without using any password. If it works, you are lucky and can add a new password. To do that, you can simply follow the steps mentioned in the previous section.
- You can try to log in using the Apple ID password as well. This is the password you use to log in to iCloud. Use the older password if you have changed the password and the new one doesn’t work. You can use the new password from that point onwards if you succeed.
And if none of the above-mentioned steps doesn’t work for you, you should try the following methods.
01. Use the Apple ID and Reset the Keychain Password
You can use the Apple ID and reset the login password with some macOS versions. When you are directed to the login screen, you should enter a random password.
Keep doing it until you see that you are allowed to reset the password through Apple ID. After the process, you can restart the device and use your new password to log in.
However, if a message is not prompted even after three attempts, this method doesn’t work. It means that your account is not configured to reset using Apple ID.
02. Use Another Admin Account to Reset the Keychain Password
This is another method to try if you forgot your Keychain password. If you have the credentials for a different admin account created on the Mac, that’s a good chance. You can use that account and reset the password.
- First, you should log in using the credentials of the respective admin account.
- Then, go to System Preferences under the Apple menu and click on Users & Groups.
- Now, click on the icon that appears like a padlock. Type the credentials for the admin account once again.
- You will see the list of users now. Just click on your username.
- You can click on the Reset Password option now. Then, follow the onscreen instructions and create a new password for your account.
- Choose the option called ‘Log Out’ under the Apple menu.
- Use the new password and log into the account.
- Make sure to check if a new login Keychain should be created now.
03. Go for a New Login Keychain
After creating a new password and accessing the account, you will notice an alert. This alert will say that your system cannot unlock the login Keychain.
You are facing this issue because there is a discrepancy between the user account password and the login Keychain password. To solve it, you should click the button labeled ‘Create New Keychain.’
If there is no alert, you can simply reset the Keychain manually using the steps mentioned below.
- Launch Keychain Access.
- Choose the option called ‘Preferences’ and click on the button called ‘Reset My Default Keychain.’
- Once the new password is entered, you should see an empty login Keychain without a password. Just click the button labeled ‘OK.’
- If there is no button called ‘Reset My Default Keychain,’ close the window. Then, choose the option called ‘login,’ which is located in the window’s left pane. Hit the Delete key and go to ‘Delete References.’
- Choose the option called ‘Log Out’ using the Apple menu. Then, switch to your login screen.
- Log into the account with the newly created password. Again, you will see a difference between the login Keychain and the account password.
A Bonus Tip if You Forgot Your Keychain Password
In this section, we should mention that there is a unique software called Tenorshare 4uKey – Password Manager. This can be used as a very effective alternative to Apple’s default Keychain feature.
It can effectively find Wi-Fi passwords, email account passwords, and app-related passwords. Moreover, it can even manage Apple ID and your credit card information. You can use it to export your credentials to a different password manager effectively.
The good news is that this software works on both Windows and macOS platforms. In a nutshell, Tenorshare 4uKey – Password Manager is an excellent solution if you are tired of using Keychain.
Get Tenorshare 4uKey – Password Manager
Bottom Line
As of today, we all use a variety of passwords to log into different types of accounts. As a result, we tend to forget some passwords, especially if we don’t use them often. To address this situation, you can use a password manager like Keychain.
This article explained how to reset the Keychain password if you don’t remember it. So, you can use any of the above methods if you forget your Keychain password.
Also, if you are looking for a feature-rich and cross-platform password manager, you can use Tenorshare 4uKay – Password Manager.