Cannot reset password and stuck on login screen

Question

Level 1

8 points

Cannot reset password and stuck on login screen

I can't login to my desktop. I powered on my computer and got stuck on other user with blank username and password. I can't even select my account user account it's stuck on other user. I tried to put in my username and password which doesn't work. I attempted to reset the password in single user-mode but could not create an account. I attempted to reset the password in recovery mode but there were no users available. I checked to verify the drive was working correctly through disc utility and completed a first aid with no issues and also verified that my user profile was there. I also tried to reinstall Mac OS X Mojave and I ended in the same login screen. I'm stuck at this point, so I'm reaching out to the community in hope for a solution. Thanks!

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Sep 23, 2019 11:51 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

HWTech

Level 9

56,498 points

Sep 23, 2019 1:42 PM in response to Citruzz

Boot into Single User Mode. Run fsck and mount the volume read+write.

fsck  -fy
mount  -uw  /

Now use the following command to force macOS to run Setup Assistant next time you boot the computer:

rm  -i  /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
reboot

When you reboot, you should be presented with Setup Assistant where you can create a new admin user account. Once you finish setup, log out and see if you can now log into your main user account.

It seems macOS has a bug where only the first (n - 1) users are displayed on the login screen. By creating another user account, you should now be able to see your main account on the login screen. However, you will not be able to see the new admin account. You will need to keep this second account until Apple fixes this bug.

Reply

Answer 2

HWTech

Level 9

56,498 points

Sep 23, 2019 6:39 PM in response to Citruzz

The only difference is my command prompts the user to confirm they want to delete the file. It is a bit safer since it makes you stop and think. The "rm" command can be quite dangerous and will permanently delete everything if you mistype something.

Thanks for confirming this worked for you.

Reply