Locked out of my new Macbook Air M1 2020

It's a piece of crap. Spent a day trying to reinstall/clean and still doesn't work. Trying to return it right now and even that is a mess. It's somehow still linked to my apple id even though I've wiped everything and removed it from my devices.

Bummed with apple on this. I only decided to get this because my 2017 air is unusable after the big sur update.

This might work, but the consequences are unknown (I did not go all the way through deactivating my MacBook Air)

Follow these instructions to boot into Recovery Mode: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904

Once you're in Recovery Mode, choose Terminal from the Utilities menu. At the prompt, enter (without the quotes) "resetpassword". This will start you down the reset path, which includes deactivating your Mac if you don't know the passwords to any configured account. I do not know if this presents a risk to your data.

Before following the above process, I'd spend some effort retrying your password and maybe a couple of typo'd variants (just in case).

It’ll sound strange, but are you sure you are not with different keyboard layout? Same thing happened to me today after I transferred all my data from previous MacBook. And then I realized that instead of my language I’m typing there was ABC option.

and it happened every time after I rebooted device, but you can remove this ABC input.

well and if you really forgot it you have to stay at login screen around 1 minute and then hold power button to shut it down and start again and it will bring you into password recovery

If FileVault is turned on, you might be able to reset your password using the Reset Password assistant:

1. Wait up to a minute at the login screen, until you see a message saying that you can use the power button on your Mac to shut down and start up again in Recovery OS. If you don't see this message, FileVault isn't on.
2. Press and hold the power button until your Mac turns off.
3. Press the power button again to turn on your Mac.
4. When the Reset Password window appears, follow the onscreen instructions to create a new password.
5. If you need to connect to Wi-Fi, move your pointer to the top of the screen and use the Wi-Fi menu  to connect. To exit without resetting your password, choose Apple menu > Restart.

• https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202860

Holding the power button until the message came up and entering recovering mode allowed me to reset my password.

I’ve been using my MacBook Pro M1 everyday for 2 weeks and just this evening it said my login password was incorrect. 100% wasn’t. No Touch ID login option showing either.

Maybe a Big Sur bug?

Also having this same problem with my new MacBook Air 2020. I got it this morning, set my password for the system and it has forgotten it twice.

I used the recovery mode reset successfully, then it forgot the password again a few hours later. Very frustrating.

Are you all sure you are using the same keyboard layout? Since I got mine I have no issues with password just keyboard layout is switching from my default to something else so it seems like “wrong password” because there is difference in input.

In my case it turned out to be an issue with iCloud. For some reason Keychain was turning off on my new computer. When I turned it on, passwords were empty.

After resetting my main password, I signed out of iCloud, then sign back in. When that didn't work I checked my main computer (High Sierra), and, for some reason, Keychain was deselected there as well, though passwords were in Safari.

I had to sign out on that computer (though there was a pop up that said I needed to sign in - which I was), then sign in again. It was very odd. The Keychain box ticked itself, then it unchecked itself, then it checked itself again, without me doing anything.

Maybe 30 seconds later passwords repopulated on my new computer.

Hope this helps somebody.

Thank you for your working suggestion. I just bought a M1 MacBook Air today & my first app to install from the App Store stalled so I decided to do my first reboot & was permanently locked out.

I’m having the same issue with my M1 MacBook Air. I can’t even reset my password via recovery mode - it just doesn’t give me the option for it. I’ve even tried using the terminal and entered “resetpassword”. And for those suggesting to check the keyboard selection, I’ve done that too. Anyone have a solution that’s worked for them?

This also happens to me. Fortunately I have another account (account2) and it worked when I logged into account2 and THEN logged into my regular account. Very weird.

Today, the other account2's password is not working.

I tried to reset the password of account2 using "Users and Groups" and it said "Reset password failed".

I then tried the terminal command line using passwd and it failed. I then tried

sudo passwd account2

New password:

Retype new password:

passwd: Authentication server failed to complete the requested operation.  Authentication server failed to complete the requested operation.

This tricked worked for me on M1...

Press and hold Power/TouchID

Until you see "Keep Holding For Recovery Options"

Select Utilities

Now it will ask you to enter user password and forgot password option.

Just enter your password

It opens up a new type of input box than usual. Put your same password and it should give recovery options.

Restart

Login with the same password and it will get unlocked.

Seems a bug with PRAM

Did you end up figuring this out? I literally bought my Mac today and the first time I tried to log in this happened to me.

Could you please expand on that last bit? If I shut down the system in a specific way at the log in screen then when I turn it on it will bring me to password recorvery?

I figured it out! https://youtu.be/ilnfvkgzVvg