system preferenced unlock

Hi mbc023,

Thanks for coming to Apple Support Communities for help today. It sounds like your user password isn't being accepted to unlock the various panes inside System Preferences.

Have you confirmed the password is correct when rebooting or waking up the computer if it's set up for this?

Have you confirmed you are in the correct account?

Next, you will need to review: Change or reset the password of a macOS user account. If you aren't able to reset the password, you'll need to follow the steps at the end of the article:

"If you still can't log in with your password, contact Apple Support for help."

Have a fantastic day!