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How to reset password on a1342 I bought used

How can I reset the admin password on my Mac a1342 I bought used? I believe these macs came from an old school and was sold to me but it keeps asking for a password is there a generic password for these computers?

MacBook, macOS 10.13

Posted on Apr 5, 2021 8:16 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 5, 2021 10:46 PM

Those Macs were not properly prepared for resale since the previous owner should have performed all the steps in this Apple article:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201065


You should perform steps 3, 5, and 7. By performing a clean install of macOS by first erasing the whole physical drive you will be making sure the file system and macOS are clean with no nasty surprises waiting for you. Plus doing this will allow you to make sure there is no firmware password enabled and you may be able to detect whether the laptop is still being managed by a school or business since many times you will see a notice as you setup the new OS for the first time (or you may notice a notification pop-up a while after the install suggesting the Mac may still be managed or you may see unknown apps installed on the Mac or issues configuring some settings as the laptop may be restricted by the school's management system. If the laptop has a firmware password enabled, then you need to return the laptop immediately for your money back since there is no way for you to remove that firmware lock.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204455

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Apr 5, 2021 10:46 PM in response to Eshirk

Those Macs were not properly prepared for resale since the previous owner should have performed all the steps in this Apple article:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201065


You should perform steps 3, 5, and 7. By performing a clean install of macOS by first erasing the whole physical drive you will be making sure the file system and macOS are clean with no nasty surprises waiting for you. Plus doing this will allow you to make sure there is no firmware password enabled and you may be able to detect whether the laptop is still being managed by a school or business since many times you will see a notice as you setup the new OS for the first time (or you may notice a notification pop-up a while after the install suggesting the Mac may still be managed or you may see unknown apps installed on the Mac or issues configuring some settings as the laptop may be restricted by the school's management system. If the laptop has a firmware password enabled, then you need to return the laptop immediately for your money back since there is no way for you to remove that firmware lock.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204455

How to reset password on a1342 I bought used

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