macbook air 2013 upgraded to big sur. the administrator left the laptop. how to return it?

macbook air 2013 upgraded to big sur. the administrator left the laptop. how to return it?

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 11.6

Posted on May 10, 2022 7:52 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 12, 2022 6:59 AM

If you can't reset your Mac login password


If you still can't reset your password, erase your Mac

If no other solution is successful, you have the option to reset your password by erasing your Mac.

  1. Shut down your Mac, then start up from macOS recovery as described previously.
  2. When you're asked to select an admin user you know the password for, choose Erase Mac from the Recovery Assistant menu in the menu bar.
  3. From the Erase Mac window, click Erase Mac, then click Erase Mac to confirm. 
  4. If your Mac restarts to a flashing question mark, press and hold the power button for a few seconds until your Mac turns off.
  5. Start up from macOS Recovery again, then reinstall macOS. For details, see How to reinstall macOS

If you can't reinstall macOS because the installer doesn't see a hard disk on which to install, you might need to change the format of the disk:

  1. Press Command (⌘)-Q to quit the installer.
  2. When you see the utilities window, select Disk Utility, then click Continue.
  3. Select the first item listed in the sidebar of the Disk Utility window. This is your built-in hard disk.
  4. Click the Erase button or tab on the right side of the window, then enter these details:
    • Name: Macintosh HD
    • Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
    • Scheme (if shown): GUID Partition Map
  1. Click Erase, then click Erase to confirm.
  2. When the erase is complete, press Command-Q to quit Disk Utility and return to the utilities window. You should now be able to reinstall macOS successfully.



3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

May 12, 2022 6:59 AM in response to Acccechka

If you can't reset your Mac login password


If you still can't reset your password, erase your Mac

If no other solution is successful, you have the option to reset your password by erasing your Mac.

  1. Shut down your Mac, then start up from macOS recovery as described previously.
  2. When you're asked to select an admin user you know the password for, choose Erase Mac from the Recovery Assistant menu in the menu bar.
  3. From the Erase Mac window, click Erase Mac, then click Erase Mac to confirm. 
  4. If your Mac restarts to a flashing question mark, press and hold the power button for a few seconds until your Mac turns off.
  5. Start up from macOS Recovery again, then reinstall macOS. For details, see How to reinstall macOS

If you can't reinstall macOS because the installer doesn't see a hard disk on which to install, you might need to change the format of the disk:

  1. Press Command (⌘)-Q to quit the installer.
  2. When you see the utilities window, select Disk Utility, then click Continue.
  3. Select the first item listed in the sidebar of the Disk Utility window. This is your built-in hard disk.
  4. Click the Erase button or tab on the right side of the window, then enter these details:
    • Name: Macintosh HD
    • Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
    • Scheme (if shown): GUID Partition Map
  1. Click Erase, then click Erase to confirm.
  2. When the erase is complete, press Command-Q to quit Disk Utility and return to the utilities window. You should now be able to reinstall macOS successfully.



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macbook air 2013 upgraded to big sur. the administrator left the laptop. how to return it?

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