MacOS no admin rights, FileVault ON, Reboot (cmd+S) doesn't work

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MacOS no admin rights, FileVault ON, Reboot (cmd+S) doesn't work

Hi there,

I recently changed the system name and then somehow lost the admin rights. Currently my computer doesn't have a user with admin right. My own user account has "Standard" badge.

I tried the long stated rebooting via Single User system but because FileVault is on, I cannot access it. After restarting and pressing cmd+S, some codes run but then it takes me back to my normal login and desktop where I cannot write the codes to reboot the laptop and create a new admin account.

In addition, I just tried re-installing the MacOS using cmd+R and that also didn't help in acquiring the admin rights.

I would be very grateful if someone could help me because I cannot install or delete some important applications.

MacBook Pro 13″

Posted on Mar 15, 2024 12:07 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

HWTech

Community+ 2026

Level 9

74,418 points

Mar 15, 2024 6:06 PM in response to nurlan_lalaev

Those instructions are outdated due to changes in the drive layout used by macOS 10.15+. Here is an article written by a respected forum contributor which has updated instructions for using Recovery Mode to delete the ".AppleSetupDone" file.

Restarting Setup Assistant to create Admin user - Apple Community

Once you have another admin user account, then you can follow the instructions in the following Apple article to attempt to fix your mistake....make sure to perform every step as directed or it will result in failure:

Change the name of your macOS user account and home folder - Apple Support

If you are running macOS 14.x Sonoma, then it is no longer possible to delete the ".AppleSetupDone" file due to increased security measures. If you are running macOS Sonoma, then the only way to fix things is by first erasing the drive (Intel Mac only, or by deleting the Volume Group) followed by reinstalling macOS & restoring from a backup.

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Answer 2

Mar 15, 2024 12:48 AM in response to nurlan_lalaev

also, running trough the Recovery mode terminal:

rm "/Volumes/Macintosh HD/var/db/.AppleSetupDone"

doesn't help (as suggested here 5 years ago AppleSetupDone - admin account - Apple Community.)

Although that command deletes AppleSetupDone file, doesn't trigger new admin account creation.

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MacOS no admin rights, FileVault ON, Reboot (cmd+S) doesn't work

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