Replacing Hard Drive on 2020 iMac Apple ID Question

Question

Level 1

4 points

Replacing Hard Drive on 2020 iMac Apple ID Question

I run PC workstations with legacy custom editing software, similar to the old Avid system.

I bought a 2020 iMac with 128gb memory and the largest SSD they had available at the time to use for those rare jobs the AD wanted to edit on a Mac live in our studio.

I have not turned the iMac off for five years and I have no other Mac products.

Of course, the iMac drive crashed and I do not know the Apple ID password. I have the Apple ID, but I have not used the password in five years.

If I install a new NVME or SSD will I still need the old Apple ID password? Is it written to the hardware?

And before you all assume it was stolen or bought from a flea market, I do have proof of purchase, and I know I can get it unlocked at an Apple Store, but there is not an Apple Store within 60 miles of my location. I want to order an NVME, pull the screen and replace the drive. I know it's not recommended, but I've done it before with no issues.

Thanks.

iMac (2017 – 2020)

Posted on Sep 4, 2025 10:12 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Servant of Cats

Level 8

35,303 points

Sep 4, 2025 11:22 PM in response to GiorgioMax

The Internal SSD on that 2020 iMac is not replaceable. The flash chips are soldered directly to the motherboard. There are also no SATA headers or circuit board SSD stick slots for attaching additional internal storage.

On top of that, this machine has a T2 security chip, so if the internal SSD is completely dead, I don’t know if you could even boot off an external drive. There may be security policy settings that reside on a reserved section of the internal SSD.

Reply

Answer 2

Urquhart1244

Level 10

146,316 points

Sep 5, 2025 12:01 AM in response to GiorgioMax

I have not turned the iMac off for five years

That is odd. System software updates require restarts.

2020 iMac

Last of the Intel chips.

the largest SSD they had available at the time

By default, these models had a 512 GB SSD (256 for the i5). It could be upgraded at ordering time (i.e. before assembly) to a 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB, or 8 TB SSD through configure-to-order (CTO).

… the iMac drive crashed and I do not know the Apple ID password. I have the Apple ID, but I have not used the password in five years.

Macs have user login credentials, separate from the Apple Account (Apple ID). [The Apple Account may be needed in case of forgotten login credentials.] The Mac user login credentials will be local to that Mac (i.e. stored somewhere secure; I believe in Keychain on disk). The Apple Account that was used to register the Mac and also used for select Apple services like iCloud, is stored on Apple servers and in Keychain.

If you forgot your Mac login password - Apple Support

If you forgot your Apple Account password - Apple Support

I want to order an NVME, pull the screen and replace the drive. I know it's not recommended, but I've done it before with no issues.

It was different for iMac models from 2019 and earlier. For the 2020 and later models, the storage chip is soldered onto the motherboard, and officially not upgradable. Any DIY modification is unsupported and probably outside the scope of this forum. Respectable upgrade resellers like OWC have no internal storage products for a 2020 iMac.

… the iMac drive crashed

Why do you think it is the disk that crashed?

If the disk wasn’t functional anymore, the Mac wouldn’t be able to run, but other factors could have the same effect.

Reply