Can't update my MacBook after entering my password

Why your Mac won’t update after you enter your password — and how you fix it

When your Mac asks for your password during an update and then refuses to move on, it usually comes down to a few simple things.

1. Your Mac isn’t reading your password properly

This happens more often than you’d think.

• The keyboard layout might have switched
• 
  
• 
  
• Caps Lock might be on
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• 
  
• The system might just be glitching
• 
  

Quick check:

Click the password box → type your password into the username field so you can see what’s being typed.

If it looks wrong, change the keyboard layout from the top‑right corner of the screen.

2. The update process got stuck

Sometimes macOS just bugs out during an update and stops recognising your password even though it’s correct.

A restart or Safe Mode usually clears this.

3. Restart or use Safe Mode

Restart:

• Hold the power button until the Mac shuts off
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• 
  
• Turn it back on
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• 
  
• Try the update again
• 
  

Safe Mode:

Safe Mode strips everything down to the basics so the update can run without interference.

Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3):

1. Turn off your Mac
2. 
   
3. 
   
4. Hold the power button until “Loading startup options” appears
5. 
   
6. 
   
7. Pick your disk
8. 
   
9. 
   
10. Hold Shift → click Continue in Safe Mode
11. 
    

Intel:

1. Turn off your Mac
2. 
   
3. 
   
4. Turn it on and immediately hold Shift
5. 
   
6. 
   
7. Log in
8. 
   
9. 
   
10. Try the update again
11. 
    

4. Reset your password in Recovery Mode

This doesn’t delete anything — it just reconnects your account to the system so the update can continue.

Apple Silicon:

1. Turn off your Mac
2. 
   
3. 
   
4. Hold the power button until Options appears
5. 
   
6. 
   
7. Go to Options → Continue
8. 
   
9. 
   
10. Choose Forgot all passwords?
11. 
    
12. 
    
13. Reset it
14. 
    

Intel:

1. Turn off your Mac
2. 
   
3. 
   
4. Turn it on while holding Command + R
5. 
   
6. 
   
7. Go to Utilities → Terminal
8. 
   
9. 
   
10. Type:
11. 
    
12. 
    
13. resetpassword
14. Reset it
15. 
    

After this, the update usually works straight away.

5. If nothing else works

The update installer might be corrupted.

The fix is simple:

• Restart in Recovery Mode
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• 
  
• Choose Reinstall macOS
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This keeps all your files and apps — it just refreshes the system

sillydolphin24 wrote:

Why can I not update my laptop after entering my password?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Updating laptop

You need to provide some more details such as the exact model of your Mac and version of macOS on it. You can get this information by clicking the Apple menu & selecting "About This Mac".

What update are you trying to install?

What happens when you enter your password?

You may also want to review the following article as it contains some tips for asking for assistance online:

Writing an effective Apple Support Communities questioin - Apple Community

Thank you Lamooth. I use MacBook 2023 (Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3)) and followed your instruction to have the login and update issue solved. My appreciation of your kind help. / Odenche.