Passwords in System Settings rejects password

Question

Corbennick Author

Level 1

32 points

Passwords in System Settings rejects password

When I try to open the "passwords" section in system settings, I get asked for my user login password.

But system settings rejects my password. The password is correct, though, as I tested by restarting the computer.

I need to change the user login password. What do I do?

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 14.8

Posted on Aug 9, 2026 12:03 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

WheelieNick

Level 8

48,697 points

Aug 9, 2026 1:19 AM in response to Corbennick

This mismatch usually happens when your Mac's system keychain or local account cache is out of sync with your actual login password, or a background process is misinterpreting your keyboard layout. You can force a clean password reset using macOS Recovery.

Reset via Recovery Terminal

Shut down your Mac completely and wait 10 seconds.
Turn it on and hold down the power button until you see "Loading startup options".
Click Options, then click Continue.
Go to the top menu bar, select Utilities, and open Terminal.
Type resetpassword as one word and press Return
Follow the on-screen prompts to set a new password, then restart your Mac normally.

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Answer 2

Corbennick Author

Level 1

32 points

Aug 11, 2026 6:43 AM in response to WheelieNick

Great. worked! Thanks a lot.

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