mark121
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Q: I can't log in to my iMac. What is the key or keys I hold down to get utilities. I have anew IMAC 12 gigs of mem, I T hard drive. Since I can't start it that's as much unfollow i can give

MY iMac will not allow me to enter my passcode. It's a 27 in iMac with 12 gigs of ram. I tried a different keyboard , that didn't work as well.  I remember their were keys I was told to hold down when restarting.  Can someone give me those keysi'm supposed to hold down to bring up utiliities

Posted on Jan 22, 2016 6:36 PM

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mark121

Q: I can't log in to my iMac. What is the key or keys I hold down to get utilities. I have anew IMAC 12 gigs of mem, I T hard drive. ... more

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  • by judysings,

    judysings judysings Jan 24, 2016 6:40 AM in response to mark121
    Community Specialists
    Jan 24, 2016 6:40 AM in response to mark121

    Hi mark121,

     

    If your login password is not working when you turn on your Mac, try the following steps:

    Change or reset a user account password on your Mac

     

    If you don't know your password

    If you don't remember your current user account password, try a blank password at the login window to see if it logs you in or gives you a hint. You can also use an administrator account you have a password for, or try the Password Recovery Assistant to change or reset a user account password.

    Get a password hint

    If you forgot your user account password, start up your Mac and try to log in. If you don't remember your password, leave the field blank and press Return. If your password is blank, this logs you in. If your password isn't blank and you previously set up a hint, the hint button (?) appears. Press the hint button in the password field to see your hint.

    If you remember your password based on this hint, try to log in with it.

     

    Try the Password Recovery Assistant

    You can restart your Mac to use the Password Recovery Assistant. Use these steps to open the assistant:

    1. Wait a few moments at the login screen without typing your password. A prompt should appear telling you that you can turn your Mac off and back on again to recover your password.
    2. Press and hold the power button for three seconds to turn your Mac off.
    3. Press the power button normally to turn your Mac on. 

    When the Reset Password window appears, follow the onscreen prompts to get help logging in.

    Get more help

    If you're not able to change or reset a user account password on your Mac, contact Apple Support for more help.

     

    OS X: About OS X Recovery

    OS X Lion and later include OS X Recovery. This feature includes all of the tools you need to reinstall OS X, repair your disk, and even restore from a Time Machine backup.

    Recovery System

    OS X Recovery includes a built in set of utilities as part of the Recovery System. You can use OS X Recovery to do the following:

    • Restore your Mac from a Time Machine backup.
    • Verify and repair connected drives using Disk Utility.
    • Check your Internet connection or get help online using Safari.
    • Install or reinstall OS X.

    To start your computer from Recovery, restart your Mac and hold down the Command and R keys at startup.

    Hold these keys until the Apple logo appears. After your computer finishes starting up, you should see a desktop with an OS X menu bar and an OS X Utilities window with the options listed above. If you see a login window or your own desktop instead of the Utilities window, it's possible that you didn't press Command-R early enough. Restart your computer and try again.

    Choose the option you want to use from the Utilities window or the Utilities menu.

    Take care,