Mac won't accept correct password

[biedermanjacob]

Hi helpers
I have problem in my mac. i cant login to my mac. it says my password its wrong but its right 100%
even Command + R dosent work and Command + S

i dont know what to do
I have Macbook Pro 2014

 

[tyc0746]

Maybe there's something wrong with your keyboard. Do you have an external keyboard you can try?

 

[adrianlondon]

Try pressing the caps-lock key and type the password as usual.

I've found that cleaning the keyboard at the "wrong" time somehow activates the caps-lock without the light showing, and pressing it again turns on the light but de-activates caps-lock. After you log in, it sorts itself out.

 

[biedermanjacob]

I tried a new keyboard same problem. And my Keyboard still work well. before I had that problem. I was watching youtube then the computer stopped working. I turn it off and turn it on then i cant login

 

[biedermanjacob]

I tried restart mac and type Command-Option-Shift-R it to access to Utility Menu but dosen't run it back to login page and when i write the password dosen't login. i was thinking is that keyboard problem or caps locks. i tried wireless keyboard and dosen't login too





and before i had this problem for one time and turn off mac for a night and turn on again its works well for 2 hours and then screen stopped working. and then never login to mac again



I want access to my mac because have files on it. i just tried the recovery mode to browse Safari to talk you with you guys

 

[andershusa]

I am having the exact same problem on my Macbook after the OS update. None of the usual recovery tricks works. Command S, R, T...

 

[Taz Mangus]

Can you boot into diagnostic mode (restart while pressing D-key). Maybe run diagnostics to make sure there isn't a hardware issue.

Also, try reseting SMC and PRAM.

Reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support

The SMC is responsible for managing power on your Mac. Resetting it can resolve certain uncommon issues related to power or thermal management.

support.apple.com

Reset NVRAM on your Mac - Apple Support

If one or more settings stored in NVRAM don't work as expected on an Intel-based Mac, resetting NVRAM might help.

support.apple.com

If all else fails, take the SSD out of the computer and put it into a enclosure, plug it into another Mac and access the SSD as root user on the other Mac computer. That will give you access to all the files on the SSD.

 

[andershusa]

Apple Support tells me that my Mac somehow has activated Filevault and that there’s no way to access the files without knowing the password, which I know, but which it won’t accept... I’m being told that deleting the Mac is the only option and that it is unlikely that I can restore the TimeMachine backup without being asked to type in the same password (which it now won’t accept).

 

[tyc0746]

So wipe it, and restore from a recent backup...you do have a recent backup don't you?

 

[laz232]

Hi helpers
I have problem in my mac. i cant login to my mac. it says my password its wrong but its right 100%
even Command + R dosent work and Command + S

i dont know what to do
I have Macbook Pro 2014

It may be Keyboard Locale related!

Sometimes the Macbooks forget the keyboard region and defaults back to US

In that case you have to figure out (use the internet) to see which keys on your actual keyboard correspond to the USA keys and type in the password as if you were on a US keyboard.

You can check the actual keys by typing the password in the login name field (i.e. not obfuscated)

This has happened to me often after a reset of the Mac / Cmd - R recovery login

Other thing to check:
Updated to Catalina from Mojave yesterday and the Capslock state was inverted: i.e. I had to type my password with the Capslock light showing it was ON
Great bug checking Apple - keep making those watchbands /s!

Hope that helps!

 

[Cristim74]

Did you solve this in any way? I'm having the same issue after trying to update to 11.2.1 from 11.2.
After rebooting my computer won't accept my password. I can't enter recovery mode either. What to do other than deleting the mac and starting from scratch?

 

[Pezzy669]

Cristim - my MacBook doing same exact thing after upgrade to 11.2. Reset of either password or both passwords not working. Saying they were reset but once I reboot and attempt it didn’t take.

 

[goldbuild]

I updated from 11.2 to 11.2.1 this morning and can no longer logon (Brilliant!). Looks to be the same issue at Cristim74 and Pezzt669. Now caught in a loop resetting password which doesn't work either. Grateful for any assistance in resolving this issue.

 

[goldbuild]

Cristim - my MacBook doing same exact thing after upgrade to 11.2. Reset of either password or both passwords not working. Saying they were reset but once I reboot and attempt it didn’t take.

Have you had any success in resolving this problem? thanks

 

[Pezzy669]

Have you had any success in resolving this problem? thanks

No dice - tried to wipe and restore factory fresh (4x) and now stuck on with error code of 1008F. Taking it to a repair shop today to see if they can at least get it going again. Genius bars appear to not be open or at least have no appointments in the near future.

 

[Cristim74]

I updated from 11.2 to 11.2.1 this morning and can no longer logon (Brilliant!). Looks to be the same issue at Cristim74 and Pezzt669. Now caught in a loop resetting password which doesn't work either. Grateful for any assistance in resolving this issue.

I can reset the password; I actually did so successfully twice, but it won't accept the changed password either. From what I've seen on other threads the problem seams to be not the password but the lost account permission. I also tried the Reinstall Big Sur menu option from the Recovery Mode. It asks for internet access; I connect it to my wifi network; then asks to unlock the drive; and it strangely does so accepting my password and then I get an error message saying "can't downgrade". WTF??? Who asked to downgrade?

So I can't get back access to my system and can't reinstall Big Sur either! What to do now?

 

[goldbuild]

I can reset the password; I actually did so successfully twice, but it won't accept the changed password either. From what I've seen on other threads the problem seams to be not the password but the lost account permission. I also tried the Reinstall Big Sur menu option from the Recovery Mode. It asks for internet access; I connect it to my wifi network; then asks to unlock the drive; and it strangely does so accepting my password and then I get an error message saying "can't downgrade". WTF??? Who asked to downgrade?

So I can't get back access to my system and can't reinstall Big Sur either! What to do now?

Cristim74.
Thanks for the update. Seem we have the same issue. Things were working fine before this release. I can successfully change the password, but still can't logon. I do have a time machine backup but can't get into a state where I'm able to use it. Fortunately, I have an old MacBook air so I'm able to carry on with my work albeit at a much slower pace. I'll continue searching for a solution. oh happy days

 

[Cristim74]

Same here, I have a couple of windows machines I can work on until I find a solution for the Mac.

I don't use Time Machine backups; all my data is on Dropbox and periodically synced to iCloud.
That's how I can continue to work now.

 

[lythimus]

I'm having the same issue with my 2018? MacBook Pro. I had FileVault enabled. Recovery Mode is rejecting my password and booting into normal or safe mode causes a restart after 1/8 progress, so no way to reset the password. The started with the 40% install lag of Big Sur install. Then I reset NVRAM and it stopped trying to install, but still wouldn't boot. I did an SMC reset next, no luck. Then tried Recovery mode which rejected the password. Single user mode won't seem to properly mount the drive in order to fsck it. I haven't tried mounting the drive through a USB-C cord to another machine because I don't have another MacBook around but may try with a Windows machine.

I haven't tried clearing the drive because I'd hate to lose my work environment, but that may be the next step. Please update this thread if you find a solution. I'll do the same

 

[Apple_Robert]

I can reset the password; I actually did so successfully twice, but it won't accept the changed password either. From what I've seen on other threads the problem seams to be not the password but the lost account permission. I also tried the Reinstall Big Sur menu option from the Recovery Mode. It asks for internet access; I connect it to my wifi network; then asks to unlock the drive; and it strangely does so accepting my password and then I get an error message saying "can't downgrade". WTF??? Who asked to downgrade?

So I can't get back access to my system and can't reinstall Big Sur either! What to do now?

If I am not mistaken, you got the 'can't downgrade' message because you have 11.2.1 on your Mac and 11.2 is the last full installer available right now.

 

[guckuck]

So, maybe I found the solution. I don't know why, but my Mac changed the input-method from german (standard) to abc. After change the input-method to german (standard) macos accepted my password. You can check this on the top right cornor of the login-screen.

Maybe, in my case, the reason is a new mice (Logi MX 3). macos sometimes think the mouse is a keyboard.

 

[lythimus]

So, maybe I found the solution. I don't know why, but my Mac changed the input-method from german (standard) to abc. After change the input-method to german (standard) macos accepted my password. You can check this on the top right cornor of the login-screen.

Maybe, in my case, the reason is a new mice (Logi MX 3). macos sometimes think the mouse is a keyboard.

No such luck for me, though my standard keyboard is different than QWERTY. I switch between Dvorak and QWERTY, with Dvorak being the default. I tried to switch to Dvorak in recovery mode, but it's still rejecting the password only in recovery mode. I'm still trying to create a recovery boot drive, but have been having trouble with it. I've been booting with no peripherals, (and sometimes nothing) plugged into the MacBook Pro.

 

[SamIchi]

Anyone have any luck with this. I’m on Big Sur 11.2. Woke up this morning to a shut down macbook, I usually keep it on. Went to login but won’t accept the password. Tried changing the pass but it doesn’t help.

 

[lythimus]

Anyone have any luck with this. I’m on Big Sur 11.2. Woke up this morning to a shut down macbook, I usually keep it on. Went to login but won’t accept the password. Tried changing the pass but it doesn’t help.

Unfortunately not. I later discovered I had a copy of my encryption drive key, but not before I reinstalled factory MacOS twice after formatting, after which everything worked fine. I spoke with Mac support for a couple of hours before that point and they weren't able to assist. So it's certainly software-related. The Apple representative seemed unsurprised at the issue and didn't question whether I was really using the correct password.

 

[SamIchi]

Unfortunately not. I later discovered I had a copy of my encryption drive key, but not before I reinstalled factory MacOS twice after formatting, after which everything worked fine. I spoke with Mac support for a couple of hours before that point and they weren't able to assist. So it's certainly software-related. The Apple representative seemed unsurprised at the issue and didn't question whether I was really using the correct password.

Mine got fixed.

After changing the pass via the Apple ID option and through recovery mode, both didn't help so I called Apple support. I told them what I tried and they just told me to reinstall Big Sur via recovery mode, and I was able to Login afterwards. I hope this helps others.