Setting an access password to the Mac is the first fundamental step to take to increase the level of security of the same and the data stored in it. By default, when you first set up your Mac, you are required to create a password to protect your account, and then you will be prompted to type it whenever you log in and when you want to unlock your computer.
So if security is your thing, I will show you how to set up your password on your Mac, and later, if you want, check this post about how to remove your login password on Mac.
Set the password for your account.
If you are interested in understanding how to set the password on your Mac, the first fundamental step you need to take is to click on the System Preferences icon (the one with the gear) that you find on the Dock bar. Alternatively, you can access it by clicking on the bitten apple on the bar at the top left of the screen and then on the words System Preferences… from the menu that appears.
In the window that opens, click on Users and Groups, select the word Login Options at the bottom left then locate the Automatic Login menu on the right and select Not active from the menu that you see appear. There we go!
I point out then that if you want you can customize the behavior of the Mac in requesting the password by choosing if and after how long to display the relative input request after the stop or start of the screensaver. To do this, go to the main section of System Preferences (you can do it “on the fly” by clicking on the rectangular button in the upper left part of the window, next to those with arrows) then presses Security and Privacy.
Now, if you want to enable the password entry request after the screen saver stops or appears on your Mac (a function that, I point out, by default is active) select the General tab and check the Require password [selection menu] box after I am or start the screensaver. Then choose from the selection menu attached to the option checked just after how long you want to view the password typing request and it has done.
I also point out that if you want you can disable the automatic login also from the section of the Mac system preferences. To do this, you just must tick the box Disable automatic login and you are done.
Note: If you are unable to perform the above steps because macOS earthquake preferences are blocked, first click on the closed padlock symbol at the bottom left of the on-screen window, type your current password in the appropriate field displayed and then click on the Unlock button. At this point, you should be able to intervene on the system preferences as I have indicated to you.
Change your password.
As anticipated at the beginning, in addition to explaining how to set a password on your Mac I would like to illustrate to you, for completeness of information, also how to change it, in case you need it. To do this, access the System Preferences section of macOS by clicking on its icon (the one with the gear) on the Dock or by clicking first on the bitten apple at the top left and then on the System Preferences item… from the menu that appears.
In the screen that at this point you will see appear on the desktop, click on Security and Privacy, select the General tab, and then presses the Change password button …tags. Then fill out the on-screen form by typing your current password in the Previous password: field, the new password you want to use in the New password: and Verification: fields and a possible suggestion (so that you can remember the chosen password in case of forgetfulness) in the Password hint: field . Then presses the Change password button to complete the procedure.
In addition to as I indicated earlier, I remind you that you can change the password associated with your account on Mac by going to the Users and Groups section of System Preferences, selecting your username from the list on the left and then clicking on the Change password button … that you find on the right.
The steps to be taken at this point are the same as those seen together earlier. You must therefore type the previous password, the new one and a suggestion and you must then click on the Change password button to confirm and make the changes effective.
In both cases, I point out that if you do not know which password to set to access your Mac you can use the appropriate Password Assistant tool included in macOS to generate a sufficiently secure one. To use it, just click on the button with the key next to the new password field: after clicking on the button to change the password and select the type and length of the password. In this way, you will see the relative suggestion and the quality level of the proposed keyword.
Note: If you are unable to perform the above steps because macOS earthquake preferences are blocked, first click on the closed padlock symbol at the bottom left of the on-screen window, type your current password in the appropriate field displayed and then click on the Unlock button. Once this is done, you should be able to intervene on the system preferences as I have indicated to you.
In case of second thoughts
After following the various steps above to be able to set the password on Mac you have thought again and now you would like to enable automatic login again. It is an operation that, for reasons merely related to the security speech, I strongly advise you not to perform but if these are your wishes, I will still show you how to proceed. First, always access System Preferences by clicking on the relevant icon (the one with the gear) that you find on the Dock bar or by clicking on the bitten apple in the upper left part of the screen and then on the words System Preferences …tags.
Now, click on Users and Groups in the window that appeared on the desktop, select the word Login Options at the bottom left, locate the Automatic login menu on the right and select your username from the menu that appears. Then type the password currently set for your account on Mac in the Password: field and click the OK button. Et voila!
In addition to as I have just indicated, you can activate the automatic login thus going to disable the request to enter the password on your Mac by going to the Security and Privacy section and removing the check from the box that you find at the words Disable automatic login in the General tab.
To conclude and to confirm the changes made, type the password currently associated with your user account in the appropriate field attached to the on-screen box that you see appear and click OK to confirm and apply all changes.
Note: If you are unable to perform the above steps because macOS system preferences are locked, first click on the closed padlock symbol at the bottom left of the on-screen window, type your current password in the appropriate field displayed and then click on the Unlock button. You should then be able to intervene on the system preferences as I have indicated to you.
In case of forgotten password
Trying to insert the password of your user account several times in the login screen of the Mac did you see a message indicating that the login data is incorrect? Do not panic! Let us try to cope with it together.
First, I recommend that you try to put the following simple solutions into practice.
- Make sure you type the characters correctly in uppercase or lowercase. If the keyboard has caps lock turned on, the password field shows the Caps Lock symbol, an arrow pointing upwards.
- If the password field shows a question mark, click on it to see the hint that might help you remember your password.
- Try to happen with the Apple ID password you use for iCloud. If you just changed your password and the new password does not work, try the old password first. If it works, you should be able to use your new password later.
If you then follow the steps above and cannot access your user account on Mac, you can try to reset your password using your Apple ID. In some versions of macOS it is possible to use the Apple ID for the scp in question.
To do this, on the login screen, keep entering your password until you see a message that you can reset it using your Apple ID. If the message does not appear after three attempts, your account is not configured to allow reset in this way.
If you see the message appear, click the arrow symbol, and follow the onscreen instructions to enter your Apple ID and create a new password. When the steps are complete, you will be asked to restart your Mac. Then log in with your new password and define whether you need to create a new login keychain.
If multiple administrator user accounts have been created on your Mac and if you know the password to access at least one of them, you can log in and reset the password for your account from there. Once logged in, just access System Preferences > Users & Groups, select your account from the left sidebar, click on the Change password button… and proceed as I indicated in the step of my guide dedicated, in fact, to changing password.
If you think you need more details on the above practices, you can refer to the appropriate information page attached to the section of Apple’s website dedicated to support for its products and operating systems.