Like any other desktop operating system out there, macOS requires an administrator account to work. An administrator account gives you access to everything, allowing you to make many changes to your device, install software and perform many administrative tasks that the standard user accounts are not allowed to perform on a Mac.
However, things sometimes can go wrong and you fail to log in to your Mac with your admin account. A lot of Mac owners have reported that they cannot log in to their admin user account, preventing them from accessing their personal files and changing the system’s settings.
If you are one of those who have been affected by the issue, don’t worry because we have a couple of solutions for you. Before we begin, note that we are going to show you how to create a new admin account, so you can reset your old password and re-gain access to your Mac.
How to fix unable to log in to Mac user account issue
Make sure you now have a modern version of macOS (macOS Sierra or newer). The below guide won’t work if you have already encrypted your Mac’s drive with FileVault.
Step one: First off, switch off your Mac. Once your Mac shuts down, you now need to boost your Mac into Single User Mode. To do this, hold down the Command + S keys to power on your machine
Step two: Next up, you will see a command prompt on your Mac’s screen. You now need to mount the startup drive by entering the following text into the command prompt: /sbin/mount -uw /. After that, you can proceeding with pressing Enter or Return on your keyboard
Step three: Once your Mac’s drive is mounted, you now can access its files and folders from the command prompt on your Mac. After that, enter the following text into the command prompt: m /var/db/.applesetupdone and then press Enter or Return
Step four: Once you have removed the applesetupdone file, you will then be presented with how to create a new admin account. Enter the following text into the command prompt: Reboot and press Enter or Return key
Step five: Your Mac will restart and then display the Welcome screen. After that, follow the on-screen instructions to create a new admin account.
Step six: Once you are done, log in to your Mac and reset your old password. After that, log back in with your old admin account.
Also read: How to recover forgot restrictions passcode on your iPhone or iPad
Got any issues during the process? Let us know in the comments below.
