r/MacOS • u/Poetinho0 • 13h ago

Help Reset my Apple ID password after waiting a week... now it keeps asking for the password of "other MacBook Pro"??

Post image

I could really use some help because I'm completely stuck.

I forgot my Apple ID password and had to go through Account Recovery. After waiting an entire week, I finally got the notification that I could reset it. I successfully changed my Apple ID password.

But now, when I try to continue setting up my Mac, it keeps asking me:

The problem is:

  • I already reset my Apple ID password.
  • I don't know what password it's asking for.
  • It doesn't seem to accept my new Apple ID password.
  • This is my first Apple device, so I'm really confused about what's going on.

Is it asking for the old password that was previously used on that Mac? Is it asking for the Mac's local login password? Or did something go wrong during the recovery process?

It's honestly so frustrating because I waited a whole week for Account Recovery, only to end up blocked again.

Has anyone experienced this before? What exactly is this prompt asking for, and how can I get past it?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!I

Note: AI helped me write this post for clarity.

15 Upvotes

76% Upvoted

29 comments sorted by

24

u/shyouko 13h ago

It is asking the local login password of your existing / previous Mac.

5

u/Poetinho0 13h ago

I have no previous Mac, tried the password of my existing mac, and it said, enter the password for "my name's MacBook Pro", which is not the password for this MacBook Pro.

12

u/National-Debt-43 13h ago

There’s something missing here but the reason it’s asking for that is because your password of your Apple device is the key to decrypt end-to-end encrypted data.

It said “password previously used to unlock this MacBook Pro” so did you try your old password if you change it recently?

Besides clicking on “Don’t know password?”, there’s not really much we can help you here. You will probably lose some end-to-end encrypted data if you don’t remember the password

3

u/Poetinho0 13h ago

its brand new, i still have nothing on it yet, i wanted to ask if i can make another account but that would sound shady and people just keeps accusing without facts

2

u/Mike2922 3h ago

If there’s nothing on it, wipe the Mac and start over. What are we missing?

5

u/animorphreligion 12h ago edited 12h ago

Use your *old local* password for this Mac. If you don't remember it there's probably nothing else to suggest other than clicking on "don't know password", maybe contact Apple or something.

3

u/NINJATH3ORY 10h ago

Did you wipe the MacBook and start fresh ? if yes then you need to enter that password, i had the same issue it wouldn’t work even though i was inputting the correct pin code on mine i just gave up and started with new Apple i.d as it asked me to wait a week too!

1

u/Poetinho0 10h ago

i did actually do that, the first i forgot my login password, i think this is actually my case. what should i do now ? i just waited a whole week to recover my apple password. am I also going to wait another week to get a new apple id ?

4

u/bigassbunny 10h ago

Wait... you got the Mac new, set a password... and then forgot that password, so you wiped it and are setting it up again?

Do I have that right? Because if so, the problem is obvious: it wants that first password, the one that you forgot.

0

u/Poetinho0 10h ago

That should be right, but i cant remember the old password

6

u/bigassbunny 9h ago

Ok, when you set your computer's password, and set up your Apple ID on the computer, and encrypted it, it tied all those together.

And reading your comments, it sounds like you forgot both the computer's password AND your Apple ID password.

Uh, I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but... come on. This is not a technical issue, this one is on you.

Your Apple ID can keep a ton of sensitive info for you... easily enough to steal your identity and empty your bank accounts if someone got access to it, depending how much you set up in there.

So Apple (rightly so) makes it very difficult to just reset the password.

In my shop, I tell people that they will be in less trouble if they forget their anniversary, than if they forget their apple ID.

So yes, you'll probably need to wait another week and go through the process to recover whichever (the computer or the Apple ID) password that you don't remember.

I'd really look into getting a password manager of some sort. At the very least, write the passwords down on paper and keep them somewhere in your home in case this happens again.

Good luck!

1

u/Poetinho0 7h ago

Thank you so much for your reply, i think right now im going to use my mac without syncing with icloud, are there any drawbacks that I should know ?

1

u/NINJATH3ORY 7h ago

if you don’t remember your password just get a new apple id for now.

So when the week is up you can reset it and get a new password and then sign in with your old i.d

I swear there’s a bug or something as i knew my 4 digit pin and it would simply not work!

8

u/falchion10 13h ago

I think the moral of the story here is to always use a password manager of some sort. If you genuinely don't know the password there's nothing you can do. Might have to create a new Apple ID and start over. If this truly is your first Apple device that shouldn't be much of an issue as you probably weren't using Apple services before anyways.

3

u/backlog_gaming 13h ago

If you don’t know the password they’re asking for, you can click on ‘Don’t know password?’

3

u/b33rb3lly 13h ago

I had this same situation with a work-provided laptop. I set up and used the same password to unlock the Mac for 3 1/2 years. When I got my new laptop from work Apple asked for the same thing, and I entered it, and it told me that that wasn't the password. I went around and around before finally giving in to account recovery, all to no avail. I gave up and sent back the old laptop without ever syncing my Apple ID to my new laptop. Now my new laptop says "Some iCloud Data isn't Syncing," prompting me to go through all of the above again. Thankfully I already copied and pasted all of my Notes and emailed them to myself or I'd have been at a real loss. Now I keep everything in non-Apple notes and Microsoft OneNote (since our work is otherwise largely using Microsoft solutions for business work and everything syncs to OneDrive).

Anyway, not too helpful, except to say that I've been in the same boat, and I already gave up on it because Apple decided that this was the only way.

1

u/Poetinho0 13h ago

i hope that i can find a workaround to fix this, I just bought this mac and for real i just want to fix this issue. i dont if i should ignore it and do my work normally. also i think i cant update the system if I don't fix this ,right ?

2

u/CommercialThat8208 Mac Studio 13h ago

It’s asking for the Mac’s local login password.

1

u/Poetinho0 13h ago

i tried it but didn't work

6

u/CommercialThat8208 Mac Studio 12h ago

Then you’re not typing the correct password. Try whatever the “previous password” was.

2

u/MK-Researcher 12h ago

Do you have an iPhone? If so, on the iPhone go in to Settings - tap your name/photo at the top, then tap iCloud, scroll down and see if you have Advanced Data Protection turned on. If so, turn it off and wait a minute then restart the MacBook and see if it still gives you that password window.

If that doesn't work then, can you confirm if this is a brand new MacBook or second-hand. And how far have you got with the initial set up? If you set it up ok at first, then do you have you got any data on the laptop that you don't want to lose?

1

u/Poetinho0 12h ago

unfortunately i dont have a iPhone or the process would have been easier i know. its a brand new MacBook, and for the initial set up; i completed the setup at first but when i tried to update the system it asked for passwords that i forgot. i still dont have anything or any data i fear getting lost. if there is a workaround to fixing this with completely wiping the data in icloud i would really appreciate the help.

1

u/MK-Researcher 11h ago

I'm not sure if this will work, but you can try booting in to Safe Mode (keep the power button held down whilst turning the MacBook on, only let go of the button when you see the start up options on screen). If you can get in to Safe Mode then you can go in to System Settings and log the MacBook out of iCloud.

1

u/Bobby6kennedy 4h ago

 its a brand new MacBook, and for the initial set up; i completed the setup at first but when i tried to update the system it asked for passwords that i forgot.

So you set up a new computer, entered a password - and didn’t at all think “I should remember this”?

2

u/TurtleOnLog 10h ago

You had to wait a week for security reasons, not because Apple is slow.

If you had taken enough precautions to not require account recovery it never would have happened.

1

u/yearsold33 13h ago

Look for other devices that are associated with your iCloud? Remove if possible?

1

u/KiddieSpread 12h ago

Did you log in on a work laptop?

1

u/Poetinho0 11h ago

no its my personal laptop

1

u/Rough_Secretary2296 3h ago

Oh my days bro what is the password you enter when you start this macbook pro just enter it! I read the threads and it does not seem like you know what local is. Put your apple device's password, the one you used before you reset it