The user account that was created when your Mac was initially set up is also the computer's administrator account. You need the administrator name and password to complete some tasks such as installing software. For security purposes, we suggest that you change your passwords regularly.
There is a slight difference in the instructions between operating system versions. If you are not sure which version of the operating system your computer is running, go to your APPLE MENU and select ABOUT THIS MAC. In the About This Mac window, the version number is listed just below MAC OS X.
Go to your APPLE menu, and select SYSTEM PREFERENCES. The SYSTEM PREFERENCES pane opens.
In your SYSTEM PREFERENCES pane, under the SYSTEM section, click once on ACCOUNTS.
The ACCOUNTS pane appears.
In the bottom left portion of the ACCOUNTS pane, click once on the PADLOCK icon.
The AUTHENTICATE window appears. Type your administrator name and password into the appropriate box, and then click once on the OK button.
Next, in the ACCOUNTS pane, click once on the CHANGE PASSWORD button.
The PASSWORD CHANGE pane appears.
In the OLD PASSWORD: edit box, type your current password.
In the NEW PASSWORD: and VERIFY: edit boxes, type your new password. These two entries must be identical.
When you are finished, click once on the CHANGE PASSWORD button.
At this point, Keychain may pop up a notification regarding the Keychain login password. If it does, click once on the OK button. If you use Keychain, you may need to launch Keychain and change the login password. If you do not use Keychain, or do not even know what it is, you can safely ignore the notification.
To close the ACCOUNTS pane, click once on the CLOSE button.
Your admin password has now been successfully changed. Be sure to use the new password the next time your are asked.
Go to your APPLE menu, and select SYSTEM PREFERENCES. The SYSTEM PREFERENCES pane opens.
In your SYSTEM PREFERENCES pane, under the SYSTEM section, click once on ACCOUNTS.
The ACCOUNTS pane appears.
Place your cursor in the PASSWORD: edit box, and press any key. The Accounts authenticate pane appears.
In the CURRENT PASSWORD: edit box, type your existing password and then click once on the OK button.
In the PASSWORD and VERIFY edit boxes, type your new password. These two entries must be identical.
When you are finished, click once on the CLOSE button.
At this point, Keychain may pop up a notification regarding the Keychain login password. If it does, click once on the OK button. If you use Keychain, you may need to launch Keychain and change the login password. If you do not use Keychain, or do not even know what it is, you can safely ignore the notification.
To close the ACCOUNTS pane, click once on the CLOSE button.
Your admin password has now been successfully changed. Be sure to use the new password the next time your are asked.
Go to your APPLE menu, and select SYSTEM PREFERENCES. The SYSTEM PREFERENCES pane opens.
In your SYSTEM PREFERENCES pane, under the PERSONAL section, click once on MY ACCOUNT.
The MY ACCOUNT pane appears. Click once on the CHANGE... button.
The My Account authentication pane appears.
In the CURRENT PASSWORD: edit box, type your existing password.
In the NEW PASSWORD: and VERIFY: edit boxes, type your new password. These two entries must be identical.
When you are finished, click once on the OK button
At this point, the system notifies you that your Keychain password will be changed to the new password as well. Click once on the OK button. If you do not use Keychain, or do not even know what it is, you can safely ignore the notification.
To close the MY ACCOUNT pane, click once on the CLOSE button.
Your admin password has now been successfully changed. Be sure to use the new password the next time your are asked.
Written by Teresa Hagan
If you have any questions regarding your password or this documentation, please send your queries to the Help Desk: