Unlocking Your Mac: Using the FileVault Recovery Key When Passwords Fail

If your Mac’s password has been forgotten or is no longer working for any reason, you can use the FileVault Recovery Key to reset the password on your local account.

1. Start your Mac and wait for the Login Screen to appear.
2. Either click the Question Mark to the right of the password field, or enter the wrong password 3 times to see your recovery options.
3. Click on “Restart and show password reset options”.
4. This will restart the Mac and show you the Recovery Assistant Reset Password interface.
5. Enter your FileVault Recovery Key and click on Next.
6. Select your local account and click Next.
7. Follow the prompts to reset the password on your local account.
8. Restart the Mac and use your new password to log in.

You can also boot directly into the Recovery environment of the Mac and reset the password using the FileVault Recovery Key

1. Boot your Mac into Recovery mode.  On most modern Macs, you will want to turn off the Mac, then press and hold the power button until you see the Options button appear.  More information:
   1. Apple Silicon Mac
   2. Intel Mac
2. Click on Options and then on Continue.
3. Click on Forgot all passwords?
4. Enter the FileVault Recovery Key here and click Next.
5. Click on Reset Password.