macOS installer won't accept my password

The answer to the question is that the password error prompt may be caused by keyboard layout, case recognition, or installer source. The macOS installation interface uses an American English keyboard by default. The input of non-English keyboards may not match. It is recommended to switch layouts or avoid special characters; the password is case-sensitive, and it is recommended to check the Caps Lock status or try all lowercase; if the installer comes from another Mac, you need to enter the Mac password to make the installer; you can also try to re-download the installer through recovery mode, confirm the administrator account identity, or format the disk with disk tools first.

You entered the correct password, but the macOS installer kept prompting "Password error"? This problem is really a headache. Especially when you reinstall the system or upgrade macOS, this will cause the entire process to be stuck. In fact, this does not necessarily mean that your password is really wrong. Most of the time, some details are not paid attention to, resulting in verification failure.

The keyboard layout may not be what you think

The keyboard layout used by the macOS installation interface is the American English keyboard (QWERTY) by default. Even if you use Chinese or other language input methods in the original system, the installation interface will not automatically inherit this setting.

• If you are used to using non-English keyboards (such as German QWERTZ or Japanese), then the characters you enter may be different from the ones you actually recognize.
• For example, under certain keyboard layouts, the positions of symbols such as "@", "#", "\" are different, and errors are prone to when inputting.

✅Suggested operation:

• Pay attention to whether there is a keyboard icon in the lower right corner of the screen. If so, you can click to switch layout to confirm whether it matches the keyboard you are used to.
• Try to enter in the English mode of your commonly used keyboard, such as typing "@" on the Chinese keyboard, which is actually Shift 2.
• If you are really uncertain, try to use alphanumeric passwords to avoid special characters.

Passwords are case sensitive, don't be fooled by Caps Lock

Although this sounds basic, it is easy to ignore if there is no clear prompt on the installation interface. If your password contains capital letters and Caps Lock is not opened, or if you think it is opened but it is not actually effective, you will enter the wrong form.

✅Suggested operation:

• Check whether the Caps Lock is really turned on before entering (can be judged by the feedback of the light on the external keyboard or the built-in keyboard).
• Try to use all-lowercase passwords to eliminate case interference.
• If you usually log in with Touch ID, you may have not entered your password manually for a long time. Recalling the case situation when you set the password in the original state.

The installer comes from other Macs, and the password is not recognized

If you are using a boot disk made from another Mac to install the system, you may encounter a problem: the installer only recognizes the account information set by its native machine , rather than the login password of your current Mac.

In other words, when you install B Mac using a USB flash drive made by A Mac, the login interface that appears is actually the user account of A Mac, not B Mac.

✅Solution:

• You do not need to enter the password of your current Mac, but enter the administrator account password of the Mac that created the installer.
• If you don't remember that password, you have to create an installer in a different way, such as using "Recovery Mode" to download the official installer directly on this Mac.

Not OK yet? Try these extra steps

If none of the above situations apply, or if you have tried many times but still fail to pass the verification, you can consider the following supplementary solutions:

• ? Use "macOS recovery mode" to re-download the installer instead of relying on an external USB drive:

  • After shutting down, press and hold the power key until you see "Loading boot options"
  • Click "Options" to enter recovery mode
  • Select "Reinstall macOS" in the recovery tool

• ? Make sure you are entering the password of the administrator account , and ordinary user accounts may not be accepted during the installation process.

• ? If it is used to erase the disk and reinstall the system, you can format the disk first in Disk Utility and then install it, so that you don’t need to enter an old password.

Basically, these common reasons and solutions are all there. In many cases, it is not a problem with the password itself, but a misjudgment caused by the environment, keyboard or account type. After the troubleshooting is clear, try again and you will usually pass smoothly.

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