Resetting Keychain Password

Issue/Question

I do not know the password associated with my Keychain Access. How do I reset this?

Environment

  • macOS

Cause

If you are unable to log in with the old Keychain password, you must reset your keychain manually. Any information saved to your previous Keychain will become inaccessible.

Resolution

  1. Open Keychain Access from Applications > Utilities, or Spotlight Search.
  2. From the Keychain Access menu, choose Preferences.
  3. On the General tab, select Reset My Default Keychain.
  4. Enter your current logon password and click OK.
    Note: Unless you are using a local account, this should be your NetID password. Forgot NetID or Password?
  5. Restart your computer.
  6. Upon logging back in to your computer, your logon password and Keychain password match again.
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Related Articles (2)

Instructions for what to do when Keychain Access consistently freezes/crashes, or if apps persistently prompt to access the keychain.
Instructions on how to update your NetID password in Keychain.