Unable to log into iMac after power outage

You might need to reset the password

Restart your Mac

Restart your Mac. (If you see no option to restart, press and hold the power button on your Mac for up to 10 seconds, until your Mac turns off. Then turn it on again.)

Every Mac has a power button. On laptop computers that have Touch ID, press and hold the Touch ID button.

Enter the password of your Mac user account

When your Mac starts up and shows the login window, enter the password that you use to log in to your Mac user account. (This is your login password, not the password of your Apple Account.)

• Use the correct uppercase or lowercase characters in your password. If your keyboard has Caps Lock turned on, the password field shows a Caps Lock symbol.
• Check the Input menu in the corner of the login window to be sure that your keyboard is set for the correct language.

If your login password still doesn’t work, continue to the next steps. 

Use the reset options in the login window

If you see a question mark next to the password field, click it. You might then see:

• A password hint—if you added a hint when setting up your account. 
• A reset message, such as “Restart and show password reset options” or “Reset it using your Apple ID” or “Reset it using your recovery key.” 

If you don’t see a reset message, check again after entering a password up to three times. 

Then follow the steps below, depending on what you see: a reset message, a message that your account is locked, or no message.

If you see a reset message

1. If the login window shows a reset message, click the message to begin the reset process.
2. Follow the onscreen instructions, which vary based on your Mac setup. As you follow the instructions:

• • If asked to sign in to your Apple Account, enter your Apple Account email or phone number, then enter its password. You may be asked to enter a verification code sent to your other devices. You can then select the user to reset the password for.
  • If asked to select a volume to recover, select your startup disk, such as Macintosh HD. 
  • If asked to select a user you know the password for, click “Forgot all passwords?”.
  • If asked to enter your FileVault recovery key, enter the string of letters and numbers you received when you turned on FileVault and chose to use a recovery key.
  • If asked to deactivate this Mac, allow your Mac to deactivate. This is temporary.
  • If asked to create a new keychain to store the user's passwords, allow your Mac to create a new keychain.

1. After you provide the information requested, you're asked to create a new password for your account. You can then restart your Mac and log in with the new password.

If you couldn’t use these steps to reset your password, skip to “Use the reset options in Recovery.”

If you see a message that your account is locked

If your account becomes locked after repeated login attempts, wait until the stated time has elapsed, then restart your Mac and try again. If that doesn't help, skip to “Use the reset options in Recovery.”

If you see no message

If a reset message doesn’t appear in the login window after entering a password up to three times, restart your Mac and try again. If that doesn't help, continue to “Use the reset options in Recovery.”