Locked out of macos device

Issue

  •  You are locked out of macOS computer.
  • You have tried logging in with a wrong password for more than three times and now you are not being presented with the option to reset your password using your Apple ID or recovery key.
  • Anytime you try with another wrong password you are presented with a countdown to when you can try again.

Solution

  • Make sure you have the recovery key backed up somewhere, whether in an MDM platform such as Intune or written down somewhere.
  • Restart the macOS device and then quickly press and hold the Power button.
  • You should see Continue Holding for Startup Options after a few seconds.
  • Continue to hold the Power button until you see Loading Startup Options.
  • After a few seconds, you should see two icons; Macintosh HD and Options, select Options and then click the Continue button.
  • On the next screen, select a preferred language, and then on the next screen, you should see the WIFI icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
  • Select your WIFI and enter the security key to get connected, if needed.
  • You will be presented with the local user accounts on the computer and asked which one you want to recover.
  • Select the administrator account to recover.
  • You will be presented with a space to enter the 24 character recovery key, please type it in and press Enter.
  • You will then be allowed to reset your password and verify the password.
  • After resetting your password, you will be presented with other actions that you can take such as Restoring the macOS; do not select any of the options, just restart your computer.
  • On the login screen, select the account you reset the password for, enter it  and then press the Enter key to be logged back into the macOS computer.