Can't Enter Password on Startup Security

[walterwhiterjr]

Recently bought a new 2020 MacBook Pro with M1 Chip and running Big Sur. I'm trying to set up Apple Pay and am unable because of possible changed security settings. I am following instructions off this site: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT208198 but when I open Startup Security and try click "Enter macOS Password", I am not given a window or prompt to actually enter my password (see screenshot of where I get stuck). Anyone have a way around this problem?

If it makes any difference, I migrated everything from my old MacBook Air initially to the new one, but then decided I wanted a fresh start and did a factory reset and erased the hard drive, then proceeded to upgrade to Big Sur.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Apple_Robert]

How did you go about reinstalling Big Sur on your M1?

 

[walterwhiterjr]

I'm pretty sure it came with the old Catalina by default, and I just went to Software Update in About This Mac.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I'm pretty sure it came with the old Catalina by default, and I just went to Software Update in About This Mac.

Take a picture of the "About this Mac > overview" of your Mac and post it here. Cover over the serial number in the picture.

 

[walterwhiterjr]

Attached - thanks.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Attached - thanks.

You didn't purchase a new M1 Mac. You purchased a 2020 MacBook Pro.

Where did you purchase this Mac, and was it brand new or open box etc.?

 

[walterwhiterjr]

Wow you're right. I bought it off the Apple site, I wasn't looking carefully at the differences in the 13" and assumed all were new M1 chips. Will have to exchange it then. Thanks

 

[Apple_Robert]

Wow you're right. I bought it off the Apple site, I wasn't looking carefully at the differences in the 13" and assumed all were new M1 chips. Will have to exchange it then. Thanks

For future reference, if you run into that problem again, try reinstalling the OS. If that doesn't work, you need to boot into Utilities > terminal > resetpassword and create a new password.

You can't reinstall Big Sur like you did in the old days (with Catalina etc.) when you use a M1 so, keep that in mind moving forward.

 

[blinfinity]

I'm having a similar problem as the original post, but I don't know that the original question was ever answered, given it was discovered he ordered the wrong machine.

I have a 2018 Mac mini running Mojave and I am trying to set it to allow a boot from an external drive. I've followed the instructions to get into Recovery Mode and select Startup Security Utility. It advises me I will have to authenticate but when I press the "Enter MacOS Password" button, nothing happens. I get stuck at the same spot as the original poster.

I've read it is supposed to open a dialog box to choose an admin, or allow me to enter admin credentials, but that box does not pop-up. No matter how many times I click the button or how long I wait. Everything else in the menu/options seems to work fine.

I've searched and found a few people with the same problem, but no resolutions. Any thoughts?

 

[Minghold]

I'm having a similar problem as the original post, but I don't know that the original question was ever answered....

It was not answered, and it would be just lovely if someone could. (The problem, once again, was that clicking the gray button to enter an admin password does not bring up a typing field to actually enter it. This problem is still unresolved as of Sequoia, almost four years after the OP! ...I encountered it just today while resetting a 2019 MBP i9, and using command-option-R to bring up internet-recovery. But even though I was able to csrutil disable in the recovery's Terminal, I am unable to adjust further security settings due to this bug, er, planned-obsolescence "feature" Leave it to Apple to figure out how to make an i9 slower than molasses in a laptop when the same chip, only slightly less throttled, is a screaming banshee in the same-year iMac. But I digress.)