Trying to reset my Mac Air

[rpmracer]

Hello,

Last October I received my first MacBook Air with the M4 chip, and I seem to have run into an issue already.

After completing the initial setup and creating passwords, I unfortunately have not used it since. Found there was a lot of keyboard and shortcuts that are different on the MAC from Windows. So, I have left it lay in the corner and now I can’t recall the password I set. I attempted to reset everything and start over, but I’ve hit another problem—I don’t remember the password used for disk encryption.

Is there a way to completely wipe the device and start fresh without knowing the encryption password, or would this require replacing the hard drive?

Also, once I’m able to reset the device, how would I go about reinstalling macOS Sequoia? I didn’t receive any installation media with the laptop, so I’m unsure to repurchase it.

Thank you very much for your time and assistance—I really appreciate it.

Best regards,
Robert

 

[VineRider]

Make sure the device is turned off.
Press and hold the power button until you see loading startup options
Select Options
On the next screen, in the top left corner of the screen, select Recovery Assistant (just to the right of the Apple Logo)
Select Erase Mac
Once the Mac has been erased and activated, you can use recovery assistant to reinstall macOS and then set up your computer again.

You can always enter the options screen by shutting down the Mac, press and hold the power button and select Options.

From there you will see reinstall Macos and some other options.

Note that when you erase, ALL DATA and SETTINGS will be irreparably deleted

 

[Non-Euclidean]

Flip the keyboard over and see what you wrote on the attached note!

 

[Ben J.]

Here's what Apple Support says about it:

If you forgot your Mac login password - Apple Support

If you can’t remember the password to log in to your Mac user account, or the password doesn’t work, follow these steps. You can't log in to your Mac without the login password, but you might be able to reset the password.

support.apple.com

Honestly, I thought that newer macs and other apple devices equipped with the T2 security chip was basically bricked if you lost the password, and that anyone stealing your mac would therefore not be able to use it at all. I'm pretty sure that's how it works with iPhones. With the T2 security chip, not even a replacing of the internal drive would solve a missing password problem, like it would in the old days.

Do you remember your AppleID username/password? I'd think that would be the most practical way to get to reset the password. Else, I've read about people getting it fixed directly with apple support, after being able to prove their ownership, somehow.

Good luck.

 

[Fishrrman]

Some questions (answer all, they are all relevant):
- did you buy this from Apple?
- did you buy from a brick n mortar store that gave you a sales receipt?
- if you bought online from Apple, did you print the sales receipt?

WHY I'm asking:
If you take it to a brick n mortar Apple Store genius bar (MUST be a genuine Apple Store, NOT a 3rd-party reseller), they will reset it for you.
But you MUST have the sales receipt to prove that you are the original owner, or they won't help you.

As you have found out, it's not such a good idea to set a password for disk encryption... and then FORGET what the password was. I STRONGLY suggest that if you get this working again, to REMOVE the disk encryption and just "let it be".

IF you purchased this from Apple -- either from a brick n mortar Apple Store or from Apple's online site -- you can go online and retrieve an invoice. HOWEVER -- this requires an Apple ID to sign in so that you can view your previous orders/purchases.

Final advice:
Next time, WRITE DOWN all your passwords.
Store in a locked safe, if need be...