How to Reset a Mac OS X Keychain Password

A default keychain binds to an Administrator password upon creation and will continue to update when the Administrator password is updated via the Accounts menu. When someone forgets his/her password and is forced to utilize other means to reset it (See FAQ entitled: How do I reset a Mac OS X System Administrator (root) Password?), he/she will no longer be able to use any keychain that had a password bound to the lost password.

1. Navigate to /Applications/Utilities/
2. Locate and double click the icon entitled Keychain access. This will launch a Keychain Access window.
3. Navigate to the Edit menu at the top of the screen and from the pull-down menu, select Change Password for Keychain “login”
4. In the resulting Change Keychain Password window:
   1. Enter the current password (If doing this for the first time, the password is the administrator password).
   2. Enter the new password.
   3. Re-enter the new password in the Verify box.
5. Click the OK button to commit the changes. This will close the Change Keychain Password window.

When someone can no longer access his/her keychain or has recently reset his/her password by means other than those associated with the Accounts menu, his/her only option is to delete the keychains that cannot be accessed. This may be done by completing the following steps:

1. Navigate to /Applications/Utilities/
2. Locate and double click the Keychain access icon. This will launch the Keychain Access window.
3. Navigate to the Edit menu at the top of the screen and select Keychain List from the pull down menu.
4. In the resulting window, locate and click the keychains that are currently inaccessible.
5. Verify that no other keychains are selected.
6. Click the OK button. This will commit the changes and close the window. If the OK button is dimmed, deselect and reselect one of one’s own options.
7. Restart the machine and login. The keychain should now function with the new Administrator password.