[Kjell Participant 7 March 2022 Kjell Participant]

Hi @martin-bo i was checking out hexnode docs and just noticed that there is a script to clear password on macs given there. After u clear it I think u might be able to reset the password. Although I think its supported only for mac versions below mojave or something along that line. Maybe check that out and see how that works for you?

[Martin Participant 7 March 2022 Martin Participant]

Thanks @kjell for that. I tried it out and this happened…
So after rebooting the macs, I tried to execute the script given in hexnode docs to clear passcode on mac. But that didn’t amount to anything really so when I checked the hexnode portal I noticed it showed the action as pending…
Any idea why this would be happening? Am I missing out on something?

[Emma Hexnode 7 March 2022 Emma Moderator]

Hello @martin-bo,

Thank you for reaching out to us.

Let’s begin with what went wrong while you executed the custom script.

After reboot, if your macOS startup disk has not yet been unlocked, macOS would not be running yet or connected to the internet to receive communication from any kind of MDM or agent. Therefore, resetting the macOS passcode remotely in such cases is, unfortunately, a no-go!

On the other hand, even if your macOS gets connected to a saved network and checks in with the portal, action status will be shown as pending when the custom script is executed via remote actions. Resetting the passcode is not viable in this case as well since the MDM agent would not be active.

Nevertheless, on the off chance that the standard methods to reset the password don’t work for you, boot your Mac into Recovery Mode to access the Terminal and enter the resetpassword command. If you have not enabled FileVault, have completely forgotten your password, don’t have a password hint, or cannot log in to the account using another admin account, this might be your best bet. For a detailed step-by-step walkthrough of the process, please check out how to reset Mac login password.

As a general practice, it is recommended that you enable FileVault on your devices to prevent unauthorized users from accessing information saved on your Macs. You can access FileVault-enabled devices/disks using either the device password or iCloud ID or via the recovery key.

Tip: You can check out how to manage FileVault to learn more about managing FileVault on your Macs using Hexnode.

Hope this answer helps you. Try it out, and keep me posted on any updates.

Emma Jones
Hexnode UEM

[Kenneth Participant 7 March 2022 Kenneth Participant]

@emma-jones We are in a fix right now. We have employees leaving the company without informing their login credentials. Checked out the apple doc u suggested and could only find method to reset password if apple id is known. Is there any way to reset it without knowing apple id and not enabling filevault?

[Emma Hexnode 7 March 2022 Emma Moderator]

@kenneth Unfortunately, the only option to reset the password, in this case, is by choosing to wipe the device manually using Apple Configurator or selecting Erase Mac from the Recovery Assistant menu. Please refer to the ‘If you still can’t reset your password, erase your Mac’ section under the same Apple documentation mentioned above and follow along with the instructions.

Looking forward to hearing from you again.

Cheers!
Emma Jones
Hexnode UEM

[Arvid Participant 8 March 2022 Arvid Participant]

Hey, I am in a similar boat as @martin-bo, although I have people mostly forgetting their passwords and then contacting the IT team constantly for removing the passwords so that they can reset. We mostly deal with androids and iphones in our company. Could you pls suggest a way to remove password in these phones so that the users can reset the password later themselves?

P.S Would be great if it could be done on multiple devices at the same time

[Emma Hexnode 8 March 2022 Emma Moderator]

Hello @arvid, no worries, we’ve got you covered!

Hexnode offers Clear Password as a remote action that can be performed on iOS and Android devices to remove not only the set password but also any PIN or pattern.

You can easily clear your password from the Hexnode portal by following along these steps:

1. Navigate to the Manage tab and check all the devices you want the password cleared from. Alternatively, create a device group by selecting New Group/ New Dynamic group. Choose New Group to manually add the devices you want the password to be cleared from or New Dynamic group to automatically group the devices based on condition filters.
2. Now from Actions, select Clear Password.

Immediately after ‘Clear Password’ is selected, the password will be cleared from the device.

Check out how to remove password from a device using Hexnode UEM for more details.

To keep in mind: 

• Clearing passwords from your devices expose it to a wide variety of vulnerabilities as anyone can access all your data. Therefore, you need to ensure not only that your devices are always password-secured but also you remember it.
• Always back up your data to ensure that you don’t lose any valuable information.

Please note that if you have associated a password policy with the devices, the user will be prompted to set a new password after the current password is cleared.

Should you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to reach us!

Have a great day!
Emma Jones
Hexnode UEM