If you changed your Mac password and are now seeing repeated keychain prompts, your login password and keychain password are out of sync. This guide walks through how to update or reset your login keychain on macOS Ventura, Sonoma, and Sequoia.
When your Mac password changes without properly updating the login keychain, macOS cannot unlock stored credentials automatically.
This usually happens when:
When this happens, macOS cannot automatically unlock your login keychain, and you’ll see a prompt asking you to update or reset it.
By default, your Mac login password matches your login Mac keychain password. When you change your password directly in System Settings > Users & Groups while logged in, macOS updates the keychain automatically.
However, if the password is changed externally by an Apple IT administrator or identity provider, the keychain does not update automatically and must be manually synced at next login.
Here’s what those options mean and when to use each one.
When you log in, you may see a message asking to unlock or update your login keychain. You’ll typically have three options:
This allows you to proceed without unlocking the keychain. However, you’ll continue receiving prompts until it’s fixed.
Choose this if you know your previous Mac login password. You’ll enter your old password once, and the keychain will sync to your new login password.
If you don’t remember your old password, you’ll need to create a new keychain.
This removes saved credentials stored in the old login keychain, including WiFi credentials, VPN settings, and some application passwords.
If the automatic prompt does not appear, you can update the keychain manually.
Or press Command + Space and search for “Keychain Access.”
Then:
Once updated, the keychain should unlock automatically going forward.
If you do not remember your previous login password, the old keychain cannot be recovered.
To create a new one:
macOS will create a new login keychain tied to your current password.
Important: You will need to re-enter saved WiFi passwords, VPN credentials, and some application logins.
Starting in macOS Sequoia, Apple introduced a standalone Passwords app. This manages website and app credentials synced through iCloud Keychain.
However, system-level credentials such as WiFi passwords, certificates, and some enterprise credentials are still managed through the login keychain in Keychain Access.
If you are experiencing repeated system prompts, the fix still requires updating or resetting the login keychain as described above.
If your device is company-managed, password resets may come from:
In these environments, resetting your keychain may not fully resolve the issue. Contact your IT provider before deleting keychains on a managed device.
Keychain prompts after a password change are common, especially when passwords are reset outside of macOS System Settings. Updating the login keychain with your old password is the cleanest fix. If that’s not possible, creating a new keychain will resolve the issue, though saved credentials will need to be re-entered.
If you’re using a managed Mac or continue seeing prompts after resetting the keychain, your IT services provider may need to investigate deeper credential or directory sync issues.