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Easily Add a Password Hint to Your Mac’s Lock Screen

Easily Add a Password Hint to Your Mac’s Lock Screen

Easily Add a Password Hint to Your Mac’s Lock Screen

Published Jul 30, 2023, 8:15 AM EDT

Dreamchild has been a professional writer since 2019. His career at MUO started in 2022, shortly after dropping out of law school. He specializes in covering macOS, iOS, Gaming, and AI.

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We strongly recommend you use a password on your primary Mac user account. It keeps intruders out and could protect your data (especially if you have FileVault on).

However, you could forget your password, and that's more likely to occur if you have multiple passwords for various devices. So, the best way to remind yourself of the password you have on your Mac is by using a password hint.

How to Set Up a Password Hint on a Mac

If you already have a password on your Mac, you will have to change the password to add a password hint. Luckily, you can set the password to your current password. Here's what you need to do:

  1. From the menu bar, go to Apple menu > System Settings.
  2. Navigate to Touch ID & Password in the sidebar.
  3. Click Change in the Password section of the Touch ID & Password panel.
  4. Type in your old password and enter your new password twice. It can be the same password.
  5. Make sure you enter a simple but effective sentence as your password hint. You are limited to only 128 characters, so keep it simple.
  6. Click Change Password or hit Return to finish. Easily Add a Password Hint to Your Mac’s Lock Screen
  7. Now, click Lock Screen in the sidebar and toggle on Show Password Hints on the right. Easily Add a Password Hint to Your Mac’s Lock Screen

From now on, when you click the question mark icon beside the password input box on your Lock Screen, your password hint will appear in a bubble below.

Easily Add a Password Hint to Your Mac’s Lock Screen

Password hints won't show when you lock your Mac. They only appear when you log out of the user account or shut down/restart the Mac.

You can also add text to your Lock Screen that displays when you lock your Mac. You could use that as a place for a hint or additional information, like your contact details, in case your Mac gets lost. You can learn about it in our guide on customizing your Mac's Lock Screen.

Know When to Disable Password Hints

Password hints are great for helping you get into your Mac; in fact, Apple recommends you use them. However, you should know when to turn it off because it could give intruders an idea of what your password might be.

So, if you suspect someone with enough details about your life may be trying to get into your Mac, you should toggle it off and use a really strong password instead.