iMac macOS Sequoia: FileVault locked after password change, no key

FileVault Lockout After Password Change – Intel iMac, macOS Sequoia 15.1

Important: Do not erase the disk or reinstall macOS. Protecting your personal data must remain the priority.

The problem began immediately after changing the login password. Following a restart, the new password was rejected, and macOS Recovery requested a FileVault recovery key.

Remember:

• Login password: Accesses your macOS account.
• FileVault: Encrypts your internal drive and requires an authorised password or recovery credential.

1. Can your Apple Account unlock FileVault?

Possibly. It depends on whether Apple Account recovery was enabled when FileVault was originally configured.

Try this:

1. Restart in macOS Recovery.
2. Look for Forgot all passwords?
3. If offered, try your associated Apple Account.

An Apple Account recovery key and a FileVault recovery key are different and cannot be substituted for one another.

Apple guidance: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/mac-help/mh35881/mac

2. Alternative recovery options

A. Try the previous password

Try both old and new passwords. Check Caps Lock, uppercase/lowercase characters and special characters.

B. Check other user accounts

Try another administrator's password. The account must be authorised to unlock FileVault; administrator status alone is insufficient.

C. Search for the recovery key

Check printed notes, USB drives, password managers, screenshots, emails, cloud documents and any company IT records.

The iPhone Passwords app is not a reliable place to find a recovery key created under Sequoia 15.1. Apple's newer recovery-key storage feature applies to macOS Tahoe 26 or later.

Apple guidance: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/102633

D. Consider Target Disk Mode

Connect the Intel iMac to another compatible Mac using an appropriate cable. Start the iMac while holding T.

If the drive appears, investigate access from the second Mac.

Important: Target Disk Mode does not bypass FileVault encryption. A valid password or recovery key is still required.

Apple instructions:https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/mac-help/mchlp1443/mac

E. Contact Apple Support

If these options fail, contact Apple before attempting further recovery procedures. Explain that the FileVault key is missing and all personal data must be preserved.

Apple cannot bypass FileVault encryption or generate a replacement recovery key.

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/mac

3. Could the keyboard layout have caused the problem?

Yes. Different keyboard layouts can produce different characters, particularly:

@ " # / \ ! ?

Try:

1. Connect a wired USB keyboard.
2. Check the keyboard language or Input menu, if available.
3. Check Caps Lock.
4. Pay particular attention to special characters.
5. Consider whether the layout changed when the password was entered.

Apple guidance: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/mac-help/mchlp1406/mac

4. What should you avoid?

To protect your data, do not:

• Erase or format Macintosh HD.
• Delete APFS volumes.
• Select Erase Mac.
• Reinstall macOS before exploring recovery options.
• Experiment with Terminal commands that modify encrypted volumes.

A normal password reset does not decrypt a FileVault-protected drive.

5. Recommended recovery sequence

1. Stop making changes to the iMac.
2. Try the old and new passwords.
3. Check keyboard layout and special characters.
4. Try another authorised FileVault user.
5. Search for the recovery key.
6. Check Apple Account recovery.

Contact Apple Support.

Three questions to help identify the problem

1. What appears on screen? A padlock requesting a 24-character recovery key, or a list of user accounts?

2. Have you tried the previous password? Was it working immediately before the change?

3. Are there other administrator accounts? Have you tried their passwords?

Final recommendation

Don't give up on recovering the data yet. Investigate the password, keyboard layout and other authorised accounts first.

If Apple Account recovery was not enabled, no other authorised user can unlock the drive, and neither the original password nor recovery key is available, FileVault encryption cannot legitimately be bypassed.

Do not erase the iMac. Preserving your existing personal data is the priority.

Additional Apple reference – Starting macOS Recovery on an Intel Mac:

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/102518

In light of all that has been suggested / attempted and sadly not resolve 

Below is what is suggested to present to Apple Support 

Hello Apple Support,

I urgently need technical assistance recovering access to an Intel-based iMac running macOS Sequoia 15.1.

Our primary concern is preserving all personal data on the internal drive. Erasing the disk or losing the existing data is absolutely not an option.

Description of the problem

We changed the password of the only user account while logged into macOS.

The new password was entered twice and accepted by the system. However, immediately after restarting the iMac, the new password was rejected.

We also tried the previous password, but that was rejected as well.

We subsequently started macOS Recovery, where Macintosh HD is locked by FileVault and the system requests a FileVault recovery key.

Additional technical details

1. Keyboard layout possibility: The password contained the special character #. We did not manually change the keyboard input language during the password change. However, we suspect that the keyboard layout may have changed automatically, potentially causing a different character to be entered than intended. We would like to investigate whether this could explain the password problem.
2. No alternative administrator account: There was only one user account on the iMac. There were no additional administrator accounts or other FileVault-authorised users.
3. Target Disk Mode tested: We connected the iMac to another Mac using Target Disk Mode. Unfortunately, access to the encrypted volume still required authentication, so this did not resolve the problem.
4. No recovery key available: We never deliberately created, recorded or saved a FileVault recovery key. We have also checked the Passwords app on our iPhone without finding one.
5. Apple Account: The iMac is associated with our Apple Account, but macOS Recovery does not offer an Apple Account sign-in or recovery option. It only requests the FileVault recovery key.

Assistance requested

We would appreciate an investigation into the following:

• Whether the keyboard input layout could have caused the password entered during the change to differ from the password we subsequently attempted to use.

• Whether Apple Account-based FileVault recovery was enabled when FileVault was originally configured.

• Whether any recovery key might have been stored or escrowed through an Apple-supported mechanism.

• Whether there are any additional supported methods of unlocking the encrypted volume without erasing or modifying the existing data.

• Whether a senior macOS technical advisor or FileVault specialist can review this particular situation.

We understand that FileVault is designed to protect encrypted data and that recovery may be impossible without a valid authorised credential or recovery key. Nevertheless, we would like to exhaust every legitimate recovery possibility before accepting any loss of data.

IMPORTANT: Please do not recommend erasing the Mac, formatting the drive, or reinstalling macOS in a way that could destroy the existing data. Our priority is data recovery, not simply restoring the iMac to working condition.

Thank you for your assistance. We would be extremely grateful if this case could be escalated to someone with advanced knowledge of FileVault encryption and Intel Mac recovery.

Yours truly

( Your Read Name and contact information )

Try using another keyboard just in case something happened to your main keyboard.

If the FileVault password and macOS user password get out of sync, then the first login prompt will be for the FileVault password which could be the former password if they got out of sync. The second login prompt after seeing another progress bar should be for the new/current macOS login password.

Booting into Recovery Mode is also a good test to see whether you can unlock the iMac there (try using the new/current password as well as the former password).

If you have either the iMac Pro 2017 or the iMac 2020 model....both with the T2 security chip & compatible with Sequoia, then you could also try performing a DFU Firmware Revive to reset the T2 security chip. This requires access to another Mac running macOS 15.7+. The 2020 model iMac and 2017 iMac Pro are the only iMacs with a T2 security chip.

Make sure to follow every step including all Apple links in the following Apple article which @Owl-53 already linked as there are multiple methods for resetting the password including one which includes using another Apple device which shares the same AppleID (aka Apple Account) with the iMac. Best to follow the steps in order as well since the later steps could possibly negate whether the earlier steps can still be used.

https://support.apple.com/102633

Unfortunately if none of this works, then you will be unable to access the data on the internal SSD of this iMac. Definitely check with official Apple Support to be certain as suggested by @Owl-53.

FYI, people need to always have frequent & regular backups of their devices including all external media (including the cloud) which contains important & unique data. For macOS, Apple does provide Time Machine to make backups easy, but there are also third party options as well. As you are discovering, there are a lot more new ways to permanently lose access to the data stored on the internal SSD of the recent Macs due to all of the hardware, software, and security changes. Backups made prior to any problems are the only way to recover data these days.

Thank you for your detailed response.

Here is some additional information about our situation:

1. Neither password works. We cannot log in using either the old or the new password. The issue occurred immediately after changing the password in an active macOS session.
2. Possible keyboard layout issue. The password was changed without manually switching the keyboard input language. However, the input layout may have changed automatically. The password contained the special character #, which could be relevant.
3. Only one user account existed. There were no other administrator accounts or FileVault-authorized users on this iMac.
4. Target Disk Mode. We also tried connecting the iMac to another Mac, but access still requires a password.
5. FileVault Recovery. macOS Recovery only requests the FileVault recovery key. No alternative recovery options are displayed.
6. Recovery key. We never created or saved a FileVault recovery key.

Our priority is to recover access without erasing the disk or losing personal data.

Could you please provide direct contact details or an official link to Apple Support live chat, preferably with a technical specialist who can investigate this FileVault issue?

Thank you for your help.

Hello HWTech,

Thank you very much for your detailed response, your time, and your willingness to help us. I truly appreciate your advice and the suggestions you have provided.

Regarding the DFU Firmware Revive procedure: our local Apple Authorized Service Provider has already considered and attempted to investigate this option. However, our iMac does not have a T2 security chip, so this procedure is not applicable to our model.

We are still very concerned about recovering access to our personal data and would like to explore every possible official solution before giving up.

Could you please provide direct contact details or a link to the appropriate official Apple Support team? Ideally, we would like to reach a senior technical advisor or a specialist who has experience with FileVault encryption and data recovery on Intel-based Macs.

If possible, we would be extremely grateful for a direct phone number, email address, or a specific support channel where we can submit our case for further technical review.

Thank you again for your help and understanding. It means a lot to us.

Best regards

1. Model: iMac 21.5-inch (2019/2020 generation).
2. Model Number: A2116.
3. Model Identifier: iMac19,2.
4. Processor: Intel Core i5-8500, 3.0 GHz, 6 cores.
5. Security Chip: This iMac does not have an Apple T2 Security Chip.
6. DFU Firmware Revive: The T2-related DFU recovery procedure is not applicable to this model.
7. Operating System: macOS Sequoia 15.1.
8. Main Issue: FileVault encryption is currently preventing access to the data stored on the internal drive.

Predicated on having a Recent Time Machine Backup you can Wipe the computer clean, reinstall the Operating System From Scratch

During the initial Setup Assist , point it to your Time Machine Backup and restore your user account and all this is contained in your Home Folder

Emphasis on if there exist a current Time Machine Backup