[Fixed] The Supplied iCloud Account was Unable to Unlock This Volume

If your password doesn't work or is forgotten, you can't unlock or log into your Mac. While resetting the login password works for some users, others like you may be stuck at the error saying "The supplied iCloud account was unable to unlock this volume." after entering your Apple ID credentials.

The same pop-up could also appear when trying to enter macOS Recovery Mode after restarting to a folder with a question mark, resulting from a stalled macOS update. Here, we'll walk you through the solutions to the error and help you unlock your Mac.

Fix 1: Try some quick fixes

Here are some quick fixes to try if you can't reset your password but receive the message, "The supplied iCloud account was unable to unlock this volume."

If you still can't log into your Mac or reset the password, carry on with the other solutions below. Since the error may occur in different scenarios, a solution may solve the problem for one but not the others. You should choose those that suit your needs.

Fix 2: Reset your password at the login window

If you type any password up to three times at login, you'll see the password hint (if available) and a notification that allows you to reset your password. Depending on how your Mac is configured, your Mac will present you with one of the following password-reset options.

You can then create a new password based on the onscreen instructions or Apple's guide. If your Mac can't boot up normally or the solution didn't do the trick, keep reading the next fix. 

Fix 3: Reset your password from macOS Recovery

Alternatively, you can reset your password from macOS Recovery. If you didn't enable FileVault or Find My Mac on your Mac, jump to Fix 4. Otherwise, continue with the steps below.

Here's how to boot your Mac into Recovery Mode:

On an Intel-based Mac:

On an Apple Silicon (M1& M2) Mac:

After entering macOS Recovery, you'll be asked to select a user and enter the login password that no longer works or you have forgotten. To reset the password, click "Forget all passwords?" Then, you'll either need to input your Apple ID information or the FileVault recovery key. Enter what's required to create a new password.

If you still see "The supplied iCloud account was unable to unlock this volume." on macOS Recovery, move on with Fix 5.

Fix 4: Use the Reset Password Assistant

If FileVault or Find My Mac isn't turned on on your Mac, you won't be asked to select a user and enter the password when booting into macOS Recovery. Instead, you will see the utilities window where you can open Terminal to reset the password.

Follow the steps in fix 3 to restart your Mac into Recovery Mode, then go through the following:

You will now see one of the following scenarios:

Then, you'll be prompted to fill in the new password. Follow the onscreen instruction to set up the new password.

Fix 5: Change your Apple ID password

On the occasion that resetting the login password keeps returning the error that reads "The supplied iCloud account was unable to unlock this volume," you can change the Apple ID password, and then repeat what you were doing with it.

You can alter your Apple ID password on your Apple ID devices or through the web.

To reset your Apple ID password on your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or Apple Watch:

To reset your Apple ID password on the web:

Fix 6: Restore from Time Machine

If you find your Mac refusing to accept the correct password after it gets stuck on a macOS update, you can roll back your Mac to the state before the update is applied. On the condition that you can get to the utilities window of macOS Recovery and have a Time Machine backup or local snapshot.

Suppose you didn't manually back up your Mac before the update; there's still a chance that you have a local APFS snapshot of your startup disk to restore to if you have configured Time Machine to back up to an external drive and back up your Mac automatically.

Still having no luck? Try reinstalling macOS without formatting your startup disk. This way, your data is still intact.

Fix 7: Erase your Mac

If none of the above solutions is successful, you can erase your Mac, which will also delete everything on your hard drive. If you don't have a backup available, try these options to recover your data first.

• Connect to another working Mac via Target Disk Mode
• Boot from a bootable USB and create a disk image of your startup disk in Disk Utility
• Use iBoysoft Data Recovery in Recovery Mode

Once the essential data is secured, you can take the following steps to erase your Mac:

Share this post if you're no longer bothered with "The supplied iCloud account was unable to unlock this volume."