How to Turn off Firmware Password on Mac and MacBook? (Updated for macOS 12)

Want to add extra security on your Mac? You can set a Mac firmware password to make it. And the good news is the firmware password policy is now available in the latest macOS 12 Monterey and has a new name - Recovery Lock.

Either Mac firmware password or Recovery Lock can prevent data theft by restricting unauthorized disks from booting up the device. So, learning how to turn on or turn off the firmware password on macOS is necessary. Keep reading and this post won't let you down.

Table of Contents:

• 1. What is a firmware password on Mac?
• 2. How to set a Mac firmware password?
• 3. How to turn off the firmware password on Mac?
• 4. Forgetting a Mac firmware password, what to do?

What is a firmware password on Mac?

Mac firmware password, also known as the EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) lock, is a method to protect the data on a Mac. When you lock your Mac with a firmware password, the people who don't know the password can't start your Mac from any other external disks or USB flash drives.

A firmware password on Mac is not the same as the administrator password or login password. It's a separate password that appears immediately after boot. To continue launching your Mac, you need to enter the firmware password when you see the lock symbol and password field on a black or gray background.

Since the firmware password helps secure data on the Intel-based Mac, why this feature is not fitted in an M1 Mac? Because the critical firmware functionality that it restricted has been moved into the recovery OS. And as Apple declares turning on FileVault achieves the equivalent level of security.

How to set a Mac firmware password?

Here are the specified steps to turn on the Mac firmware password:

Then your Mac will require the firmware password when attempting to start up from a storage device other than the default startup disk, or when booting into Mac Internet Recovery Mode.

How to turn off the firmware password on Mac?

However, the following Mac startup options are disabled when a firmware password on Mac is used:

1. Apple Diagnostics       
2. Reset NVRAM or PRAM       
3. Mac Single User Mode       
4. Boot Mac into Safe Mode       
5. Mac Verbose Mode       
6. Target Disk Mode       
7. NetBoot       
8. Eject removable media

Thus, it is needed to remove the firmware password on Mac when using the above-mentioned startup options to solve your Mac problems. Just keep reading to learn how to disable it.

By the way, if you just want to change or reset your firmware password on Mac, Click Change Password and follow the prompt when the utility window like the above picture appears.

Forgetting a Mac firmware password, what to do?

Sometimes, you're not truly forgetting your firmware password, you just input the wrong password. So always check if your Mac is stuck on Caps Lock key before entering or modifying passwords. When you forget your firmware password indeed, removing and reinstalling a RAM module - a hardware hack tech can bypass the Mac firmware password.

But removing RAM requires familiarity with the Mac hardware and once any mistake occurs in the assembly process, more serious hardware issues shall appear. So think twice before you do this.

Though it works efficiently to bypass the firmware password on Mac, it is so complicated and full of risk for common Mac users to operate. Therefore, you'd better schedule an in-person service appointment with an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider to solve this problem. Don't forget to bring your Mac together with its original receipt or invoice as proof of ownership to the appointment.