Problem or Question:

I've forgotten my keychain password or a saved password fails and I can't change it, what to do?

Environment:

Macintosh OSX 10.3 and later

Solution or Answer:

Resetting your keychain in Mac OS X

If Keychain First Aid finds an issue that it cannot repair, or if you do not know your keychain password, you may need to reset your keychain. (Resetting a keychain sets aside the original default keychain file and creates a new one.)

Products Affected Mac OS X 10.3.x through 10.7.x

Resolution

To reset your keychain in Mac OS X 10.4, Mac OS X 10.5, Mac OS X 10.6, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion
1.Open Keychain Access, which is in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder.
2.From the Keychain Access menu, choose Preferences.
3.Click General, then click Reset My Default Keychain.
4.Authenticate with your account login password.
5.Quit Keychain Access.
6.Restart your computer.

To reset your keychain in Mac OS X 10.3 through 10.3.9:
1.Open Keychain Access, which is in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder.
2.From the Window menu, choose Keychain First Aid.
3.Click Options...
4.Click Reset My Keychain, which is under the General pane.
5.Authenticate with your account login password.
6.Quit Keychain Access.
7.Restart your computer.

Cause:

Macintosh stores saved passwords in the keychain.