Use 1Password to Enter Your Mac Login Password

We think of 1Password as being helpful for entering passwords on websites and in iPhone and iPad apps. But its Universal Autofill feature has a hidden capability that lets 1Password enter your Mac login password when you have to provide it to change certain system settings, install apps, format drives in Disk Utility, and more. (But it won’t work to log in at startup before 1Password is running.) To turn this feature on, click the New Item button in 1Password, search for and select “Mac login” , give it a name that will sort alphabetically to the top, like “2020 27-inch iMac” , enter your password, and click Save . From then on, whenever you’re prompted for your Mac login password , press Command- (Backslash, located above the Return key), and then click the desired login or press Return to select the topmost item .

(Featured image based on an original by iStock.com/ipuwadol)


Social Media: 1Password is tremendously helpful for entering website passwords, but a little-known feature also enables it to enter your Mac login password for changing system settings, installing apps, and more.

More Insights

Tech Article

Not All Your Mac’s USB-C Ports Are the Same

We recently helped a client set up an external boot drive on a Mac mini for testing, but the installation kept failing near the end with vague errors. We tried different cables, swapped drives, and more, to no avail. On a hunch, we moved the SSD to a different USB-C port, and the installation completed […]

Read More »
Tech Tip

macOS 26.4 Warns Against Terminal-Based Malware Attacks

We’ve warned before about scams that trick users into pasting malicious commands into Terminal. Attackers create fake CAPTCHA pages—often resembling Cloudflare’s “are you a human” tests—that instruct visitors to open Terminal, paste a command, and press Return. Because the user executes the command themselves, macOS’s security protections are bypassed. Malwarebytes recently documented a macOS infostealer […]

Read More »
Tech Tip

Check Your Input Source If Your Mac Types Unexpected Characters

If your Mac starts typing unexpected characters—or rejects a password you know is correct—check to see if the Input Source menu appears in the upper-right corner of the screen, indicating that your Mac has more than one keyboard layout available for writing in other languages. Accidentally switching from the standard U.S. keyboard (or whatever you […]

Read More »
Tech Article

Understanding New MacBook Battery Charging Features

The just-released macOS 26.4 Tahoe introduced two battery-related features for MacBook users, helping them understand and control MacBook charging. A Slow Charger indicator now appears in the battery status menu and in Battery settings when your Mac is connected to a charger that isn’t delivering the minimum recommended wattage. More significantly, a new Charge Limit […]

Read More »
Tech Article

View Suspicious Documents Safely with Dangerzone

A standard piece of advice for staying safe online is to avoid opening attachments from people you don’t know or attachments that seem suspicious. It’s good advice, since PDFs and office documents can contain JavaScript and macros that present a security risk, or they could be maliciously crafted to take advantage of vulnerabilities in common […]

Read More »
Tech Tip

Create AI-Powered Playlists with iOS 26.4’s Playlist Playground

Apple Music subscribers running iOS 26.4 can use the new Playlist Playground feature to create AI-generated playlists tailored to any mood, genre, activity, or era. To try it on your iPhone, open the Music app, tap the Library tab, tap the + button, then tap Create New Playlist. Instead of manually adding songs, tap the […]

Read More »

If you are here and not sure how to proceed, please call us at 626-286-2350, and we would be happy to help you find a solution to your needs.