Resetting keychain deletes saved passwords and certificates. Export what you need before resetting.
What you will achieve
Reset login keychain when passwords are out of sync — knowing you will re-enter credentials.
Login keychain stores Wi‑Fi passwords, certificates, and Safari credentials tied to your user account. Password changes without keychain update cause endless prompts. Reset is destructive — every saved password must be re-entered or synced from iCloud Keychain afterward.
1) Symptoms
Repeated “login keychain password incorrect” after password change; Wi‑Fi passwords not saved; Mail auth fails everywhere at once.
2) Try repair first
- Open Keychain Access.
- Keychain Access → Settings → Reset My Default Keychain only if Apple doc matches your case.
- Or change login keychain password to match login password via Change Password for Keychain login.
3) Full reset (destructive to stored secrets)
- Keychain Access → Preferences → Reset Default Keychains (wording varies).
- Or delete
~/Library/Keychains/login.keychain-dbwhile logged out — extreme; backup first. - Log out and in — new empty keychain created.
4) Rebuild
Re-enter Mail, Wi‑Fi, Safari saved passwords, VPN certificates. iCloud Keychain may repopulate some items after re-enable.
5) Avoid on shared Mac
Export certificates before reset if you manage client certs manually.
6) login.keychain-db backup
Before delete, copy ~/Library/Keychains/ folder to external drive — cannot unlock without password but support may recover certs in enterprise scenarios.
7) FileVault and keychain
FileVault recovery key does not decrypt keychain passwords — separate secrets. Document both in password manager with different entries.
8) Single app fix
Sometimes only “Local Items” keychain corrupt — create new keychain in Keychain Access and set default instead of nuclear reset.
Verify
Login prompts stop; Mail and Wi‑Fi connect; new passwords save without immediate re-prompt.
Additional troubleshooting notes
If steps above do not resolve the issue on the first attempt, reboot once, confirm System Settings → General → Software Update is current, and retry with a second administrator account to rule out profile or keychain corruption in your daily user. Document exact error text from Console.app with timestamp — vague “it still fails” without logs wastes support time. On Apple Silicon, re-test after full shutdown (not just restart) because firmware and Thunderbolt controllers reset only on cold boot. Intel Macs should repeat test in Safe Mode to bypass third-party login items. Before erase or keychain reset, verify Time Machine or clone backup completed — batch 3 guides assume Monterey/Ventura/Sonoma/Sequoia paths in System Settings; search Spotlight for renamed panes if your macOS version labels differ slightly.