Pareto Security
CIS Essentials

Password hints are off

How to disable password hints

  1. Open System Preferences, then click Users & Groups.
  2. Click the lock icon in the bottom-left, then enter the account password.
  3. Click Login Options in the lower-left corner.
  4. Uncheck Show password hints.

Learn more on Apple Support page.

Time to fix

< 1m

What

When you create a new user account on macOS, you can set a password hint to help you remember your password. Password hints are displayed when you enter an incorrect password at the login screen.

However, password hints can be a security risk if they are too revealing. For example, if your password hint is "My dog's name", it could be easy for someone to guess your password if they know your dog's name.

For better security, it's recommended to turn off password hints on your Mac.