How do I reset the firmware password on my MacBook Pro?

will not work on anything above 2008 model you have to clear out the bios chip with programmer check out http://jerseycityrepair.com/macbook-air-...

@Sam, the links seems to be broken :/

Not much has changed in the mac book since 2010 it's still the same type of EFI BIOS chip in the new 2015 2016 in 2017 models only difference is it is a BGA chip the type where you cannot see the legs which makes it a little bit more difficult to program but the correct way of doing it will have to be through the Diagnostics port on the motherboard of the MacBook Pro or MacBook Air I know of many technicians who tried to do a souldering job to remove the chip only to end up with a bricked motherboard. The only thing that has changed has been some updates to the EFI programming from Apple that only allows you to install the latest OS X without being able to downgrade so it's important to remember that you should not update your EFI bios chip on your MacBook Pro or air because you will not be able to install an older OS X once you upgrade to a newer one.

Riki, I bought my 2011 Macbook Pro from a private party about a year ago. Last weekend my housemate copied a Mac Os disk in my machine and suddenly the lock screen appeared an will not go away. The problem is I have not proof of purchase that the Mac centers need. What can I do?

im in the same boat nevilvfried, what did you end up doing?

Systems that all of a sudden go into lock up like this is were the original owner enabled Find my Mac putting it into lock down. This is just like Find my iPhone service but for your Mac. I would go back to whom sold you the system and get your money back as it was likely stolen.

Removing the single RAM module trick only works on the older models the newer Atmel chipped models this won't work.

The Command-Option-P-R only resetting the saved settings not re-programing the EFI part of the chip.

Yea, on a late 2011 MBP8,3 the Password Screen with no text and just the "Lock" and "Password Input field" with an "arrow" on the right pops up with the cmd-alt-P-R (Command-Option-P-R) keys at boot. No 'bong' or any sound at all. When I enter a password it proceeds to the "OS X Utilities" section. Trying to change the firmware password with the "Utilities --> Firmware Password Utility" does not accept the previously accepted password..

This is what mine is doing

Very very helpful tip. Was dealing with this same issue for over an hour. Thank you so much.

An iPhone yes that is the way, a MacBook Pro that is not the way.

In a way I agree with Dan, if its brand new from Apple then yes you can send it over to a service provider close by I know I got my Apple Macbook Pro used it won't do any good.

Egge, that does not work.

could you please let me know if this method works on 2017 MacBook Pro 13 Touch Bar model?

Does not work for ANY Mac built 2011 onwards as keyboard input is disabled unless you type the correct EFI password. All the normal boot options like "C" for cd, "Option" for boot menu are disabled. There is no hack around this other than unsoldering EFI PROM etc.

This is my experience on a 2011 21.5" iMac.

Swapped RAM till I was almost blue-in-the-face and am still unable to zap the PRAM and therefore boot from a different OS. Blank screen till I let go of the keys and it works out the SSD has nothing on it, at which point the flashing question mark makes its way on-stage...

ALL of you who posted instructions: sorry, it DOESN’T work on MacBooks made after 2012 (retina and newer).

The video above shows a motherboard that has so many ports that I highly downy it’s an MBP retina.

I still haven’t seen proof of this being possible on a newer Mac.

For those who claim they want to save “$$$” or that they’re no longer covered by AppleCare… I call BS. Resetting the firmware with Apple doesn’t cost you a thing! I did it about four years after I got My Mac. No longer with AppleCare. They required the original receipt. And although I’m not so organized with these things, you bet that when I spend $2500 on a MacBook, I’ll have that receipt in the (slim) box it came in. But if you lost the receipt I understand. I bought it with Apple and it was surely in their records. And the thing was registered to me and in my iCloud. I mean there were many ways for them to verify it was mine, but they stuff required the original printed receipt. Which they inspected thoroughly before taking in my MacBook Pro.

And for the others who claim this to be a “10 minute job” and that they “do it at the store while you wait”, I also think they don’t know what they’re talking about. Someone who posted above who says he’s an Apple tech described a procedure that seemed to perfectly fit  my experience, and the little about the process that I was told about at the store. He says they provide the serial number to a home base and then get mailed a USB drive that is able to unlock that specific unit. So maybe the actual procedure takes ten minutes, but that process of mailing and receiving the key drive takes longer. To me it took three business days, at the end of which they called me and told me my machine was ready for pickup. I dont remember now if the hard drive got deleted. In any case I had time machine backups so if they did it wasn’t an issue.

So...

* In most cases if it’s locked with a firmware password, it’s a stolen Mac. If not by you, perhaps by whoever you bought it from.

* if that isn’t the case, they can unlock at the store for FREE, even if you don’t have Apple care or any kind of warranty. But in my experience they DO require original proof of purchase (i.e. a receipt.)

* All those long step by step instructions DO NOT WORK in MacBook Pros with a Retina display and newer (2012-)

* If you DO have a receipt, be prepared for it to take a few days. I left mine at the store and picked it up three days later.

I read something a few years back about a proof of concept paper by a hacker on changing firmware passwords on newer macs, but it was very complex and required work on the board that easily damaged it. It definitely wasn’t any of the “3 minute” things described here. And if I remember correctly, his procedure wasn’t guaranteed to work either, so it was a high risk, extremely qualified job that wasn’t even guaranteed to work even if you managed to not brick your computer while doing it.

And as a late disclaimer, what I state here is my experience. Maybe there’s now a way to bypass/modify the EFI password on newer Macs. I’d love to see proof of it. A YouTube video, or a more convincing explanation besides the spamming of hundreds of different ways to say “popping the RAM out”, which again, doesn’t work on a MacBook Pro Retina, since 1-the RAM is soldered on the board and 2-even if removal was fine without damage to the board, all evidence point to the fact that STILL wouldn’t reset the EFI password.