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Is there a way to change admin passwords for all my Macs connected to my network.

I know the local admin password for all PC's in my network and I need to just to change password for Username: admin

What I have to do is physically go to each Mac, login and change the password manually. Remote Login is disabled.

How can I do it faster?

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  • Faster than what? What are you already doing? Do you know the admin passwords for the Macs on your network already?
    – Allan
    Feb 15, 2018 at 13:05
  • Please don't cross-post to multiple SE sites. Pick one & stick to it - superuser.com/questions/1295228/…
    – Tetsujin
    Feb 15, 2018 at 13:18
  • @Allan Yes, i know
    – Lele
    Feb 15, 2018 at 13:30
  • That doesn't answer any of the questions asked.
    – Allan
    Feb 15, 2018 at 13:31
  • @Allan faster than going to every Mac and change it using it when Mac is in front of you. Yes I now the admin passwords for the Macs in my network
    – Lele
    Feb 15, 2018 at 13:32

1 Answer 1

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Based on the fact that Remote Management and Remote Login are disabled, you are limited to two pathways:

  • Installing remote screen sharing software like TeamViewer to connect to the machine via the web which you can then administer. The downside to this is that decent performing apps like this will cost money - and they're quite expensive

  • Going to each machine and not just enabling the password, but turning on remote login and/or management as well.

I prefer the latter option because it will ultimately give you much more control over your network connected nodes. As for security, you can configure sshd on each machine to only allow logins from an SSH key. See this answer on how to log in with keys rather than username/passwords.

You didn't mention how many Macs you have on your network and the project could be considerable. However, just chalk it up to experience as to why enabling (but securing) remote management tools is critical in networks.

You can change the password via the command line:

dscl . -passwd /Users/Lele
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    To add to this answer a little -- To manage multiple Macs I strongly recommend some kind of MDM software (I use the Profile Manager in Apple's Server software, but there are other options, like jamf) and Apple Remote Desktop. With Profile Manager you can setup user, user group, machine or machine group specific setups (including a managed local admin user and password). With Remote Desktop you could issue the above command line to multiple machines at once. Both allow remote software installs, copying files and directories to specific locations, etc. A whole lot better than walking around.
    – David Rouse
    Feb 15, 2018 at 14:17
  • I agree with @DavidRouse that you should look at some MDM software not just for your Macs but your PCs as well. Intune from Microsoft is a good solution if you're mostly a Windows shop.
    – Allan
    Feb 15, 2018 at 14:31

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