Enter your Mac’s administrator password into the Terminal window and press Return, even if no characters appear on screen while typing.
The first time a command asks for your password in Terminal, the silence is unnerving. The cursor freezes. Nothing happens when you press keys. Most people assume their Mac or keyboard locked up. It hasn’t. This is standard, intentional security behavior built into macOS. Here’s how to enter a password in Terminal on Mac so you never get stuck again.
Why Doesn’t Anything Show Up When I Type?
macOS hides your password for security reasons, so no characters or asterisks will appear on the screen while you type. The cursor usually turns into a key icon (🔑) when Terminal expects a password, but the screen stays blank as you type. Apple’s Terminal user guide explicitly states this is normal: “Even though no characters appear as you type and the cursor doesn’t move, enter your password, then press Return.”
This “blind typing” measure prevents shoulder surfers from reading the length or pattern of your password. Every keystroke registers perfectly even though the Terminal window gives zero visual feedback.
What Password Does Terminal Actually Want?
Terminal requires your Mac’s local administrator account password — the one you use to log into the computer every day, not your Apple ID password. Commands like sudo always check against the user account database on that specific Mac, not iCloud.
| Common Mistake | Why It Happens | What To Do Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Typing the Apple ID password | Confusion between iCloud and local accounts | Enter the exact password you use to log into this Mac at startup |
| Waiting for asterisks (****) | Habit from websites and other operating systems | Press Return blindly; Terminal provides no visual feedback |
| Pressing keys and seeing nothing respond | macOS hides input to prevent shoulder surfing | Keep typing; the system registers every keystroke even if the screen stays blank |
| Message: “Sorry, try again.” | Typo, wrong account, or Caps Lock enabled | Check Caps Lock, type slowly, and verify you’re an admin user |
| Using a guest or standard user account | sudo commands require admin privileges |
Switch to an admin account, or ask the admin to run the command for you |
| Password contains special characters & keyboard layout mismatch | $, #, and @ may not map where you expect them on a VPN or secondary layout | Open System Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard to use the on-screen viewer |
| Pressing Enter before finishing | Anxiety about the blank screen; pressing keys too fast | Take a breath, type the password deliberately, then press Return once |
Step-by-Step: How To Enter a Password in Terminal
Follow this exact sequence the next time a command asks for your password. The entire process takes about ten seconds once you know what to expect.
- Open Terminal (Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal).
- Type a command that requires administrative privileges, such as
sudofollowed by an action. - Look for the
Password:prompt. The cursor will change to a key icon (🔑). - Click into the Terminal window to make sure it is the active input field.
- Type your administrator password. Nothing will appear on screen — no dots, no cursor movement, no response.
- Press Return to submit the password.
Success state: If the password is correct, the command you entered will execute. If it is wrong, Terminal displays Sorry, try again. and lets you re-enter it.
What To Do If Terminal Keeps Rejecting Your Password
Terminal says “Sorry, try again” whenever the password doesn’t match what your Mac has on file for an admin account. The fix almost always comes down to the right account or a quiet keyboard.
| Term | What It Means | What To Do About It |
|---|---|---|
| sudo | “Substitute user do” — runs commands with admin permissions | Enter your current Mac account password when prompted; not root |
| Key Icon (🔑) | The cursor changes to a key when Terminal expects a password | Click into the window and start typing blindly; the command is ready |
| Admin Account | A user account that can change system-wide settings | Required for sudo; check under System Settings > Users & Groups |
| Login Password | The password used to unlock your Mac every day | This is the password Terminal wants for sudo, not your Apple ID |
| “Sorry, try again.” | The typed password did not match the stored hash for an admin | Press Enter to reset the request, then re-type slowly and carefully |
If you have forgotten your local admin password, reset it from System Settings > Users & Groups or using your Apple ID recovery. Terminal cannot bypass the local password requirement — it’s a security gate built into the Unix layer of macOS.
The One Rule To Remember
Terminal will never show your password as you type. The blank input line isn’t a glitch; it’s a security wall. Trust the process, type your local admin password, press Return, and move on. Once you accept the silent screen, the whole workflow clicks into place and feels natural.
References & Sources
- Apple. “Enter a password in the Terminal window on Mac.” Official Apple documentation confirming the invisible password behavior.
- Apple. “What password does Terminal require?” Apple Community discussion clarifying admin vs Apple ID password requirements.