Apple makes a secure connection between the company’s servers and a customer’s devices to ensure an experience of privacy. It’s important to distinguish between the password used with the Apple ID account and the one used locally on the computer so you know which one to use in a given prompt.

Computer Password

When you set up a Mac for the first time, you create a username and password. I refer to this as your “computer password.” Your Mac does not specify any requirements of the formation of this password.

Various Mac processes require you to enter these administrative credentials. These include installing software outside the App Store and unlocking a secure preference pane like Users & Groups or Security & Privacy.

Apple Password

Your Apple ID is your username for any Internet services provided by Apple, including iCloud, iTunes, and App Store. This username is in the form of an email address.

Apple has some requirements of the makeup of this password including length and certain types of characters. Future requests will specify that the password is associated with your Apple ID and your username may be spelled out, too. I refer to this as your “Apple password.”

Secure Connections

When you sign into iCloud, your Mac needs to make a secure connection with Apple. A “modal dialog” like the one above appears on the screen asking for your computer password.

Notice how the dialog shows the icon of the application making the request (iCloud) superimposed on a lock. This is the primary way to recognize that it is requesting your computer password, not your Apple password. You can also read the description for clarification.

Do you understand the difference between your computer password and your Apple password? Will you recognize which one is requested in various dialog windows? Will you be confused when a telephone support person uses different words to indicate which password to type?

These are some important questions we might discuss at our next session. Feel free to add them to your list and bring them up when we talk.