Apple’s recently released Mac Mini, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro with Apple M1 chips are very well received. The new Apple Silicon delivers incredible performance per watt, and the laptops outperform Intel Macs on benchmarks as well as real-world tests. However, many Mac M1 users also report problems, including an error that may appear while setting up your Mac M1. So, if you are facing “Failed to create computer account” error, don’t worry, here is the solution.

Fix “Failed to create computer account” issue in Apple M1 Mac

First, a little insight into what this error is, actually. Many users (myself included) have faced this problem. So, during the initial setup of your new Mac M1, you need to create a user account. In many cases, this user account creation does not work. Your Mac will be stuck on the screen for a long time, then the following error screen will appear.

Now, in most cases, this error appears after resetting and reformatting your Mac M1. What’s worse is that if you restart your Mac after this error, it will show your user account (the failed one) and then the password you created won’t work. It is really very annoying and annoying.

So, when I finally managed to fix this problem on my laptop, I decided it was worth sharing the whole process for anyone else who is facing the error on their devices.

“Failed to create computer account” error solution

The complete solution of this error requires a few steps. I describe the steps below.

To note: Currently, the only way to fix this problem is to use another working Mac. If you don’t have another Mac, you can borrow one from a friend or colleague. If not, contact Apple Support and they should be able to help you.

  • Set up Apple Configurator on the second Mac and connect both Macs.
  • Put Mac Mini, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air into DFU mode
  • Restore and reinstall recoveryOS and macOS on your Mac M1.

1. Setting up Apple Configurator and connecting the two Macs

  • On the secondary Mac, download the Apple Configurator 2 application (To free) from the App Store and launch it.
  • Shut down your Mac M1 computer.
  • Use a USB-C cable to connect the second Mac to the Mac M1 device.
  • If you’re trying to repair a Mac Mini M1, connect the USB-C cable to the leftmost USB-C port on the back of the Mac Mini, as shown below.
  • If you are repairing a MacBook Air M1 or MacBook Pro M1, connect the USB-C cable to the leftmost USB-C port on the left side of the MacBook as shown below.

2. Put Mac Mini, MacBook Pro or MacBook Air into DFU mode

mac mini

  • Connect your Mac Mini to a monitor and unplug the Mac Mini from power for at least 10 seconds.
  • Press and hold the power button without connecting the Mac Mini’s power cable to the outlet.
  • While holding down the power button, connect the Mac Mini to the power outlet.
  • Release the power button. The status light on your Mac Mini should be amber.

MacBook Air or MacBook Pro

  • Press the power button on your MacBook
  • While holding down the power button, press the following keys simultaneously for 10 seconds
    • right shift key
    • left Option key
    • left control key
  • After 10 seconds, release all three keys, but hold down the power button until the following screen appears in Apple Configurator on your second Mac.

3. Restore and reinstall recoveryOS and macOS

Now comes the part that is easy to follow but takes time to complete. Here’s what you need to do:

  • In Apple Configurator, right-click and click ‘Restore’. Click “Restore” again on the pop-up confirmation window.
  • Now you will see the Apple Configurator download system and then install it on your Mac M1. Meanwhile, if your Mac M1 shows the Apple logo, it’s completely normal. It may appear and disappear randomly throughout the process.
  • Once the process is complete, you should see the macOS Setup Assistant on your Mac M1.

Now when you continue with setup on your Mac M1, the user account screen should work as usual and allow you to create your user on the Mac.

Troubleshoot account creation issues on Mac M1 computers

While it’s unfortunate that newer M1-powered Macs can run into weird issues like this, the good news is that at least there’s a fix. Hopefully Apple will fix these issues soon, but until that happens, users will have no other option but to perform a DFU restore on their Mac computers.

So, did this article help you fix your Mac M1 or are you planning to take it to the Apple Store? Let us know in the comments. Also see our article on how to factory reset Mac and create a macOS Big Sur ISO file. They will come in handy if you want to fix macOS issues by reinstalling macOS.

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