Forgot your iPhone or iPad passcode? Here's how to reset it (2024)

If you have forgotten the main passcode of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, this tutorial will help you reset it successfully.

First, we’ll try to back up even your disabled or locked iPhone or iPad. This will ensure all your data is safe.

And if you can’t back up your data on your locked iPhone for any reason, all is not lost. You should be able to get back most of your important data, such as contacts, messages, calendar events, apps, etc.

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Forgot iPhone passcode? Learn how to reset it: hide

1) Some things to consider

2) 6 ways to reset a forgotten iPhone or iPad passcode

3) What to do after you erase your iPhone

Some things to consider

iPhone is disabled

After entering the wrong passcode five times in a row, your iPhone is locked and disabled. It prevents you from trying any other passcode for a specific duration and shows the iPhone Unavailable/iPad Unavailable message on the screen. It can display try again in 1 minute, try again in 15 minutes, try again in 1 hour, or try again in an absurdly long time.

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Can I reset my iPhone passcode using my Apple ID?

You can’t use your Apple ID password to reset your forgotten iPhone password, but you can log in to iCloud.com using your Apple ID to erase your iPhone and set it up again. However, the downside of this isthat all your iPhone data and settings will be erased.

Then how can I get into my iPhone if I forgot the password?

The only way to completely erase and reset your iPhone. There is no other way.

Will I lose all my iPhone data?

You’ll lose all data on your iPhone or iPad unless they are backed up to a computer or iCloud, in which case, you can easily restore it.

Can I reset a forgotten iPhone or iPad passcode without losing data?

As mentioned, the only way to regain access to your iPhone is to erase it. If you backed up your device to iCloud or to a computer, you will be able to recover that data. If you didn’t back up your device, most data could be lost. Unless…

Try to back up your locked iPhone or iPad data

If you ever backed up your iPhone to your computer (or even remember connecting it to your computer), you could be in luck.

When you connect an iPhone or iPad to a Mac or PC for the first time, your device will ask you to confirm that you trust the computer. Once that’s done, your iPhone remembers that it can trust this computer.

So, try to remember if you trusted any Mac or PC with your iPhone. It would most likely be your own computer, or a family member’s computer. If you know you previously connected your iPhone to your computer, you should be able to back it up following these steps:

  1. Connect your iPhone to the computer.
  2. Open Finder on Mac or open iTunes on Windows PC.
  3. In Finder, select your iPhone from the left sidebar. In iTunes, click the tiny iPhone logo from the top of the window.
  4. From the General section, click Back Up Now.

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This will back up your locked or disabled iPhone. Most of your data can now be restored after resetting the forgotten iPhone passcode.

Can’t back up?

If you are asked to Trust the computer or asked for the iPhone passcode when connecting it to your computer, it means that your iPhone was never connected to this computer to begin with. In which case, you will not be able to back it up and will lost most of your data.

Still, there is hope!

Is everything lost if I can’t back up my locked iPhone?

Any data that is not stored on iCloud or on a third-party service will essentially be lost. But if like most people you at least sync some of your data (ie. contacts, photos, reminders, etc…) with a cloud service such as iCloud or Google Drive, you will be able to regain access to this data.

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6 ways to reset a forgotten iPhone or iPad passcode

1. Reset your iPhone passcode straight from your iPhone

It’s possible to reset and erase a passcode-locked iPhone or iPad without needing to connect to a computer. When your device is in what Apple calls Security Lockout mode, after too many incorrect passcode attempts, just enter your Apple ID and password to erase it.

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  1. On the lock screen of your iPhone, make several incorrect passcode attempts until a warning message appears, asking you to try again later.
  2. Keep entering the wrong passcode until you see the Erase iPhone option appear in the bottom corner of the screen.
  3. TapErase iPhone, then hit Erase iPhoneagain to confirm the action.
  4. Enter your Apple ID password. This will sign you out of your Apple ID on this iPhone.
  5. Finally, selectErase iPhoneto permanently delete all of your data and settings.
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Now your iPhone will restart and launch into the usual iOS setup procedure you previously went through after unboxing your iPhone. Simply follow the onscreen instructions to set up your iPhone again, restore data and settings from a backup and create a new passcode—one you won’t forgetin the future.

2. Get into Recovery Mode using Finder on Mac

Note: If you don’t have a Mac, borrow one from a friend or family. If that’s not possible, visit your nearest Apple Store and ask them for help. They will oblige.

1) Make sure your iPhone or iPad is not plugged into the Mac.

2) Turn off your iPhone or iPad.

3)Plug one end of the cable into your iPhone or iPad. Don’t plug the other end into the Mac’s USB port yet (you have to do that in the next step).

4) Press & hold the Power button on your iPhone or iPad and immediately plug the other end of the cable into your Mac. Keep holding the button on your iPhone or iPad until you see the recovery mode screen (a black screen with a white cable pointing toward a MacBook).

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Note: After following the above steps, if you don’t get the recovery mode screen but see the passcode screen on your iPhone or iPad, turn off your device and follow the above steps again.

5) Locate your iPhone or iPad in Finder by clicking your device name or the general ‘iPhone‘ or ‘iPad‘ name in the left sidebar.

6) You’ll now see a popup alert in Finder on Mac. Click the Restore button here.

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Your Mac will download the entire iOS operating system and install a fresh copy on your iPhone or iPad whose passcode you have forgotten.

3. Using iTunes on Windows PC

The steps to restore an iPhone or iPad (whose passcode you have forgotten) using a Windows PC are exactly the same as Finder on Mac.

The only difference is you’ll have to use iTunes (instead of Finder). And in Finder, you’re asked to locate your iPhone from its left sidebar. But in iTunes, you have to click the iPhone icon from the top. Besides that, everything is the same.

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4. Restore backup if ‘Find My’ was turned off

Find My service is a security feature that is switched on by default. But if you’re among the few who had turned it off, then you can follow these steps to reset your iPhone passcode by restoring a previously made backup on your computer:

Prerequisites:

  • Find My iPhone or Find My iPad must be off.
  • A trusted Mac or PC where you had backed up this iPhone or iPad.
  • An old iPhone or iPad backup on that Mac or PC.
  • Appropriate cable.

1) Connect your iPhone or iPad to a trusted Mac or PC using a cable.

2) Select your iPhone or iPad in Finder or iTunes.

3) Click Restore Backup.

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4) Select an old backup and click Restore.

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5) Finally, click Erase and Restore.

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After this, you can set up your iPhone and create a new passcode.

But as mentioned, the above steps will only work if Find My iPhone was turned off on this device. In case it wasn’t, you’ll have to follow the previous methods of using Recovery mode or use the remaining methods below.

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5. Reset iPhone passcode using iCloud on a computer

1) Go to iCloud.com in a web browser, click Sign in, and use your Apple ID to log in.

2) Click Find My.

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3) Click All Devices from the top and select your iPhone.

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4) Click Erase iPhone > Erase.

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Your iPhone will be erased remotely.

6. Use third-party tools

When you do a web search on Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc., you’ll find several iPhone unlocker tools that claim to recover your forgotten iPhone passcode and give you instructions for that.

These are unofficial, and in most cases, they won’t work. Plus, they may do more harm than good and will work only if Find My iPhone was off (which, for almost 99% of iPhone users, is switched on). So, it’s best to avoid downloading them to your Mac or PC.

What to do after you erase your iPhone

Once you have erased your disabled iPhone or iPad, you get to the setup screen. This process is the same as when you turn on your new iPhone for the first time. But there is a major change: you may have to enter your Apple ID password on one of the setup screens to bypass the Activation Lock.

Next, you can set up your iPhone as a new device or restore a backup from a computer or iCloud.

Related tips:

  • How to back up your iPhone and iPad to iCloud or a computer
  • How to secure your iPhone (17 tips)
  • What to do if you forget your Apple Watch passcode
  • How to reset the Screen Time passcode on your or your child’s iPhone, iPad, and Mac
  • Forgot your Apple ID password? Here are 3 ways to reset it

Some images used in this post are from Apple.

Forgot your iPhone or iPad passcode? Here's how to reset it (2024)

FAQs

Forgot your iPhone or iPad passcode? Here's how to reset it? ›

If you can't remember your passcode when you try again, you need to use a computer to put your iPad in recovery mode. This process deletes your data and settings, including your passcode, allowing you to set up your iPad again. After you erase your iPad, you can restore your data and settings from a backup.

How to unlock an iPad forgotten passcode? ›

If you can't remember your passcode when you try again, you need to use a computer to put your iPad in recovery mode. This process deletes your data and settings, including your passcode, allowing you to set up your iPad again. After you erase your iPad, you can restore your data and settings from a backup.

How do I hard reset my iPhone if I forgot my passcode? ›

If you can't remember your passcode when you try again, use a computer to put your iPhone in recovery mode. Recovery mode allows you to erase the iPhone, giving you access to set it up again. You will need your Apple ID and password to set your iPhone up again.

How to reset iPad without passcode? ›

Locate your iPad in the Finder, iTunes, or the Apple Devices app on the computer that it's connected to. (Learn how to find your connected iPad.) Choose Restore when you see the option to Restore or Update. Your computer downloads software for your iPad and begins the restore process.

How do I reset my iPhone and iPad password? ›

Change your Apple ID password on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Apple Vision Pro
  1. Tap Settings > [your name] > Sign-In & Security.
  2. Tap Change Password.
  3. Enter your current password or device passcode, then enter a new password and confirm the new password. Forgot your password?
  4. Tap Change or Change Password.
Apr 24, 2024

How do you unlock your iPhone if you forgot the passcode? ›

From your device's Lock Screen, try to enter your passcode until the “[Device] Unavailable” screen appears and your device asks you to try again later. When you're able to, tap the Forgot Passcode? option in the bottom corner of the screen. On the Security Lockout screen, tap Start [Device] Reset to confirm.

How do I force my iPad to factory reset? ›

How to factory reset your iPad using iCloud.com:
  1. Go to iCloud.com, and sign in with your Apple ID and password.
  2. Click on the Find [device] icon in the menu.
  3. Select your iPad from the All Devices list.
  4. Select Erase iPad.
  5. Follow the prompts to delete all data from your device.

How to factory reset iPad without Apple ID password or computer? ›

Here's how to factory reset iPad without Apple ID password for free with iCloud: Step 1: Head to iCloud website and select “Find My.” Step 2: Tap “All Devices” and choose your iPad. Step 3: Click “Erase iPad” and confirm.

How to reset iPhone without passcode? ›

Method 1: How to factory reset iPhone with iTunes

Connect your iPhone to a computer with a USB cable and open iTunes. On the left side of the screen, navigate to “Summary”. Next, press a button titled “Restore iPhone…”. A prompt will appear, asking you to confirm the factory reset.

Is it possible to unlock an iPad without Apple ID? ›

The answer is YES. But it's certainly not easy to do so. Apple ID and password are used by iPad to identify its users and therefore are security measures that can't be bypassed easily. Unlocking an iPad without Apple ID usually means that you need to restore it and thus erase all contents from your iPad.

What happens after 10 failed passcode attempts on an iPhone? ›

After 10 consecutive incorrect passcode attempts, the “Erase iPhone” option will appear at the bottom of the lock screen. Step 2. Tap “Erase iPhone” and confirm your decision to erase the device.

How do I unlock my iPhone if I forgot the passcode without recovery mode? ›

Though you can remove the passcode on your iPhone by restoring it with iTunes or Finder, some people want to achieve it without restoring it. But there is no way to unlock iPhone without resetting, this is because Apple does not give users too much authority and iOS systems have set strict privacy restrictions.

How many attempts to unlock an iPad? ›

How long can an iPad be locked? Your iPad will be disabled for 1 minute after six failed password attempts in a row. The more time you enter the wrong passwords successively, the longer the iPad will be locked. And there is no time limit.

What to do if iPad is completely locked? ›

Once it gets to the "unavailable" message, it's been permanently locked out because of too many attempts. The only way to get it to work again is to reset it to factory conditions, which will require being able to access your Apple ID account that you used to set up your iPad.

What is the default passcode for an iPad? ›

There is no default passcode in an iPad . Such as iPad pro uses both Touch ID or Face ID, and for that, you are asked to set up a passcode. When you set it up, it is this passcode that your iPad is asking you to enter after it got updated.

Is it possible to unlock a found iPad? ›

To manually unlock an iPad, prepare a computer and a USB cable, and then download and install iTunes on the computer. Enter recovery mode manually and then restore the device. By doing so, you can reset the iPad to factory settings and thus unlock the device.

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