Get back into your Apple or Google Account
Start with the provider’s own recovery process. The route depends on the devices and recovery methods you still have, and on whether the account is locked, disabled, or simply waiting for a password reset.
Choose Apple Account or Google Account. If you know your password but cannot receive a code, the lost authenticator or phone guide covers that situation. Use these routes only for an account that belongs to you.
Recover your Apple Account
Start with Apple’s password reset instructions. A trusted device is one already signed in to your Apple Account. If you can still unlock one, it may let you reset the account password directly.
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Try a trusted device
On your iPhone or iPad, open Settings, tap your name, then choose Sign-In & Security and Change Password. On a Mac, use System Settings, your name, then the same options. Complete the device passcode or Mac password check.
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Use Apple’s recovery site if needed
If that route is unavailable, open iforgot.apple.com and enter the email address or phone number for your Apple Account. Follow the options Apple offers for your account.
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Follow the result shown
Apple may direct you to a trusted device, a recovery method you set up earlier, or account recovery with a waiting period. Complete the checks shown; a successful reset depends on those checks.
If you set up a recovery contact
During recovery, contact the person you previously chose when Apple asks you to. They can generate a recovery code for you to enter on your own device. They do not need your password and do not gain access to your account. Apple explains how your recovery contact can help.
If you enabled a recovery key
Apple’s optional recovery key is a 28-character code. Enabling it turns off the standard account recovery process. Without a trusted device, you may need the key and a code sent to your trusted phone number. Follow Apple’s recovery key instructions for the requirements that apply to your setup.
If you do not know the password, have no trusted device, and cannot supply the required key, Apple warns that you can be permanently locked out. If you use Advanced Data Protection and configured both a recovery contact and a recovery key, Apple says either can be used to recover access. Check which methods you actually set up before concluding that none remain.
If Apple starts a waiting period
Read Apple’s account recovery instructions before continuing. Recovery can take several days or longer, and Apple Support cannot shorten the wait. You can check the request at iforgot.apple.com using the same account details.
After starting account recovery, turn off other devices signed in to that Apple Account: account activity can cancel the request. If you started in Settings, System Settings, or the Apple Support app, Apple allows you to keep using that specific device. If you started on the web, avoid using signed-in Apple devices and, if possible, turn off the device used to start the request too.
If Apple says the account is locked or disabled
Check the exact alert against Apple’s locked-account guidance. A security lock may require a password reset. A locked or inactive account may offer Request Access. A disabled Media & Purchases account has a separate reactivation route.
If an unlock request is denied, Apple says that decision is final. Its guidance explains the remaining options for using a device with a new account. Creating a new account does not restore access to the old account’s content.
Recover your Google Account
Begin with Google Account recovery. If you use a work or school account, contact your organisation’s administrator; personal account recovery steps may not apply.
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Use a familiar device and browser
Where possible, use a device, browser, and location you normally use for this account. Google’s recovery tips explain why familiar sign-in details help.
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Answer the checks you are offered
Enter your account address and answer as many questions as you can. If asked for a previous password, use the most recent one you remember. If you cannot use a particular verification method, choose Try another way when offered.
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Complete recovery or follow the waiting instructions
Use the recovery options Google presents, then set a new password if invited to do so. If a security hold appears, follow the timing shown. Google explains recovery delays; there is no single waiting time for every account.
Google recovery contacts and other saved options
A recovery email, phone number, or a recovery contact you previously added may help when offered. Google’s recovery options guide notes that availability varies by account, region, and device. You cannot add a recovery method while locked out or during account recovery. A newly accepted recovery contact also has a waiting period before it can be used.
If Google says the account is disabled, use its disabled-account appeal process: sign in through a browser and choose Start Appeal if offered. A password reset does not resolve a disabled-account decision.
You can try recovery again using Google’s tips and any better information you can provide. If its checks still cannot establish ownership, access may remain unavailable. Google’s official recovery guidance says there is no phone service that can sign you in and that it does not work with third-party password recovery services. No outside provider can promise access.
After you regain access
Review your recovery methods and signed-in devices in the provider’s security settings. Remove anything you do not recognise, save the current password in your password manager, and check that you have a recovery option available without your main phone. Read our guide to passwordless sign-in before changing how you sign in.
Instructions checked against vendor guidance on 12 September 2026.