Recover a forgotten iPhone or iPad passcode
An iPhone or iPad passcode unlocks the device. It is separate from the Apple Account password, a Screen Time code, and an encrypted computer-backup password. Identify the prompt before acting. These instructions apply to a device you own or are authorized to manage.
If you need the Apple Account itself, use Apple account recovery. For a password requested while restoring a Finder or iTunes backup, see encrypted iPhone backup recovery. Resetting the device passcode does not recover either of those separate credentials.
1. Check whether the previous passcode can still work
Apple's previous-passcode article describes Passcode Reset on iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and later. If you changed the passcode within the previous 72 hours, the old one may let you regain access, provided that temporary option has not been expired.
Follow the Forgot Passcode option shown on the unavailable screen and Apple's instructions for entering the previous code. You must actually know that earlier passcode. This is a limited recovery opportunity after a recent change, not a way to use any code the device has ever had.
If the option is absent or you do not meet its conditions, stop treating additional guesses as a recovery plan. Read the waiting period and available actions on the device. Repeated incorrect entries can make the process longer without supplying the missing credential.
2. Consider Apple's on-device reset route
Apple's on-device reset instructions explain the supported option for resetting an iPhone or iPad without a computer. Availability depends on the software and account conditions described there. Follow the current instructions for your device rather than a video showing an older lockout screen.
Understand the consequence before confirming: resetting this way erases the device and allows a new passcode during setup. It does not reveal the old passcode or preserve every unsynchronized photo. Check your Apple Account access and what backups exist before accepting the erase.
If the device is managed by a school or employer, ask its administrator first. Management and ownership requirements can affect the appropriate route. A phone that you physically possess is not automatically a phone you are authorized to erase or reactivate.
3. Use a computer when the on-device route is unavailable
Apple's computer-reset guide gives model-specific recovery-mode steps. Select the instructions for the type of iPhone you have; the article links onward for iPad. You need the supported computer software and a suitable cable, and should keep the device connected through the restore process.
Follow Apple's Restore option rather than assuming an ordinary update will remove a forgotten passcode. Read the prompts carefully and allow the download and restore to complete as instructed. If the device leaves recovery mode during a long download, use the official article's continuation steps.
After erasing, set up the device and restore an available backup if you can satisfy its requirements. Activation Lock can still ask for the Apple Account associated with the device. A successful erase therefore does not mean ownership verification has disappeared.
Apple cannot use a forgotten-passcode reset to promise recovery of files that were never backed up or synchronized. An encrypted computer backup can also require its own password. Check those separate dependencies before treating a restore as guaranteed data recovery.
Prepare the information you will need afterward
Confirm that you can reach the relevant Apple Account and its verification methods from another trusted device. Locate existing backups and note when they were made. A backup date matters: content created afterward may exist only on the locked device.
Keep recovery keys and account codes private. Avoid offers promising a universal passcode removal while preserving all data, especially if they also ask you to disable account protections or send credentials. Use Apple's own support for an error in its restore process instead of trying unrelated bypass instructions.
After you regain access
Choose a new device passcode, verify that the intended backup restored, and check important photos and documents before discarding the old backup. Turn on a backup arrangement you understand and test access to its account. Store the device passcode separately from the password protecting any computer backup.
Login.com's iCloud sign-in guidance helps with the online Apple services used after recovery. Keep a trusted verification route available beyond this one phone. If you change the passcode again, remember that Apple's previous-code option is temporary and should not replace a reliable recovery and backup plan.
Instructions checked against vendor guidance on 24 September 2026.