It’s hard to believe how big and important part of our life is hiding in a smartphone. This includes correspondence, call history, photos and videos, documents. The user’s desire to protect valuable and considerable amount of personal information is understandable. Apple suggests using a passcode for this, but it’s not the only security tool.
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However, regularly using Face ID (Touch ID) to unlock your iPhone, it is quite easy to forget the lock screen passcode, since you rarely have to enter it. Such situations happen often, and in this article we will talk about how to reset your password on an Apple smartphone if you have forgotten it.
Do not worry – you can restore the device to work. But for this, unfortunately will have to erase all data stored on the device… Then the smartphone can be configured again.
If you repeatedly entered the wrong passcode to unlock your iPhone, a notification will appear on the screen:
iPhone is disabled, try again when it passes … (and a number of minutes will be indicated here)
Let’s say that you still could not remember the required combination even after a second attempt. You just have to put your iPhone into recovery mode. Further actions will lead to the deletion of all information on the smartphone, including the passcode. But after that you can set up and continue to use your iPhone.
After the data is deleted, and the initial setup of the system is carried out, you can restore the information from the backup. If you haven’t created it yet, you can set up your iPhone as a new device, and then upload any data there from iCloud.
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How to reset the passcode on the iPhone itself (only for smartphones running iOS 15.2 or later)
Preparing to reset the device
- Your device must be running iOS 15.2 or later. Unfortunately, with a forgotten password, you will not be able to check this in the settings menu.
- Your device must be connected to the Internet using a cellular network or Wi-Fi.
- You will need your Apple ID and password that you previously used to set up your device.
If you have repeatedly tried to enter the passcode on the iPhone screen, keep in mind that the smartphone will first be locked for 1 minute. You will be given one more attempt, in case it also turns out to be incorrect, the blocking time will increase to 5 minutes, then to 15 minutes, and so on.
After 15 minutes have passed and you entered the wrong passcode again, the “Erase iPhone” option will appear at the bottom of the screen.
Tap Erase iPhone and then tap Erase iPhone again to confirm the action.
Enter your Apple ID password to sign out of Apple ID on your device.
Click Erase iPhone to permanently erase all your data and settings.
When you restart your iPhone, follow the onscreen instructions to set up your device again, restore your data and settings from a backup, and set a new password.
If this method did not allow you to reset the device settings, then try another option.
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How to reset passcode on iPhone using macOS or Windows
Step 1: Prepare your macOS or Windows computer
For this step, you will need a Windows or Mac computer. In the first case, you need to make sure that the system is up to date, its version must be at least Windows 8. Also, iTunes must be installed on the computer to work with Apple devices (download). Prepare to connect your smartphone to your computer; you should have the supplied cable or a compatible analog at hand.
If for some reason you do not have access to a computer, then you can be advised to seek help from a friend or to an Apple authorized service or a retail store of the company.
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Step 2. Turn off your iPhone
1. If your iPhone is connected to the computer at this point in time, then disconnect the cable.
2. Now you need to turn off your smartphone completely. And here the actions depend on the iPhone model.
- If you have an iPhone X or later, iPhone SE (2nd generation), iPhone 8, or iPhone 8 Plus, you will need to press and hold the side button and the volume down button at the same time until the shutdown slider appears on the screen …
- If you own an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus, simply press and hold the single side button until the shutdown slider appears on the screen.
- For iPhone SE (1st generation), iPhone 6s and earlier, you will need to press and hold the single power button on the side or top until the shutdown slider appears on the screen.
3. In this step, you just need to move the slider to turn off your iPhone. Wait a minute to make sure the device is completely disconnected.
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Step 3. Put iPhone into Recovery Mode
1. On your iPhone, find the button you need to hold down.
- For iPhone X and later, iPhone SE (2nd generation), iPhone 8, or iPhone 8 Plus, you’ll need a side button.
- On iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, you will be using the volume down button.
- For iPhone SE (1st generation), iPhone 6s and earlier, you will need a Home button.
2. Press and hold the button we specified for your iPhone model. Immediately, without releasing your finger from the button, connect your smartphone to the computer.
3. Leave the button pressed until the recovery mode window appears on the iPhone screen. The button can now be released.
Please note that if after such actions the passcode entry window is still displayed on the screen, then the iPhone will need to be turned off and on again.
If the Recovery Mode screen does not appear on iPhone even after several attempts and you need third-party help, contact Apple Support.
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Step 4. Restore iPhone
1. On your computer, launch the Finder (Mac) or iTunes (Windows) app. Find your iPhone in the sidebar. Click on it.
2. You will see a window offering to restore or update your iPhone. Select option “Restore”… The computer starts downloading the required software. After that, the recovery procedure will begin.
3. If the process started successfully, wait until it ends.
4. After the recovery is complete, you can disconnect your iPhone from your computer, and then start using your device.
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