Apple iPad Password Reset and Unlock Guide

If you forgot your iPad passcode, you must erase the iPad before you can create a new passcode and unlock it. If you forgot your Apple ID password instead, reset the Apple Account password without erasing the iPad.

Which password is locking your iPad?

An iPad can ask for three different codes or passwords. Identify the prompt before starting a reset:

• Device passcode: The four-digit, six-digit, or custom code entered on the Lock Screen. Messages such as “iPad Unavailable” or “Security Lockout” usually mean repeated incorrect device passcodes.
• Apple ID password: Apple ID is now called Apple Account. This password is used for iCloud, the App Store, Find My, backups, and Activation Lock. A prompt showing an email address or phone number is usually asking for this password.
• Screen Time passcode: This separate code protects content restrictions, app limits, and Screen Time settings. It does not normally unlock the Lock Screen.

If you forgot the Screen Time code, open Settings, select Screen Time, choose Change Screen Time Passcode, and choose that option again. Enter the Apple Account information used when Screen Time recovery was configured. For a child’s device managed through Family Sharing, the family organizer resets the code from the organizer’s device.

How do I reset an Apple iPad when I forgot the device passcode?

Resetting a forgotten device passcode erases the iPad, including data that is not in a backup. If you recently changed the passcode and the Lock Screen offers a previous-passcode option, follow that prompt first. Otherwise, use one of these methods.

If the iPad displays “Forgot Passcode?” and has an internet connection with Find My enabled:

1. Keep entering the passcode until the unavailable or Security Lockout screen appears.
2. Select Forgot Passcode? and start the iPad reset.
3. Enter the Apple Account password associated with the iPad.
4. Confirm that you want to erase the iPad.
5. Wait for the Hello screen, then begin setup and create a new passcode.

You can also erase the iPad from the Find My app on another Apple device signed in to the same Apple Account:

1. Open Find My and select Devices.
2. Choose the locked iPad.
3. Select Erase This Device and follow the prompts.
4. If the iPad is offline, leave the erase request pending. Erasing begins when the iPad connects to the internet.

To use recovery mode, connect the powered-off iPad to a Mac or Windows PC. On an iPad without a Home button, quickly press the volume button nearest the top button, quickly press the other volume button, and then hold the top button until the computer-and-cable screen appears. On an iPad with a Home button, hold the Home and top or side buttons until that screen appears. Select the iPad in Finder on a Mac or Apple Devices on Windows, choose Restore, and follow the prompts.

How do you reset a forgotten Apple ID password?

A forgotten Apple iPad password for the Apple Account can usually be changed on a trusted device, meaning an Apple device already signed in to that account and protected by its own passcode.

1. On a trusted iPhone or iPad, open Settings and select your name.
2. Select Sign-In & Security, then Change Password.
3. Enter that device’s passcode and follow the identity-verification prompts.
4. Create a new Apple Account password and use it when the iPad asks you to sign in.

If no trusted device is available, open the Apple Support app on a borrowed Apple device, choose the password-reset support tool, and select the option to help someone else. You can also open {site} and choose the Apple Account password-reset option.

Two-factor authentication may send a verification code to a trusted device or trusted phone number. If the code does not arrive, use the prompt to resend it or select another trusted number. If no trusted method is accessible, start account recovery when Apple offers it. Identity checks can create a waiting period, and Apple Support cannot shorten that security process.

What can you do if the iPad cannot be erased?

If Find My was off, the iPad cannot be erased remotely through Find My. Use recovery mode with a Mac or Windows PC instead. If the computer does not recognize the iPad, check the cable and connection, restart the computer, update the Apple device-management software, and repeat the recovery-mode button sequence.

If recovery mode still fails, contact Apple Support or visit an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider. Have the iPad, its serial number if available, your Apple Account email address or phone number, and original proof of purchase ready. Proof of ownership may help Apple review an Activation Lock request, but it does not reveal or remove a forgotten device passcode.

There is no supported way to preserve only the data stored on an iPad while removing a forgotten device passcode. Erasing deletes that local data. Information already synchronized with iCloud or saved in an iCloud or computer backup may be restored afterward.

How do you contact Apple Support about an iPad lockout?

Use the verified Apple contact options shown on this page or begin with Apple Support through {site}. Choose iPad, Apple Account, forgotten passcode, disabled device, or sign-in trouble so the request reaches the appropriate support path.

Before contacting Apple, gather:

• The exact message displayed on the iPad.
• The Apple Account email address or phone number connected to it.
• Access to any trusted Apple device or trusted phone number.
• The iPad model and serial number, if available.
• Original proof of purchase if Activation Lock or ownership must be reviewed.

Apple can explain the official reset process, but support cannot provide the old passcode, recover data that was never backed up, bypass identity verification, or remove Activation Lock without acceptable ownership information.

How do you get back into an iPad after the reset?

1. Start at the Hello screen and connect the iPad to Wi-Fi.
2. Sign in with the Apple Account previously linked to the iPad. Activation Lock may require that account even after the device has been erased.
3. Choose an available iCloud backup or computer backup during setup. If no backup exists, set up the iPad as new.
4. Allow apps, photos, and other synchronized information time to download.
5. Create a new device passcode that you can remember but other people cannot easily guess.

After you reset the Apple iPad, confirm that the trusted phone number is current and that backups are running. Store the device passcode and Apple Account recovery details securely and separately. These steps make it easier to reset an Apple iPad if another lockout happens.