How to Find My Apple Password

Apple does not show you your existing Apple Account password, and no setting anywhere on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac will display it. Finding your Apple password therefore means one of two things: recovering a copy you saved earlier on a device you still control, or resetting the password so you can choose a new one.

Can I look up my current Apple password anywhere?

No. The password to your Apple Account, the account formerly called an Apple ID, is stored in a form Apple cannot read back to you, and support staff cannot read it either. Anyone who offers to retrieve or reveal your existing Apple password is not doing what they claim.

That is why every genuine route ends in a new password. If you are locked out right now, skip ahead to the reset; if you are only trying to type it into a new device, the saved-copy check below is faster.

Where might a saved copy of my Apple password still be?

Before resetting, check whether the password was ever saved on hardware you already have unlocked. A saved copy is visible to you because you unlocked the device, not because Apple revealed anything.

• The built-in password manager on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac you are already signed in to. Open the saved-passwords list, unlock it with Face ID, Touch ID, or your device passcode, and look for the Apple entry.
• A browser on a computer where you once signed in to your Apple Account. Browsers keep their own saved-passwords list, separate from the phone.
• A third-party password manager, if you use one.
• Written notes, if you keep them. Old paper is a real answer here more often than people admit.

If nothing turns up, stop looking. Repeated wrong guesses can lock the account temporarily and make the next step slower.

How do I reset my Apple Account password from a device I am signed in to?

The easiest reset happens on an iPhone or iPad where you are still signed in, because the device passcode itself proves who you are.

1. Open Settings and tap your name at the top of the list.
2. Open the sign-in and security section.
3. Choose to change your password.
4. Enter the passcode you use to unlock the device.
5. Type the new password twice and confirm.

Your new password must meet Apple's length and character rules and cannot repeat one you used recently. Choose something you can type on a phone keyboard under pressure, because you are about to type it on every device you own.

What if I do not have any Apple device signed in?

You can start the reset from a web browser on any computer, or from a friend's or relative's iPhone using the Apple Support app. Open the company’s official website and start the account recovery flow there, then enter the email address or phone number you use as your Apple Account.

Apple then verifies you in one of a few ways depending on how the account is set up: a code sent to a trusted phone number, a prompt on a trusted device, or a recovery key if you created one. Have the phone that carries your trusted number in your hand before you start.

Is my iCloud password the same as my Apple password?

Yes. Apple uses one account for iCloud, the App Store, iMessage, FaceTime, and Apple Support, so the iCloud password and the Apple Account password are the same password. Changing it in one place changes it everywhere, which is why every device asks you to sign in again afterwards.

Two things people confuse with it are worth naming. Your device passcode, the short code that unlocks the phone itself, is not your Apple password. A screen time or restrictions passcode is not it either.

What to do if the verification code never arrives

A stalled verification code is the most common place an Apple password reset dies. Work through these in order.

• Check that the trusted phone number on the account is a number you still use. A number you gave up years ago will still be asked for, and codes will still go to it.
• Look on your other Apple devices. A verification prompt often appears on a signed-in iPad or Mac rather than as a text message.
• Check the message filtering and spam folders on the phone, and the spam folder in your email.
• Turn the phone off and on again if it has no signal, then request a new code.
• Wait a few minutes before requesting another. Rapid repeat requests can slow delivery instead of speeding it up.

What is account recovery and how long does it take?

Account recovery is the fallback Apple uses when you cannot pass the normal checks: no trusted device, no trusted number, no recovery key. It is not instant. Apple deliberately imposes a waiting period, measured in days rather than minutes, to keep someone else from taking the account this way.

Two rules matter while you wait. Do not start a second recovery request, because it restarts the clock. Do not change the phone number or email on the account during the wait, for the same reason. You will be told where the notification arrives when the wait ends, so keep access to that address or number.

What to do after your new Apple password works

Once the new password is accepted, sign in again on every device: phone, tablet, computer, watch, and TV box. Devices that are not signed in stop syncing photos, messages, and backups quietly, so check each one rather than waiting to notice.

Then fix what caused the lockout. Confirm the trusted phone number is current, make sure a second trusted number or a trusted contact exists, and save the new password to a password manager immediately. The next time you need it, that is where you will look first.