How to Reset an iPhone Passcode

If you forgot an iPhone passcode, you must erase the iPhone before you can create a new passcode. You can reset an iPhone without the passcode from its lock screen, with recovery mode on a computer, or through Find My if the required features were already enabled.

If you still know the current passcode, change it in Settings instead; that method does not erase the iPhone.

What should you do before resetting an iPhone?

Erasing an iPhone removes the data and settings currently stored on the device, including its passcode. You can recover backed-up information afterward, but information that was never backed up may be lost permanently.

Before you reset the iPhone, identify the Apple Account used on it and make sure you know that account’s password. Apple Account is the current name for what was previously called an Apple ID. The account password may be required to erase the phone, restore an iCloud backup, download apps, and pass Activation Lock during setup.

If you can still open the iPhone and know its current passcode, make a current iCloud or computer backup before erasing it. If you are already locked out, check whether an earlier backup exists when the setup process later offers restoration choices.

How do you reset an iPhone without the passcode?

To reset an iPhone without the passcode, erase it from the lock screen when that option is available or use recovery mode with a Mac or Windows PC. Recovery mode is a special startup state that lets a computer restore an iPhone when normal access is unavailable.

On an iPhone running iOS 17 or later, the lock-screen reset method requires an active Wi-Fi or cellular connection, Find My already enabled, and the Apple Account password.

1. Enter passcodes from the Lock Screen until the iPhone Unavailable screen appears.
2. Tap Forgot Passcode? when the option becomes available.
3. Tap Start iPhone Reset and confirm the choice.
4. Enter the Apple Account password to sign out.
5. Tap Erase iPhone, then follow the setup instructions after the phone restarts.

On iOS 15.2 or iOS 16, the comparable lock-screen option is labeled Erase iPhone. If no erase option appears, use a computer:

1. Turn off the iPhone.
2. Connect a charging cable to a Mac or Windows PC.
3. Connect the cable to the iPhone while holding the correct button: the side button for an iPhone with Face ID, iPhone 8 series, or iPhone SE second or third generation; Volume Down for iPhone 7 models; or the Home button for iPhone 6s and earlier or iPhone SE first generation.
4. Keep holding the button past the Apple logo until the recovery-mode image of a computer and cable appears.
5. On a Mac, open Finder and select the iPhone. On Windows, open Apple Devices and select the iPhone.
6. Choose Restore and follow the onscreen instructions.

How do you reset an iPhone using Find My?

Find My can remotely erase a lost or locked iPhone only if Find My was enabled on that device before access was lost. The iPhone also needs to connect to a cellular or Wi-Fi network before the erase can occur.

1. Open Find My on another Apple device signed in to the same Apple Account, or open {site} and choose the Find Devices option.
2. Select Devices, then select the locked or lost iPhone.
3. Choose Erase This Device or Erase iPhone.
4. Follow the prompts and enter the Apple Account password when requested.

If the iPhone is offline, the erase remains pending and starts when the device next connects. Activation Lock stays enabled after a remote erase, so the linked Apple Account password is still required to reactivate the iPhone.

How do you change an iPhone passcode you already know?

To reset an iPhone with a passcode you know, change the code in Settings without erasing any content:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Face ID & Passcode on an iPhone with Face ID, or Touch ID & Passcode on an iPhone with a Home button.
3. Enter the current passcode.
4. Tap Change Passcode and enter the current passcode again if requested.
5. Enter the new passcode twice. Tap Passcode Options first if you want a different supported passcode format.

On iOS 17 or later, the previous passcode can be used once to recover access during the 72 hours after a passcode change. To disable that recovery option sooner, return to the passcode settings and tap Expire Previous Passcode Now.

What happens to your data after an iPhone reset?

A forgotten-passcode reset erases the iPhone’s current media, content, settings, and passcode. It does not create a readable copy of the locked phone first.

During setup, you can restore from an available iCloud backup or a backup stored on a Mac or Windows PC. The restored content depends on what that backup contained and what information was already syncing with the Apple Account. Without a backup, set up the iPhone as new; locally stored information that was erased cannot be restored through the setup process.

How do you set up an iPhone after the reset?

1. Wait for the Hello screen, then follow the language, region, and connection prompts.
2. Enter the Apple Account credentials previously linked to the iPhone if Activation Lock requests them.
3. Choose an available iCloud or computer backup, or choose to set up the iPhone as new.
4. Create a new passcode that you can remember but other people cannot easily guess.
5. Follow the prompts to configure Face ID or Touch ID on a supported model.
6. Allow apps, settings, and backed-up information to restore, then check that important content is present.

When should you contact Apple Support?

Contact Apple Support if the iPhone will not enter recovery mode, its required button does not respond, Finder or Apple Devices cannot restore it, or an error repeatedly stops the restore. If you cannot use or borrow a computer, Apple directs users to an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider for help.

Support may also be necessary when Activation Lock requests an unfamiliar Apple Account or you cannot recover the linked account. Activation Lock is an anti-theft feature tied to Find My; erasing the iPhone does not bypass it. Be prepared to establish ownership, and do not use jailbreak instructions or unofficial activation-lock workarounds.