What do I do if I forgot my Apple ID and passcode for my iPhone?

Forgetting your Apple ID or iPhone passcode can be very frustrating. Your Apple ID is the account you use to access Apple services like the App Store, iCloud, FaceTime, and more. And your passcode is what you use to unlock your iPhone and access private data. Not being able to sign in to your account or unlock your device means you can’t use many of your iPhone’s features.

Luckily, there are ways to recover and reset your Apple ID and iPhone passcode if you can’t remember them. Here are some quick answers to common questions about what to do if you are locked out of your iPhone:

Table of Contents

How do I reset my Apple ID password if I forgot it?

If you forgot your Apple ID password, you can reset it easily by following these steps:

Go to iforgot.apple.com on any device.
Enter your Apple ID email address and click Continue.
Choose how you want to reset your password: via email or answering security questions.

Follow the onscreen instructions to reset your password via that method.
Once you’ve reset your password, you can sign in to your Apple account with your email and new password.

How can I unlock my iPhone if I forgot the passcode?

If you forgot your iPhone’s passcode, you have a few options to unlock it:

Erase your iPhone – You can erase your iPhone and remove the passcode, but this will delete all your data.
Force restart – If you have Find My iPhone enabled, force restarting your iPhone may disable the passcode for a short time.
Enter your Apple ID – If you’re prompted, enter your Apple ID and password to regain access.

Use recovery key – Your recovery key can unlock your device if you turned on this option.
Contact Apple Support – Apple can help verify your identity and possibly remove the passcode.

How do I find my Apple ID?

If you’re not sure what email address you used to create your Apple ID, there are a couple ways to look it up:

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud to see the Apple ID signed in.
On a Mac, open System Preferences > Apple ID to view your account email.
Check the Messages app on any device – your Apple ID is used as your caller ID.

Look for Apple ID emails in your inbox like receipts from Apple or password reset emails.
Use Apple’s iforgot.apple.com tool to find your Apple ID by entering info like your name, phone number, or birthdate.

I’m locked out of my iPhone – how can I regain access to my account?

If you forgot both your passcode and Apple ID password, here are a few options to get back into your account and iPhone:

Reset your Apple ID password first if you remember the email address. Use iforgot.apple.com.
Force restart your iPhone by pressing volume up, volume down, then hold power until you see the Apple logo. This might temporarily disable the passcode.
On another device, try signing in to iCloud.com to access Find My iPhone. You can erase your locked iPhone remotely.

Contact Apple Support to verify your identity so they can remove the passcode from your account.
Take your iPhone to an Apple Store for in-person support to regain access.

My iPhone is disabled – what does this mean and what should I do?

Seeing a “iPhone is disabled” or “iPhone is disabled try again in X minutes” message means you entered the wrong passcode too many times and your iPhone is locked down. Here’s what to do:

Wait for the onscreen timer to run out, then try your passcode again carefully. Double check caps lock.
If your iPhone is still disabled, you’ll need to connect to iTunes and restore your device. This will erase your iPhone data.
If Find My iPhone is enabled on the lost device, you may be able to erase it remotely by putting it in Lost Mode via iCloud.

Contact Apple Support and they can remove the passcode if you verify your identity.

I forgot my iPhone passcode – how can I set a new one?

To set a new iPhone passcode if you forgot your old one, you will need to erase your device first. Here are the steps:

Backup your iPhone data to iCloud or iTunes so you don’t lose anything important.

Erase your iPhone – you can do this by putting your device in recovery mode and selecting “Restore” in iTunes. Or erase remotely if Find My iPhone is on.
Follow the onscreen setup process for your iPhone until you reach the passcode creation screen.
Enter and confirm a new 6-digit numeric passcode you won’t forget.

Restore your data from your iCloud or iTunes backup.

This will erase your forgotten passcode and let you set a new one while restoring your data.

How do I reset my iPhone without losing data?

Unfortunately, there is no way to reset your iPhone passcode without erasing your device first. To reset your iPhone due to a forgotten passcode without losing your data, you’ll need to:

Make sure you have a recent backup of your iPhone data in iCloud or iTunes.
Erase your iPhone by putting it in recovery mode and selecting “Restore” in iTunes on a computer.
Set up your iPhone as new and create a new passcode when prompted.

Once setup is complete, restore your data from the iCloud or iTunes backup you made.

This will allow you to reset your passcode while restoring your data from backup so you don’t lose anything important.

I forgot my Screen Time passcode – what should I do?

If you forgot your Screen Time passcode on iPhone or iPad, follow these steps to remove it:

Go to Settings > Screen Time and tap Change Screen Time Passcode.
Tap Reset Screen Time Passcode.
Enter your device passcode when prompted.

Tap Reset again to remove the Screen Time passcode.

Your Screen Time settings will stay the same, only the passcode will be removed so you can access Screen Time controls again or set a new code.

How can I reset my voicemail password if I forgot it?

To reset your forgotten iPhone voicemail password:

Dial your own phone number from your iPhone.
When your voicemail greeting starts, press * (star).
Press 4 to change your voicemail password.

Enter a new password then press #.
Re-enter your new password then press # to confirm.

Your iPhone voicemail password has now been reset. Make sure to choose a new password you’ll remember.

What should I do if I forgot my Apple Watch passcode?

If you forgot your Apple Watch passcode, follow these steps to remove it:

Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
Go to the My Watch tab, tap Passcode, then tap Turn Passcode Off.

You’ll be prompted for your iPhone passcode to turn off the Apple Watch passcode.

Your Apple Watch will then no longer have a passcode enabled. You can tap Turn Passcode On to set a new passcode.

How do I reset my Keychain password on iPhone and iPad?

To reset your Keychain password on iPhone or iPad:

Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode (Touch ID & Passcode on older models).
Enter your device passcode.
Scroll down and tap Reset Keychain.

Re-enter your device passcode.
Create a new Keychain password and confirm it.

This will reset your Keychain password so you can set a new one you remember. Your Keychain items will remain intact.

I forgot my restrictions passcode on iPhone – how do I reset it?

If you forgot the restrictions passcode on your child’s iPhone, follow these steps from your device to remove it:

Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions.
Tap Disable Screen Time.

Enter your device passcode when prompted.
Tap Disable again to turn off restrictions and remove the forgotten passcode.

Your child’s iPhone will no longer have any restrictions enabled. You can now go reconfigure new Screen Time settings and set a new passcode you remember.

How can I reset Find My iPhone without an Apple ID password?

Unfortunately, there is no way to reset or remove Find My iPhone without your Apple ID password. Find My iPhone is intrinsically tied to your Apple account for security purposes. Here are your options if you can’t remember your Apple ID password:

Use iforgot.apple.com to reset your Apple ID password if you can recall the account email address.
Contact Apple Support, provide proof of identity ownership, and ask them to reset your Apple ID password.

Take your iPhone to an Apple Store for in-person help resetting your Apple account.
Perform a full factory reset of your iPhone to erase it, removing Find My iPhone. But this will also erase your data.

I forgot my iPad passcode and Apple ID – what now?

If you forgot both your iPad passcode and Apple ID password, you have a couple options:

You can erase your iPad to remove the passcode, but this will also delete all your data.
Use Find My iPad via iCloud.com on another device to erase your iPad remotely.
Contact Apple Support, provide proof of purchase and identity, and they can remove the passcode.

Take your iPad to an Apple Store for help accessing it and resetting your account.
As a last resort, schedule a Genius Bar appointment for paid technical support.

The only way to reset an iPad without losing data is by signing into your iCloud account. So if you can’t remember your Apple ID, erasing may be your only option.

Conclusion

Forgotten passwords and passcodes happen, but thankfully recovering access to your Apple devices and accounts is straightforward. Use trusted tools like iforgot.apple.com, Find My iPhone, iTunes, and iCloud backups to reset your Apple ID password, iPhone passcode, and restore your data when needed. And contact Apple Support if you ever get truly stuck – they can help verify your identity and regain access in many cases.

Following these tips, you can get back into your iPhone and Apple account quickly if you ever find yourself locked out. Just be sure to store your new passwords and passcodes somewhere secure so you don’t get locked out again!