[5 Solutions] Unlock Your iPhone If You Forgot the Password

Locking your iPhone is crucial if you want to protect your data from thieves, hackers, and snoops.

But if you forget your password, your use may suddenly become more difficult. After six failed passcode attempts, iPhone locks for a period of time and displays an “iPhone is disabled” error message. But luckily you can also try the methods recommended by Apple (Finder, iTunes and iCloud) or Passixer iPhone Unlocker mentioned in this article.

Quick Answer: What should I do if I forget my iPhone password?

Apple makes it clear that the way to fix a forgotten iPhone/iPad passcode is to factory reset your iPhone or iPad. There’s really no way to save your phone’s current data unless you made a backup before you forgot your password. The rough steps are that you need to connect your iPhone to your Mac (or PC with iTunes installed) and then enter recovery mode to reset the phone to factory settings, thus removing the forgotten password and getting it working properly.

This may sound complicated, but Apple provides a detailed walkthrough for putting your iPhone into recovery mode so that you can factory reset it and set up the phone again (the process may be slightly different depending on which mode you use.) Here are the Methods for you as well.

Method 1: Unlocking Your iPhone Without the Passcode

The first software to recommend is Passixer iPhone Unlocker, which can unlock your iPhone without a password and iTunes. Passixer iPhone Unlocker is famous in the industry for its efficiency and high success rate because it has many powerful functions.

Many iOS devices that have encountered problems have found solutions in Passixer iPhone Unlocker. Passixer iPhone Unlocker supports iOS devices of all systems. Its features include: Wipe screen passcode (4/6 digit passcode, Touch ID or Face ID), bypass iCloud activation lock in just 3 steps, delete Apple ID without password, remove MDM from all types of iOS devices, and efficiently delete iTunes backup encryption password with one click.

The steps you are most concerned about to unlock your iPhone are as follows:

Please note before use:

• Deleting the lock screen will delete all data and settings. You can restore data from iCloud if you have backed it up in iCloud before.
• It’s a good idea to turn off Find My iPhone ahead of time. Otherwise it may not be unlocked. If Find My iPhone is enabled, you will need to enter your iCloud password to reset your device.
• Remember to register before unlocking.

Step 1: Install and launch Passixer iPhone Unlocker for free, then connect your iPhone to your computer using a data cable. Select “Wipe Passcode” from the home page and it will automatically detect your iPhone.

Step 2: Please check and make sure your iPhone information is absolutely correct. Click Start and it will download the firmware package to unlock your iPhone.

Step 3: After the firmware package is downloaded, Passixer iPhone Unlocker will prompt you to enter “0000” to confirm unlocking. Then the program will start unlocking your iPhone immediately.

Step 4: Then all you have to do is wait for the unlocking process to complete. When your iPhone will be unlocked successfully, please unplug the data cable.

Method 2: Unlocking Your iPhone via Finder/iTunes (Restore iPhone)

Another method is to reset your iPhone via Finder/iTunes. This method only works if you have synced your iPhone with your computer and have a backup of your data, otherwise it will not work.

Also, if you see the prompt “iTunes cannot connect to iPhone because it is locked with a passcode. You must enter the passcode on your iPhone to use iTunes.” This means you need the next method to unlock your disabled screen.

For Mac Users:

Step 1: Connect your iPhone to your Mac using the appropriate cable.

Step 2: Open Finder, select your locked iPhone.

Step 3: Select General on the top of bar. Find and click Restore Backup under Backups.

Step 4: All backups will be shown to you, choose one to restore.

Step 5: Enter your Mac password and click Restore. Your data will be recovered. Your password will also be deleted and you can set a new one.

For Windows Users:

Step 1: Connect your iPhone to windows using a USB cable, and open iTunes and wait for iTunes to sync your iPhone. (If prompted for a password, try connecting to another computer.)

Step 2: Once the sync is complete, click “Restore iPhone.”

Step 3: Once the restore is complete, the iOS settings screen will pop up, click “Restore Backup” and select the backup you want to restore.

Method 3: Unlocking Your iPhone via Use iTunes Recovery Mode

iTunes recovery mode is a built-in mode of iPhone that can help users diagnose iOS faults and fix the problem of iPhone unable to connect to the computer. Because your iPhone is locked/disabled, iTunes cannot automatically detect it. Therefore, you need to put your locked iPhone into recovery mode first. Recovery mode will allow you to erase your iPhone, allowing your device to be set up as new.

Preparation:

1. Prepare a cable that is compatible with both iPhone and computer.

2. You need to prepare a computer

For Windows Users: Make sure you have Windows 8 or higher and the latest version of iTunes installed.

For Mac Users:

If it’s macOS Catalina or later, launch Finder.

If it’s macOS Mojave or earlier, install and open the latest version of iTunes.

Steps of iTunes Recovery Mode:

Step 1. Turn off the iPhone.

Option 1. For iPhone 8, through iPhone 15, including iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generations) – Press and hold the Side button and Volume Down button at the same time until the power off slider appears.

Option 2: iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus – Press and hold the side button until the power off slider appears.

Option 3: iPhone SE (1st generation), iPhone 6s, and earlier – Press and hold the top button until the power off slider appears. Drag the slider to turn off iPhone, then wait a minute to make sure it turns off completely.

Step 2: Make your iPhone in recovery mode

Option 1: For iPhone 8, through iPhone 15, including iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generations) – Use the side buttons.

Option 2: For iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus – Use the Volume Down button

Option 3: For iPhone SE (1st generation), iPhone 6s, and earlier – Use the Home button

Step 3: Press and hold the button on the corresponding model while instantly connecting your iPhone to your computer. Keep pressing the button until you see the recovery mode screen on your iPhone, then release it.

Tip: If you see the password screen, you’ll need to turn off your iPhone and restart it.

Step 4: Open iTunes/Finder and it will note “There is a problem with your iPhone and it needs to be updated or restored.” Tap “Restore”.

Step 5: Then iTunes or Finder will ask you make sure, “Are you sure you want to restore your iPhone to factory Settings? All your media and other data will be deleted.” Then, choose Restore.

Step 6: Your computer will download the software for your iPhone and start the recovery process.

Tip: If the download takes more than 15 minutes and your device exits the recovery mode screen, let the download finish, then turn off your iPhone and start over.

Step 7: Wait for the process to complete and your device will reboot. Disconnect iPhone from your computer, then set up and use your iPhone again.

After recovery is complete:

1. If you have backed up your iPhone, you can restore data and settings from the backup.

2. If you didn’t back up your iPhone, you can set it up as a new device and then download all the data saved in iCloud.

Method 4: Unlock Your iPhone via iCloud “Find My iPhone”

“Find My iPhone” is an anti-theft application designed by Apple that can help users find a lost or stolen iPhone based on its location. It can also be used to wipe the user’s iPhone to remove your forgotten password.

If the iPhone you forgot your passcode happens to share the same Apple ID with one of your other Apple devices, you can erase and unlock it by following these steps:

Step 1: Make sure Find My iPhone is enabled on your phone and connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular network. Then go to icloud.com/find and enter your Apple ID and password, then click Sign In.

Step 2: Click All devices at the top of the bar. Select the phone whose password you forgot.

Step 3: Tap “Erase iPhone”. Review the warning, then click Erase iPhone to confirm.

Step 4: Enter your Apple ID and password again. Click Erase. At this time all your personal photos, contacts, texts, emails, applications and settings will be remotely deleted.

Step 5: Reset your phone and remember to restore data from iCloud backup.

Method 5: Unlock Your iPhone with Passcode Reset (Only for iOS 17)

If your iPhone is iOS17 or later versions, congratulations! You can revert to your previous password within 72 hours of creating a new password. Here are the detailed steps to undo/reset a forgotten password using “Password Reset” in iOS 17:

Step 1: Under “iPone Unavailable” click “Forgot Password?”

Step 2: Click to enter your previous password.

Step 3: Follow the on-screen instructions to undo the forgotten password and set a new one.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to unlock your iPhone if you forget your password, it’s a good idea to always remember to back up your data. After all, your phone holds all of our precious memories and information.

Hope you found the right unlocking solution for you, have other questions about unlocking iOS device lock, please feel free to ask Passixer iPhone Unlocker.