Home > How-To > How to factory reset an iPhone without passcode or iTunes or computer

Factory Reset Your iPhone without Passcode or iTunes or Computer

If you forgot your iPhone passcode and are wondering how to factory reset your iPhone without passcode or iTunes or computer, you can read on this article to find out the solutions.

face
Sandy Archila
Updated on Nov 22, 2022

Different ways to perform a factory reset on your locked iPhone without passcode or iTunes or computer.

Apple has already achieved great strides in protecting iPhone security. If you are using an iPhone, there's no need to be concerned about your contents on the device being snooped by evildoers as long as you have a lock screen passcode on the iPhone. But what if you forgot your iPhone passcode and wonder how to get back into your iPhone?

When you are locked out of your iPhone, the first thing you may think of is to connect your iPhone to your computer and put it into recovery mode to reset it. However, if you can't get a computer or you encounter a lot of errors when using iTunes, you may wish to factory reset the iPhone without passcode, iTunes, or computer.

The good news is that there're workarounds to reset your iPhone without using a passcode, iTunes, or computer. This article will show you two solutions for factory resetting iPhone without passcode or iTunes or computer. You can also try iPhone Unlocker on a computer or Finder on Mac to reset your iPhone without passcode or iTunes.

Table of Contents

Why do you need to factory reset your iPhone if you forgot the passcode

The iPhone lock screen passcode is a security measure designed to protect your iPhone from prying eyes. Therefore, if you forgot your iPhone passcode, nobody can ever access your iPhone again, including yourself.

Apple officially recommends that when you forgot your iPhone passcode, the best and only option is to reset your iPhone, which will result in your iPhone losing its content and settings as if you had just bought it. If your iPhone has made a backup before it is locked, you can restore the backup during the setup process after the reset.

Keep in mind that factory resetting your iPhone is the sole way to unlock your iPhone. If your iPhone is not backed up, your data will not be recovered. But beyond that, at least your iPhone is available again.

Reset an iPhone without passcode or iTunes or computer via Erase iPhone

The Erase iPhone option is a built-in feature on iPhone that is iOS 15.2 or later, which allows you to factory reset your iPhone without using passcode, iTunes, or computer. To use the Erase iPhone option, you will need to have iOS 15.2 or later installed on your iPhone, the iPhone should be connected to a stable network, and your Apple ID password for the locked iPhone is also required.

If you do meet these conditions, start resetting your iPhone with the Erase iPhone option:

1. After a couple of failed passcode attempts, you will see the Erase iPhone option at the right bottom of your locked screen. Tap on it to begin the reset process.

2. Tap on Erase iPhone option again to proceed when you are asked to confirm the erasing.

3. Next, you will be required to enter your Apple ID password to sign out of your Apple ID and then tap on the Erase iPhone option.

Your iPhone will now begin resetting all its contents and settings. Once the process is completed, you'll be able to set your iPhone up as new. If the iOS version of your iPhone can't enable the Erase iPhone feature, you can try the following other methods.

Factory reset iPhone without passcode or iTunes or computer via Find My

If have enabled the Find My iPhone feature before it's locked, you can use the Find My app on another iOS device to factory reset your iPhone without needing a passcode, iTunes, or computer. There're also some demands to reset your iPhone with the Find My app:

  • The Find My iPhone feature should be opened on your locked iPhone.
  • Another iOS device is a must-have, whether it's an iPhone or iPad.
  • Your Apple ID and password are needed to get access to your iPhone.
  • The locked device should be connected to a Wi-Fi or cellular network.

1. Sign in with your Apple ID and passcode and then open the Find My app with a green radar icon on the other iOS device.

2. Click All Devices at the bottom and select your locked iPhone.

3. Tap Erase This Device to continue the reset process.

4. Then, you will be required to enter your phone number, since your iPhone is not lost, you can tap the Erase option directly.

5. Then, enter your Apple ID password to proceed with the erasing process and your iPhone will begin resetting itself.

If you don't have the Find My feature enabled on your locked iPhone or you have forgotten your Apple ID and password, you will have to use a computer to factory reset your iPhone now. You can reset your iPhone by the following methods we provided.

Reset an iPhone to factory settings without passcode and iTunes via iPhone Unlocker

Since there's no chance for you to reset your iPhone without using a computer now, you can take a crack at iPhone Unlocker. It's a professional tool that can help you factory reset your iPhone without passcode or iTunes. With its simple and understandable interface, you can quickly reset your locked iPhone.

Free Download Free Download

1. Download and install iPhone Unlocker on your computer.

2. Launch the program and click Wipe passcode on its main page.

3. Connect your iPhone to the computer and click on the "Device connected but not recognized?" link to boot your iPhone into Recovery Mode.

4. Once your device is detected and select your locked iPhone's information when you will see a confirmation page. Click Start after selecting the right information of your iPhone.

5. The program will download a firmware for your device now.

6. When the firmware is downloaded, type 0000 in the input box and click Unlock.

7. The program will start factory resetting your iPhone, give it some time to complete.

That's it, you have successfully factory reset your iPhone without passcode or iTunes. Now you can set up your iPhone as new. However, if you have a backup of your data, you can also restore it to your iPhone.

Reset an iPhone without iTunes and passcode via Finder (Mac only)

If you have a Mac around you, you can also factory reset your iPhone without passcode or iTunes using Finder. Factory resetting your iPhone with Finder is similar to using iTunes. However, there are a few requirements that you should be aware of before resetting your iPhone with Finder:

  • You'll need a Mac running macOS Catalina or later.
  • A compatible USB cable is needed.

1. Open Finder on the dock of the Mac.

2. Connect your iPhone to the Mac using a USB charging cable and activate your iPhone into Recovery Mode.

Use the right buttons for your iPhone's model to put your iPhone into Recovery Mode.

  • For iPhone 8 or newer: Quickly press and release the Volume Up button and do the same to the Volume Down button, and then long press the Side button until you see the Recovery Mode screen.
  • With iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus: Long hold the Side and the Volume Down buttons together, when the Recovery Mode screen shows up, let go of the buttons.
  • For iPhone SE (1st generation) or earlier: Hold down the Home button and Side button until the Recovery Mode screen appears on your screen.

3. Once your iPhone is detected, you will see an alert box saying your iPhone requires to be updated or restored in Finder. Read through the message and click Restore.

4. Then, another window will pop up to confirm if you really want to factory reset your iPhone. After reading the content of the window, click Restore and Update.

Summary:

Forgetting the Passcode on your iPhone can seem like a nightmare. You can't use your iPhone or access any of your important data. Thankfully, we got your back, you can factory reset your iPhone without passcode or iTunes, or computer by the methods we provided.

If the former two ways don't work for your iPhone, you can also use the latter two methods to reset your iPhone without passcode or iTunes. And you should always remember that resetting your iPhone will erase all the data on the iPhone, you can restore your data during the setup process if you had a previous backup.

FAQs

Can I unlock my iPhone without factory resetting it?
Sadly, you can't. The only Apple-approved way to unlock your iPhone is to factory reset it and the process will also wipe away all your data on your iPhone. However, if you have created a backup in iCloud or your computer before your iPhone is locked, you can restore your backup after resetting the iPhone.
How to turn off my lock screen passcode?
Go to Settings on your iPhone, and tap on Touch ID & Passcode or Face ID & Passcode. Next, you will be asked to enter your passcode to get into the page. After entering your passcode, tap Turn Passcode Off, and enter your passcode again to confirm, then your lock screen passcode will be removed.
About Sandy Archila
Sandy Archila has been writing about technology for 5 years. She has extensive experience in helping people solve technical problems and delving into iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows platforms.
Unlock iPhone & iPad Lock Screen
No matter it says Unavailable or Security Lockout, or you forgot the passcode.