Losing or forgetting your iPhone passcode can be a frustrating experience. To gain access to your iPhone again, you'll need to wipe it without using the passcode. Here's how to.
When you forgot the passcode to your iPhone, you'll have to wipe it without passcode before regaining access to it.
Almost everyone who uses an iPhone will set a passcode to protect their privacy. However, you might forget the passcode and get an iPhone Unavailable screen due to continuous entry attempts of wrong passcodes. As an iPhone is a crucial part of your daily life, being locked out from it can leave you disconnected from your work, family, and friends. To cope with this problem, you'll have to wipe your iPhone without the passcode.
Note: Besides entering the right passcode to your locked iPhone, you'll have to wipe the device for getting back into your iPhone. This is the only way that Apple approves, but it will consequently erase all the data in your iPhone. After the reset, you can either start it anew or retrieve the content and settings if you have backed it up before.
Apple offers a couple of official methods that will allow you to wipe your iPhone without passcode, but those have certain requirements that your device may not meet. The good news is that there's a third-party solution available to get the job done, which is iPhone Unlocker.
Let's dive in!
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Introduced in December 2021, Erase iPhone option gives you the ability to wipe your iPhone without the need for a passcode, a computer, or iTunes. This functionality is implemented in the iPhone running iOS 15.2 or later, and available after the device received too many times of incorrect passcode.
Moreover, in order to take this approach to wipe a locked iPhone, you should connect the device to Wi-Fi or cellular network, and you need to know your Apple ID and password.
Note: If your iPhone hasn't been updated to iOS 15.2 or later or connected to the Internet yet, you cannot wipe the iPhone without the passcode in this way. The reliable and professional third-party tool iPhone Unlocker can be a better choice for you.
Check out the steps on using Erase iPhone feature for wiping an iPhone without passcode.
Step 1. Attempt to enter passcodes incorrectly until you reach the iPhone Unavailable screen with an Erase iPhone option on the bottom right-hand portion of the screen. Tap it.
Step 2. Tap it again to confirm the wiping of your iPhone without passcode.
Step 3. Next you will be asked for your Apple ID password to sign out. After entering it, tap Erase iPhone again to get your iPhone wiped without passcode.
Wait for a while before your iPhone is wiped clean without passcode. When it's done, you can restore your data from iCloud or iTunes backup, or set up your iPhone from beginning.
The passcode to your iPhone may not be the only thing you forgot; your Apple ID password can be forgotten, too. In this case, you'll need iPhone Unlocker to wipe your iPhone without passcode. As an efficient passcode removal tool, it can wipe kinds of passcodes including lock screen passcode, Screen Time passcode along with Apple ID password. What's more, there's no limit for iPhone's models, iOS versions and network connection when you use this tool to wipe your iPhone clean.
Using iPhone Unlocker couldn't be any easier. With an intuitive guide, you are just a few steps away from wiping your iPhone without the passcode.
1. Launch iPhone Unlocker on your PC or Mac, and select "Wipe Passcode" on the main menu.
2. Next, hit "Start" and use a USB cable to connect your iPhone to your computer. Click "Device connected but not recognized." You will be shown how to put your iPhone into Recovery Mode and make it detected.
3. Then you will be asked to confirm your iPhone information. After the confirmation, iPhone Unlocker will begin to download the appropriate iOS software for your device.
4. Once it's finished, you will be warned that all of your data and settings will be erased and that your iPhone will be upgraded to the latest compatible version of iOS. To proceed, you will need to enter "0000" and click "Unlock" to trigger wiping your iPhone without a passcode.
When iPhone Unlocker has finished wiping your iPhone clean, you will once again have access to the device, and all data and settings will have been erased. If you have a backup, you will want to restore it to your iPhone at this point.
To wipe your iPhone without passcode via iTunes has been an available solution since 2006. If you can't use Erase iPhone feature, this can be another alternative to wiping your locked iPhone. But your Windows PC should have iTunes updated to the latest versions, or if you are using a Mac, the most recent version of Finder can work as well.
Also note that for a Windows PC, it should be of Windows 10 or later; while for a Mac, it should be of macOS 10.5 or later.
Here we'll show you the steps on wiping an iPhone without the passcode via iTunes in a PC.
Step 1. Open iTunes and plug your iPhone into the computer.
Step 2. Activate your iPhone into Recovery Mode according to the model:
Step 3. When your iPhone enters Recovery Mode, it will be detected by iTunes and you will be asked to update or restore your iPhone. Hit "Restore" so as to wipe your iPhone without passcode.
Step 4. Select "Restore and Update" in the following pop-up window. Soon iTunes will download a software and when it's finished, your iPhone will automatically wipe itself without passcode.
Apple introduced the Find My iPhone feature in June 2010. It allows users to find their lost iPhone, anywhere in the world, by using their Apple account in iCloud.
Requirements for using Find My feature to wipe your locked iPhone:
How to use Find My feature to wipe your iPhone without passcode:
1. Go to icloud.com and log in with your Apple account details.
2. On the menu, select "Find iPhone."
3. You will see a map. At the top of the screen, there will be a pull-down menu labeled "All Devices." Here you can select the iPhone you would like to wipe without passcode.
4. Next you will be shown the location of your iPhone. In the top left-hand corner of the screen, you will be given several options. Select "Erase iPhone" and proceed.
5. You will be asked to confirm whether your iPhone needs wiping without passcode. Click "Erase."
Once confirmed, your iPhone will start the process of being wiped.
If you plan to sell or give away your iPhone to a friend you will probably want to wipe it clean first. Also, you may be experiencing technical issues with your iPhone that a full wipe can solve.
Tip: It's highly recommended that you perform an iCloud or iTunes backup of your iPhone prior to erasing all the data and settings. Also, if you plan to sell, trade, or give away the iPhone, you should disable Find My feature if you previously had it activated.
If you have your passcode, Apple has made it easy for you to wipe your iPhone clean:
1. Go to Settings > General.
2. Select "Transfer or Reset iPhone."
3. Tap "Erase All Content and Settings."
4. Tap "Continue."
5. Enter the passcode to your iPhone.
6. Hit "Erase iPhone" to start the reset.
