Wiping an iPhone via Settings app is pretty easy after entering the right passcode. What if you forgot passcode and need to wipe your iPhone? Here're tips on how to wipe iPhone passcode if forgotten.
Wiping an iPhone without a passcode makes device reset to factory defaults, erasing all the data and installing the latest iOS.
When you decide to wipe your iPhone, Apple offers a fairly straight-forward way to do that if you know the Lock screen passcode. After the iPhone is wiped completely, you can sell it on online marketplaces, make a trade-in, or give kids for entertainment.
But how to wipe iPhone because you forget the passcode and can't unlock the device? Don't worry, you can instead wipe the iPhone without a passcode using iTunes, or iCloud or third-party iOS passcode erasing program like iPhone Unlocker. If you're lucky enough, you can even use the more convenient "Forgot Passcode" option in device's locked screen to get iPhone wiped out without passcode or computer.
Here's everything you need to know about how to wipe an iPhone if you can't remember the passcode or you don't have the password, or if your iPhone is unavailable/ disabled after you entered the wrong passcode too many times. Let's dive in!
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No matter you have passcode for your iPhone and erase all content and settings via Settings app, or you do not remember your passcode while wiping the iPhone, Apple will delete everything on the device, including data, apps, privacy settings, as well as the passcode. The iPhone will restore to factory settings, as if it was brand new.
Once iPhone is wiped clean without passcode, you can restore your data during the iPhone setup process by choosing to restore from an iCloud or iTunes backup. Unfortunately, if you didn't create a backup in advanced, you'll lose everything right after the erasing process.
In case you forgot your iPhone passcode, you're unable to wipe the iPhone without knowing the passcode through the traditional route that Apple includes in Settings. But there's hope.
If you enter the lock passcode wrong repeatedly, your iPhone will become disabled, with its screen displaying iPhone Unavailable, Security Lockout or iPhone is disabled. You'll be asked to try again in 1 minute, 5 minutes... and finally, connect to your computer.
Given that you still know the correct passcode, the issue can be easily solved: Wait for a few minutes. Once the disabled/ unavailable/ security lockout message disappears from the screen, enter the correct code and unlock your iPhone.
If the passcode works, it's time to wipe iPhone clean without using a computer:
Before you trigger the erase, it's essential to back up your iPhone to ensure that you won't lose anything important. You could use iCloud or iTunes to back up your data. Then,
The problem is that you've trapped in a challenging situation where you need to wipe iPhone but you don't know the lock screen passcode at all, or you've totally forgotten it. For this case, you can use a computer to get your iPhone into recovery mode and then fire up a reliable program named iPhone Unlocker to wipe an iPhone without a passcode.
As an efficient passcode removal tool, it wipes the passcode on iPhone, including lock screen passcode at 4 digits or 6 digits, Face ID, Touch ID, Screen Time passcode, as well as Apple ID password.
What's more, iPhone Unlocker tool doesn't require your iPhone to have a network connection when you perform a clean wipe without the passcode or Apple ID. Once your iPhone is erased, you can then unlock it without passcode, preparing to set it up and restore data from a backup.
This method works for all iPhone models and iOS versions. Use these steps to bypass iPhone passcode and wipe the device.
1. After installing iPhone Unlocker on your PC or Mac, launch it.
2. Select "Wipe Passcode" on the main menu.
3. Next, use a USB cable to connect your iPhone to your computer. Click "Device connected but not recognized." link if your device isn't detected by the program. You will then be prompted to put your locked iPhone into Recovery Mode. This mode gives you chance to wipe iPhone without entering the lock screen passcode, and regain access to the phone again.
4. Confirm your iPhone information. After that, the program will begin to download the appropriate iOS software for your device.
5. Once done, check the warning that all of your data and settings will be erased and your iPhone will be upgraded to the latest version of iOS. To proceed, enter "0000" and click "Unlock" to trigger the process of erasing your iPhone without password. It will clear up everything, including your codes.
When it has finished wiping your iPhone to factory settings, access to the device, and restore your data and settings from backups you have in iTunes or iCloud.
iTunes always comes in handy when you're locked out of your iPhone and forgot your device's password. Once iPhone boots into recovery mode, iTunes will permanently wipe all data and settings and restore the phone to a clean slate without needing a passcode.
The process requires a computer with the updated iTunes (on Windows or macOS Mojave and earlier) or Finder (on macOS Catalina and later). If you don't have a computer, you may borrow one from your friends, or go to an Apple Retail Store for seeking help.
Step 1. Turn off your iPhone.
Step 2. Connect the iPhone into the computer as you hold the correct button to enter recovery mode. The button differs depending on your phone model.
Step 3. Open iTunes/ Finder. When prompted, choose "Restore" for the purpose of completely wiping iPhone and passcode.
Step 4. Select "Restore and Update" in the following pop-up window. Your computer will download the latest iOS software, and afterwards, get your iPhone wipe itself without the passcode. This may take a few minutes to finish.
Step 5. Once anything has been erased, set up your iPhone and restore data using your iCloud backup or iTunes backup. It's advisable to create a new passcode afterward to secure your iPhone.
Too many failed wrong passcode attempts could trigger security measure, which disables the iPhone and, delivers you an option to wipe iPhone if you have forgotten the passcode on the lock screen - as long as your device is running iOS 15.2 or higher. The option turns out as Forgot Passcode in iOS 17 or higher, or as Erase iPhone in iOS 15.2 and iOS 16.
Check out the steps to use your Apple ID and password to wipe an unavailable iPhone without a computer or a passcode. Make sure your iPhone is connecting a to Wi-Fi or cellular network with a good state.
1- Attempt to enter passcode several times until you see an iPhone Unavailable screen with an Forgot Passcode option at the bottom right-hand portion of the screen.
2- Tap Forgot Passcode.
3- Tap Start iPhone Reset to confirm that you're going to wipe all settings and data off the device, including the iPhone password.
4- Enter your Apple ID password to sign out. This is your password associated to set up your iPhone, not the Lock screen passcode.
Wait for a while until your iPhone passcode is wiped and reset, and the data is deleted for good. When it's done, get into the device and set it up to start over or restore your data from iCloud or iTunes backup.
Note: If you're using an older iPhone with iOS earlier than iOS 15.2 and get "iPhone is disabled" error, you need to use iTunes to get rid of iPhone passcode and unlock the device.
Requirements for using iCloud Find My feature to erase your iPhone when you do not remember your password:
Here is how to remotely wipe a locked iPhone without passcode or iTunes by iCloud:
1. Go to icloud.com/find and log in with your Apple account credentials.
2. In All Devices, choose your iPhone you'd like to wipe the passcode you forgot to.
3. Click on Erase This Device.
4. Follow the onscreen instructions to confirm the remote wipe of all data without iPhone passcode. Done!
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